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Just wait them out and maybe you’ll get a minor league deal from the Cubs this offseason if you can throw a baseball. The Cubs added to their plethora of minor league deals on Friday, agreeing to a contract with left-handed reliever Tyler Olson.
The 30-year-old pitcher has the chance to make as much as $650K in 2020 if he makes the big league roster.
So, ugh, Olson’s pitched in 124 MLB games, logging 94 innings with the Mariners, Yankees and Indians, and he’s really only had one good stretch during his time in the majors. In 2017, Olson pitched 20 scoreless innings for Cleveland, allowing 13 hits and 6 walks in 30 appearances. He only allowed a .188 batting average and a ridiculously low hard contact rate.
But since then Olson hasn’t been particularly good, posting a 4.66 ERA in 58 innings during the past two years. I mean, he’s a lot better against lefties, but with the new three-batter rule, are you really going to waste a spot on a guy who can only get out lefties? Seen enough of that with Derek Holland last season.
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Just another low-risk, low-cost and most likely low-reward signing by the Cubs.
