Here Are the Top-5 Remaining Free-agent Relievers for the Cubs ...Middle East

FREE AGENT RELIEVERS — When Tanner Scott left the Cubs (and their reported $66M offer) at the altar, I was bummed, but not devastated. On the one hand, it does suck to whiff on a bona fide closer when the Cubs were FINALLY willing to lay out the sort of big-money, multi-year offer it takes to get one. But on the other, I knew that Kirby Yates was still out there and the Cubs still clearly had (1) room in the budget for and (2) a willingness to spend on that particular position. And then Yates signed with the Dodgers, too. Bah humbug.

But I still expect the Cubs to go get a back-end/established reliever, almost certainly in free agency, and five ‘big’ names remain. So let’s briefly go over who’s still out there, in no particular order, to see what leftover scraps the Cubs will put on the menu.

In order of age (my favorite is the oldest guy) …

Top Remaining Free Agent Relievers

Carlos Estévez, 32, RHP

Carlos Estévez has saved 57 games over the last two seasons, finishing last year out in Philadelphia after a deadline trade to the Phillies. Estévez is a three-pitch guy, including a 97 MPH fastball (66.5%), a hard 89.4 MPH slider (28.1%), and a playable changeup (10.4%).

Last season was his best in the big leagues (2.45 ERA over 55.0 IP), and it seems to have been built largely on the strength of greatly reducing his walk rate (11% in 2023, 5.7% in 2024). However, that came at the expense of fewer strikeouts, too (23.6%). Troublingly, Estévez had a 10.1% barrel rate last season and a 42.3 hard%. Combine those with a 32.9% groundball rate and I don’t love the peripherals. Indeed, if it wasn’t for his big cut in walk rate, there wouldn’t be many positive signs.

BUT, again, this is a guy who’s familiar with the demands of the 9th inning and he’d easily be one of the top relievers on the Cubs. He’s not as good as Tanner Scott or Kirby Yates, but he would upgrade the Cubs bullpen.

Two days ago, Jon Morosi said the Cubs are “among several teams pursuing Estévez.” And here’s where his contract was projected to land at the start of the year:

Kyle Finnegan, 33, RHP

Kyle Finnegan is another current closer (66 saves with the Nationals over the last two years), though he was actually non-tendered earlier this offseason. We discussed Finnegan at length back in December, when it was reported that he had spoken to the Cubs. Here’s the gist:

Kyle Finnegan, 33, has 88 career saves, the bulk of which came over the past two seasons, including 38 in 2024 — only Emmanuel Clase (47) and Ryan Helsley (49) had more.

So at the very least, Finnegan is an established, experienced closer. For as difficult as it is for those of us who are more analytically inclined, there does seem to be something about the ninth inning/a save opportunity that changes the calculus on evaluating a player. Or to put it more plainly, not every “good” reliever is suited for that role. For some guys, the ability to rise up in those moments — or more likely, to remain unshaken — is an actual skill. At least, that is my belief.

So to at least that one point, Finnegan has an important box checked. The Cubs could use a closer, and Finnegan is a closer. It’s just that his other stats are underwhelming, if not outright confusing.

Last season, for example, Finnegan struck out only 22.1% of the batters he faced, which is below the league average for a reliever, but especially a closer. Strikeouts are important in that role, and I don’t think I have to explain that one too deeply. Likewise, he isn’t a control artist (8.9 BB%), he doesn’t really manage contact (91.3 MPH EV, 48.1 barrel%, both of which are awful), and he isn’t a groundball machine (45.9%).

He did manage to stay off the barrel (7.0%), but even that was only barely better than the league average (7.3%). Frankly, it’s a little incredible he was able to save as many games as he did. And, indeed, his mediocre (for a closer) 3.68 ERA was FAR better than where all those underlying peripherals point: 4.31 xERA, 4.25 FIP.

And yet, he’s carried pretty consistent results (and velocity) throughout his five-year career.

2020: 24.2 IP, 2.92 ERA, 3.55 xERA – 95.2 MPH2021: 66.0 IP, 3.55 ERA, 3.73 xERA – 95.7 MPH2022: 66.2 IP, 3.51 ERA, 3.29 xERA – 97.0 MPH2023: 69.1 IP, 3.76 ERA, 4.70 xERA – 97.4 MPH2024: 63.1 IP, 3.68 ERA, 4.31 xERA – 97.4 MPH

Employ Kyle Finnegan and you’re likely to get 65-70 innings, a 3.60-ish ERA, and a 97 MPH fastball. Without watching him closely, I can’t really tell you how he’s managing to succeed. But he … is?

As for the pitch-mix: Four-seamer (~67%), Splitter (27.2%), Slider (5.2%). He used to throw his slider 4x as often as he does now, coincidentally switching it the exact season his expected stats fell off the grid, so maybe the Cubs see an opportunity to optimize there.

Tommy Kahnle, 35, RHP

Although Tommy Kahnle doesn’t have the closing experience of any other pitcher on this list, he’s still a very solid option, albeit a conflicting one. On the one hand, he tossed only 42.2 innings last season and only 40.2 the year before. So that’s definitely a concern. But on the other, those were 83.1 very good innings:

Kahnle also manages contact extremely well, inducing just a 32.1 hard% and a 6.3 barrel% (86.2 MPH average exit velocity). And he’s a groundball machine (58.6% last season). The Cubs, we know, like to employ that sort of pitcher.

Of course, we also think that they’ve been trying to add more velocity to the backend of the bullpen, and Kahnle (94.2 MPH last season) is solidly below Finnegan and Estévez (both in the 97 MPH range) in that department.

Kahnle has also dealt with injuries both in 2023 (bicep tendinitis) and 2024 (shoulder inflammation). Once again, he’d be better than a lot of the Cubs’ other relief options, but he’s not Scott or Yates.

Kenley Jansen, 37, RHP

I’m sure we’re all plenty familiar with Kenley Jansen, the formerly dominant Dodgers closer who spent 2022-2024 in Atlanta and Boston. And while he may not be the guy he once was, you may not realize that he’s been pretty darn consistent over the last three years.

And in terms of “closing experience,” well, he’s up to 447 career saves. So, he’s got that box checked. The big concern for him, though, is the dramatic rise in his batted ball metrics these last few seasons.

For example, last year, his barrel rate was in the double digits (11.1%) for the first time in his career, well above even what he was doing in 2022 (7.3%) and 2023 (6.8%). And he is not a groundball getter, either (30.6%). Indeed, we all generally consider Shota Imanaga to be an extreme fly-ball pitcher. His flyball rate last year was 45.5%. Jansen’s was 53.7%. That might not play if the winds at Wrigley fly the other way next season.

David Robertson, 39, RHP

Believe it or not, our old friend – and the oldest pitcher on the list – David Robertson might actually be the most attractive pitcher of the bunch. You’ll remember Robertson fondly from his brief stint with the Cubs (2.23 ERA over 40.1 innings before being traded for Ben Brown), but he’s maintained similar levels of success ever since:

He’s also got 177 career saves on the back of his baseball card, and is coming off a 72.0 IP season. The age is absolutely a concern, but he’s actually throwing even harder these last two seasons (93.3 MPH) than he has for the rest of his career.

Throw in some solid batted ball metrics (48.8%), 88.7 MPH EV, 5.5 barrel%, 37.6 hardhit% and I have to say: If it weren’t for his age, he’d be the OBVIOUS best target of the group. Signing him might be a risk, but it might be the highest upside option the Cubs have remaining among the free agent relievers.

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