The Chicago Cubs needed to add more support to the bullpen.
Getting a reliever with a steady history was really important — and that's something they took care of on Saturday.
The Cubs and veteran reliever Héctor Neris have come to terms on a one-year, $9 million agreement that involves a $9 million team option for 2025, according to a source. Neris’ club option changes to a player option if he appears in 60 games, a goal he has reached in each of the last three years and six of eight seasons except for the shortened 2020 season. His contract can reach a maximum of $23.25 million with bonuses.
Adding Neris fulfills crucial needs in the bullpen. He brings endurance, having played in at least 70 games five times, and provides the Cubs with a proven reliever for the back end of the bullpen, who has experience in important games. The Cubs bullpen struggled towards the end of the season, leading to them missing the 2023 postseason due to an inexperienced group that wore down and dealt with injuries in September.
Neris, 34, has a career 3.24 ERA over 546 big-league appearances after two seasons in Houston, which included a World Series victory in 2022. He also spent eight years with the Philadelphia Phillies. Mainly used in the seventh and eighth innings with the Astros, Neris also has experience as a closer, achieving five saves in Houston and 84 with the Phillies.
Neris brings another splitter to the Cubs' bullpen to complement right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., whose pitch has been effective against left-handed batters. Neris uses his splitter against both righties and lefties, a pitch that resulted in a 42.2 Whiff% and .237 slugging percentage in 2023.
Although he usually relies on a four-seam fastball and splitter combination against left-handed batters, Neris also incorporates a sinker and slider when facing right-handed hitters. His average fastball velocity decreased by 1.3 mph from 2022 to 2023, but this agreement shows that the Cubs are not overly concerned about that.
The Cubs’ effort to build a more dependable bullpen should not stop with the Neris signing. They still need more depth and ideally another reliever with postseason experience.
And with Cody Bellinger and other notable position players are still available in free agency, so the Cubs have the potential to make significant improvements to their roster in the upcoming weeks. Cody Bellinger among the notable position players
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