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3 recent non-tenders who could be complimentary pieces for the Cubs
These 3 guys won't break the bank - and they won't be the answers to the team's biggest problems, either - but could help deepen the roster.
In a dream scenario, the Cubs can put something together for recently non-tendered right-hander Brandon Woodruff, but they'll face some stiff competition for the former Milwaukee hurler who is set to miss some, if not all, of the 2024 season.
But that doesn't mean the recent non-tender deadline and its fallout can't prove fruitful to Chicago. Here are three players who could be nice pieces for the Cubs on what should be very affordable deals in 2024.
Rowdy Tellez, Patrick Wisdom could give Cubs bench a potent power combo
With Patrick Wisdom back in the fold for 2024, likely in a platoon bench role, that gives new manager Craig Counsell one power option capable of playing multiple positions defensively. Still, there are plenty of holes in Wisdom's game - one of which is his weaker performance against right-handers.
Enter Rowdy Tellez, who was non-tendered along with Woodruff by the Brewers last week, a bat-only option who has always hit righties extremely well and is just one season removed from a 35-homer season in Milwaukee. Aside from his glaring defensive deficiencies, Tellez has struggled mightily against left-handers - but if you were to pair him up with Wisdom, a matchup-based approach could prove fruitful.
Obviously, there's familiarity between Tellez and Counsell, who managed him in Milwaukee for the last three seasons. He knows how to set him up for success better than probably anyone else in the game. Throw in the Cubs' glaring need for power in the lineup and the likely low cost to bring him to Chicago, and it's not hard to see this being a move that piques Jed Hoyer's interest.
Adam Cimber has all the makings of a Cubs reliever already
Similar to Tellez, veteran reliever Adam Cimber is just one year removed from a very strong performance, when he appeared in almost half of the Blue Jays game and posted a sub-3.00 ERA. He struggled in 2023, but given Craig Counsell's mastery of pulling the right levers in a bullpen, the right-hander could slot in nicely to what will be a new-look pen in Chicago.
Cimber, who has made his mark as a heavy groundball pitcher in his career, could benefit from the elite Cubs middle infield combo of Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner if he can work with Tommy Hottovy on sorting out his pitch mix and approach.
It's probably the unorthodox arm angle, but he reminds me a great deal of Steve Cishek, who was arguably Joe Maddon's most trusted reliever from 2018-19 - and for good reason: he made 150 appearances and worked to a 2.55 ERA during that stretch, playing a critical role for the Cubs. Cimber could do the same for Counsell and fits the type of low-cost, low-risk, high-upside arm the front office has focused on in recent years.
Former Cardinals top prospect Dakota Hudson could turn things around with the Cubs
A former first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2016, right-hander Dakota Hudson had fallen out of favor with the Cubs' archrival, leading to his non-tender last week.
He struggled in 2023, splitting time between the rotation and bullpen for the Cardinals and working to a 4.98 ERA, 5.06 FIP and 1.500 WHIP in 81 1/3 innings. Similar to Cimber, when he's at his best, Hudson works the zone well and keeps the ball on the ground. Even this year, when he struggled, he still ranked in the 86th percentile in terms of ground ball rate.
Once a National League Rookie of the Year candidate back in 2019 (when he finished fifth in voting), Hudson looked like he was going to be the next in what feels like an endless stream of Cardinals homegrown arms to dominate the Cubs. Instead, that equation could be turned on its head if Chicago brings in the reclamation project to bolster its staff.
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