Chicago Cubs Had Interest in Veteran Lefty Before He Signed With Division Rival Reds

After the Chicago Cubs signed Shota Imanaga, they were able to make a trade that brought in an exciting prospect from the Los Angeles Dodgers who is ready to contribute at the Major League level, and a reliever to bolster their bullpen.

This flurry of action came at the right time for the Cubs who were the most dormant team in the league.

They also were reportedly eyeing another veteran reliever in free agency before he decided to join their division rival Cincinnati Reds.

Chicago reached out to Brent Suter about him joining their team. He had a relationship in place with new manager, Craig Counsell, after playing for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2016-22.

The left-hander has been a solid bullpen piece throughout his entire eight-year career. He's posted a 3.49 ERA across 253 appearances and 464 innings pitched with an ERA+ of 125.

Suter underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, but has continued to be a viable option out of the bullpen since then.

He was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Rockies after the 2022 season and he hit free agency this winter coming off a year with a 3.38 ERA in 57 games played across 69 1/3 innings pitched.

The 34-year-old grew up in Cincinnati starting at the age of 8 and decided to pitch for his hometown team, despite getting offers from eight teams including the Cubs.

"The Reds called first thing when free agency started ... The Reds just seemed like the most interested, which was really exciting because it was by far our No. 1 team that we really wanted to go to," Suter told Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer about his decision.

If not for the Reds, it seems like Chicago was a destination he was strongly considering as well.

"That was up there on our choices, too. The Cubs are a really great franchise and all that," he said.

But like he told Wittenmyer, there's no place like home and Suter decided on a $3 million contract with Cincinnati to play this upcoming season.