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4 best relievers available - 1. Hector Neris
At this point, Hector Neris is one of the most coveted arms left in free agency, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him secure a multi-year deal this winter. Coming off a superb 1.71 ERA season with the Houston Astros, he will test free agency at the perfect time. A couple of things. 2023 was by far his best season; his following best was 2019, when he recorded a 2.93. He was up and down in between; however, his numbers suggest he will remain effective moving forward.
In the past four seasons, Neris has had FIP recordings of 2.50 and 2.35 on years where his ERA was much higher. In 2023, his 3.83 FIP suggests he got pretty lucky to record a 1.71 ERA, but on the flip side, he has also spent a lot of time being unlucky. Since 2019, Neris has owned a 3.12 ERA and 3.47 FIP, which balances out nicely. With the Cubs emphasizing defense so much, his less-than-ideal 38.4% ground ball rate is less of an issue. He's not my favorite name on this list, but he's someone who can help the Cubs in 2024.