Jed Hoyer hinted at the Cubs signing a free agent reliever when he spoke to reporters in Arizona on Thursday and according to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney, we know the names of four left-handed pitchers the Cubs are considering to sign.
We already knew the Cubs have been keeping track of Zack Britton, but they're also eyeing Brad Hand, Will Smith and Mike Minor.
Via The Athletic.
Zack Britton, Mike Minor, Will Smith and Brad Hand are among the names the Cubs have considered, according to major-league sources. Estimates from FanGraphs’ RosterResource show the Cubs are approximately $8 million beneath the first level that triggers the competitive balance tax, which is viewed internally as a soft salary cap and a real factor in the franchise’s long-range planning.
A deal might happen soon.
Here's a breakdown on Smith, Hand, Britton and Minor.
Will Smith
Age: 33
MLB Experience: 10 years
2022 Stats: 65 Games, 3.97 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 65 K, 25 BB, 59 IP, 16 Holds, 5 Saves
Will Smith had a few great seasons coming out of the bullpen for the San Francisco Giants, following up his impressive 2015 season with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2022, Smith split the year with the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros. Smith was traded to Houston in early August and ended up making 24 appearances for the Astros in the regular season. He was better in Houston, posting a 3.24 ERA in 22 innings, dropping his WHIP from 1.51 with the Braves to 1.23 with the Astros. Smith has plenty of postseason experience, including saving six games for Atlanta during the 2021 postseason.
Brad Hand
Age: 32
MLB Experience: 12 years
2022 Stats: 55 Games, 2.80 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 38 K, 23 BB, 45 IP, 13 Holds, 5 Saves
Brad Hand has pitched for seven franchises during his 12-year MLB career, but ever since he became a permanent reliever with the San Diego Padres in 2016, he's been consistently good for seven straight seasons. The only blip since the start of 2016 for Hand was his 11-game stint with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, after he was traded to the AL East team by the Washington Nationals. He ended up back in the National League to end the season, when the New York Mets claimed him off waivers. From 2016-22, Hand has a 2.89 ERA in 429 relief outings. He could also bring closer experience, as Hand has 131 career saves.
Zack Britton
Age: 35
MLB Experience: 12 years
I'm not including Zack Britton's 2022 stats because he only pitched in three games for the New York Yankees at the very end of the season after coming back from Tommy John surgery, which he had in Sept. 2021. I wrote about Britton earlier in the offseason as a potential free agent target for the Cubs and I still think he can be good fit. You can read more about Britton here. Before his elbow injury, Britton was dominant with the Yankees and was still a ground ball machine in New York after having a great run with the Baltimore Orioles. He could also be a closer option for David Ross if he's back to 100%. Britton has 154 career saves.
Mike Minor
Age: 35
MLB Experience: 11 years
2022 Stats: 19 Starts, 6.06 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 76 K, 40 BB, 98 IP
This one is a bit of a head-scratcher. Mike Minor has been a long-time starting pitcher with several teams, but interestingly enough one his better seasons was in 2017, when he was a full-time reliever with the Kansas City Royals. He made 65 outings that season and recorded a 2.55 ERA in 77.2 innings, striking out more than one batter per inning. Other than that, Minor has two other relief appearances since making his MLB debut in 2010. Minor pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, so maybe the Cubs scouts saw something they know they can fix with Minor, who had a rough year.
The Cubs will have a few new faces in their bullpen this season and maybe one of the pitchers listed above will be included. Check out this week's Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast, where we discussed the closer role and other early spring training storylines.
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