If Chicago Cubs Become Buyers, Here are Four Relievers to Watch

It’s still not clear if the Chicago Cubs are going to buy or sell at the trade deadline. But, if they buy, the Cubs could certainly have some relief help.

Per FanGraphs, the Cubs have the No. 19 bullpen in baseball. The bullpen is just 12-20 with a 4.14 ERA.

If the Cubs push for bullpen help at the deadline, here are five names that could come up in the next week.

Chasen Shreve, Tigers

The Tigers have a wealth of relievers that could be dealt at the deadline. But most of them have controllable years left, and while that’s attractive, it tends to cost more in trade. Shreve, a left-hander, is not under contract past 2023. The Tigers have gotten plenty out of his minor-league deal.

His ERA isn’t necessarily ship-shape (4.82). But, he’s struck out 39 and walked just 11 in 37.1 innings. It’s a bit of a return to his 2021 form with Pittsburgh, where he had a 3.20 ERA with a 3-3 record. He wouldn’t cost the Cubs much, both in salary and in prospects.

Trevor May, Oakland

He’s a buyer-beware pick but the Athletics are in sell mode and May is in the final year of his deal. The Athletics would probably love to see a team pick up the final $2 million or so of his deal. May is 33 and he was injured earlier this year. But, since returning he’s been solid — a sub-3.00 ERA in more than 20 innings for a team that may be the worst in baseball.

May had a sub-4.00 ERA for four straight seasons starting 2018, and his ERA for this whole season is 4.73. You’ll have to live with a 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, but he’d come relatively cheap for two months.

Brent Suter, Colorado

He’s another left-handed reliever on a one-year deal who has done fine work for a team that is going nowhere. He’s 4-0 with a 2.62 ERA in 33 games. That’s his lowest ERA since he was with Milwaukee in 2019 (0.49), but that was in nine games.

He’s not going to bring high velocity, but he has a quality pitch mix, limits walks (2.8 per nine innings) and has a deceptively good strikeout rate (7.5 per nine innings) in comparison. The Rockies are unlikely to sign him after this season and his value will never be better on the trade market.

Amir Garrett, Kansas City

The left-hander could be part of the fire sale in Kansas City, where Garrett is in the final year of a low-cost free-agent deal. He’s 0-1, but he has a 3.33 ERA in 27 games and 24.1 innings. The Cubs would love the strikeout rate (10.4 per nine innings), but the walk rate not so much (7.4 per nine innings). It’s the highest walk rate of his career.

He’s allowed fewer hits (22) than innings pitched and given up just four home runs. Perhaps the Cubs can squeeze out the best from him in the final two months.

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