The Chicago Cubs needed to add more support to the bullpen.
Getting a relief pitcher with a consistent history was especially crucial — and something they finally took care of on Saturday.
The Cubs and veteran relief pitcher Héctor Neris have made a deal for a year, valued at $9 million with a $9 million team option for 2025, a source informed the Tribune. If the right-hander appears in 60 games, his club option turns into a player option. His contract could ultimately reach $23.25 million with bonuses.
Getting Neris fills important gaps in the bullpen. He brings endurance, having pitched in at least 70 games five times, and provides the Cubs with an established reliever for the back end of the bullpen who has experience in high-pressure games. The Cubs bullpen struggled towards the end of the season in 2023 due to the inexperienced group wearing down and dealing with injuries in September, causing them to miss the postseason.
Neris, aged 34, has a career ERA of 3.24 over 546 major league appearances after spending two seasons in Houston, including winning a World Series title in 2022. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies for eight years. Mainly used in the seventh and eighth innings with the Astros, Neris also has closing experience, earning five saves in Houston and 84 with the Phillies.
Neris adds another splitter to the Cubs' bullpen to complement right-hander Mark Leiter Jr.'s effective pitch against left-handed hitters. Neris uses his splitter against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, a pitch that had a 42.2% swing-and-miss rate and a .237 slugging percentage in 2023.
Although he usually relies on a four-seam fastball and splitter combination against left-handed batters, Neris also uses a sinker and slider when facing right-handed hitters. His average fastball velocity decreased by 1.3 mph from 2022 to 2023, but the deal shows that the Cubs are not overly concerned about that.
The Cubs' efforts to reinforce the bullpen with the addition of Neris should not be the end of their work. They still require more depth and preferably another reliever with experience in the postseason.
And with Cody Bellinger is among the notable position players still available in free agency, and the Cubs have the potential to make significant improvements to their roster in the upcoming weeks.
()
