Kirby Yates is a free agent the Chicago Cubs must look at this offseason

Shoring up the bullpen with as much depth as possible is a high priority for the Chicago Cubs this offseason. After last year's fiasco early in the year that cost them way too many games, it would be desirable to have a mix of in-house upside arms and some proven experience. Bringing in veteran arms can sometimes be tricky with the fickle nature of relievers as a whole, but there are options out there that are worth a look.

One man on the market is 37-year-old veteran righty Kirby Yates. A two-time All-Star, Yates is a career 3.17 ERA, 1.1 WHIP, 3.51 FIP, 12.5 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 pitcher in 422 MLB appearances. He boasts 95 career saves in 109 save opportunities (87%) and, in 2019, led baseball in saves with 41 that year. Last season with the Rangers, he made his second All-Star team pitching to a career-best 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 2.50 FIP, 85 strikeouts, and 33 saves in 61 appearances (61.2 innings).

Yates is primarily a four-seamer and splitter pitcher. The fastball sits around 93 MPH while the splitter is around 86 MPH. Earlier in his career he utilized more breaking stuff, but last season only registered six sliders compared to his 623 four-seamers thrown (61% of his pitches) and 397 splitters (39%). Using those two pitches he held opponents to a .113/.225/.182 slash against, with an expected average (xBA) against of .145 which was in the top 1% in baseball, per Statcast. He was also in the top 2% in strikeout rate (35.9%). While his whiff rate was similar on each pitch, 35.2% on the four-seamer and 31.1% on the splitter, it was his fastball that was his main putaway pitch (27.3% putaway on the fastball vs. 16.9% on the splitter).

Kirby Yates would fill the need in the Chicago Cubs' bullpen.

The biggest thing to like here is how Yates misses bats, 571 strikeouts in 411.1 innings. Something the Cubs bullpen needs more of. He also only gave up three homers last year, and since 2018 sports a 0.8 HR/9 over 257 innings. Yates has also proven to be a worthy closer, he only blew one save last year.

The risks and downsides? Statistically, he has struggled a bit with walks. Last year he walked 28 hitters in 61.2 innings, and 70 total walks in his past 129 innings. There is also the risk of his age, as he will turn 38 as the 2025 season starts. Yates is a pitcher who missed significant time (including all of 2021) due to a right elbow injury that required Tommy John. He has since overcome the injury, but being older, one wonders how much further he can go. 2024 was one of his best years as a pitcher, and there are often next-year regression questions for relievers like that, even with a good resume like his.

Based on his overall body of work, he is a very intriguing target. Last year with the Rangers he made $4.5 million. Per Spotrac, his calculated market value is around $6 for next year.