There's no love lost between this Cubs bullpen castoff and his former team

Sometimes the right player and the right team just click - and everything changes. That certainly seems to be the case with the San Diego Padres and right-hander Jeremiah Estrada, who has blossomed into a shutdown late-inning reliever since being claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs in Nov. 2023.

To put it mildly, his time in a Cubs uniform ended under tenuous circumstances. Estrada made 17 appearances with the Cubs from 2022-2023 and posted gaudy strikeout numbers, but struggled with control and drew criticism for a poor work ethic. Chicago dumped him that fall and the Padres quickly picked him up. Almost immediately, he established himself as an elite bullpen arm in San Diego.

Jeremiah Estrada has thrived since leaving the Cubs organization

He matched up against his former team last week at Petco Park, making quick work of the three Cubs hitters he faced. Walking off the mound, he stared down the box where Chicago president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was sitting - sending a clear message: this is personal.

“Priorites first,” Estrada told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Get the job done, help the boys get a win. Second, enjoy the little things and enjoy the fact that the three times I’ve pitched against them, I’ve punched out two guys and put a zero on the board. It just feels good. It kinda feels like an ex-girfriend that messed up and made a wrong decision. You find a new girl and are like, ‘What’s up?’ You find a better version.”

Estrada spent seven years in the Cubs organization before the relationship finally reached a breaking point and he claims it never understood or supported him. Some in the organization say he turned over a new leaf and started working harder with the Padres. There are two sides to every story, but it's clear there's plenty of animosity between the hard-throwing right-hander and some shot-callers with his former club.

As a key member of the Padres bullpen, Estrada has made 73 appearances dating back to Opening Day 2024, working to a 2.95 ERA, 2.07 FIP and 13.4 K/9. Of course, his emergence just rubs salt in the wound for Cubs fans who remain desperate for a legitimate shutdown arm to turn to with the game on the line. But if you're making a list of potential deadline trade targets, it's best to leave Estrada off: at least on his part, it's clear there's no interest in a reunion here.