Cubs add to bullpen with veteran pickup Brad Boxberger |
It may not be a name most were expecting, and it certainly wasn't a starting pitcher, but the Cubs got back into the free agent pool as they added veteran right-hander Brad Boxberger to the team. The 34-year-old righty is coming off two great seasons with the Brewers and has agreed to a one-year, 2.8 million dollar deal. The Cubs are hopeful he can keep it going, as he will be a great addition to the pen.
Boxberger will be an intriguing piece to keep an eye on as he has filled multiple roles in the pen. Most prominently, he has been a set-up man, but has also seen time as a closer while he was with the Miami Marlins. In 70 games with the Brewers last season, Boxberger was impressive, posting a 2.95 ERA and striking out 68 batters. Going back one year earlier, Boxberger went 5-4 with a 3.34 ERA and 83 strikeouts in just 64 innings. Those are outstanding numbers, and the Cubs are hoping those numbers can continue for at least one more season. Not a hard thrower by any means, Boxberger sits in the 93-94 range with his heater, but his off-speed offerings have given him the most success. Across his career, Boxberger has been a very busy man going 31-37 with a solid 3.44 ERA in 484 appearances. Over those appearances, he has registered 93 holds in a set-up role while also picking up 82 saves. 41 of those saves came in 2015 when he was leading the American League as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. No one expects him to put those numbers up again, but this is an excellent signing for the Cubs, as they needed some new bullpen help. After gutting their pen for the second season in a row, the bullpen will be a question mark heading into the season, although they do have some studs to lean on right now. As things sit, the back end of the Cubs pen is taken care of with Rowan Wick holding down the seventh inning spot, Boxberger and Brandon Hughes most likely taking care of the eighth, with Keegan Thompson as the potential closer or multi-inning guy. You also have Codi Heuer coming back from Tommy John, as he should also fit in well later this season. That gives the Cubs five arms for an eight-person pen, as the team still has some work to do. Look for Adbert Alzolay to get a look in the pen this season, along with Michael Rucker and hopefully a lefty to give Hughes a break. Either way, Boxberger will play a massive role in this pen, and it could be in various ways. If I had to guess, he goes to the set-up role right now, and the closer spot falls into the hands of Hughes or Thompson. However, Boxberger does have closer experience, so the Cubs may go with that, as he will get some save chances this season. Should he put up the numbers he has been in recent seasons, the Cubs will come out ahead on this deal, and they may have a piece to flip at the deadline. However, they need to reconsider that thought as this team has gutted their pen in two consecutive seasons, and they need to focus on keeping some of these players in town. Granted, Boxberger is nearing the end of his career, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have some good baseball left in him. These are the types of signings that often get overlooked because they are not going to be big-name pickups. However, I would argue that this signing could be the best one before it is all said and done, depending on how things go. Welcome to Chicago Boxberger.
