3 remaining lefty-reliever Chicago Cubs targets ahead of Spring Training

3 best remaining lefty-reliever targets ahead of Spring Training - Zach Britton

Last week, it had been reported that the Cubs and five other teams were scouting Zach Britton as he threw a bullpen session. Though his career has recently been plagued with injuries, Britton was a former elite reliever, including a 1.61 ERA from 2014-2017, reaching his peak in 2016 with a 0.54 ERA in 67.0 frames. During that time frame, he earned two All-Star honors and even finished 11th in MVP voting during his stellar 2016 campaign.

The key now for Britton will simply be staying healthy to allow himself to get back into rhythm. Since 2020, he has appeared in just 38 big league innings. Between Tommy John and shoulder injuries, it's fair to wonder how much he has left in the tank. In 2022, Britton would have been the perfect high-risk, high-reward player on a one-year deal that they could have dealt at the deadline if they were in a position to sell. With the Cubs looking to compete this year, the risk may only be worth it if he can be had on a minor-league deal. With the Cubs, only 12.0M under the first tier of the luxury tax, don't expect them to shell out 9.0M of it to Britton.