Ken Rosenthal of FOX / The Athletic reported on Thursday morning that the Chicago Cubs had agreed to a two-year deal with free agent reliever Steve Cishek.
#Cubs in agreement with free-agent right-hander Steve Cishek, pending physical, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 14, 2017
Cishek, a side-arming, almost submarine-type right-handed reliever, posted a 2.01 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in a combined 44.2 IP last year in a season that was split between the Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays.
However, Cishek’s greatest career success came with the Miami Marlins, where he was a successful setup man and eventual lights-out closer for a couple of seasons. In 2013, he posted a 2.33 ERA while saving 34 games in 36 opportunities. The following year, he saved 39 games in 43 opportunities. Pretty solid stuff.
And think back to the Cubs’ biggest problem in the bullpen the last couple of years. They’ve been notorious for walking people in bunches. Control issues have plagued Chicago’s relief arms: CJ Edwards, Hector Rondon (who was non-tendered), Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm, Justin Wilson, and even Wade Davis struggled at times with their control.
In that regard, Cishek should be a sight for Joe Maddon’s sore eyes. He has kept his walks under control for the most part throughout his career. His career walk rate is 3.29 BB/9 IP. That’s not Greg Maddux-esque by any means, but it’s certainly leaps and bounds better (roughly 2 BB/9 IP better, which is a lot) than the Cubs have had in their bullpen for a while. Couple that with a career 2.73 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, and he should provide Maddon a trusted arm to use in late inning situations. You know, when they can’t afford to walk people.
The deal is reportedly between $12-14 million over two years total, which is reasonable. A reliever who can find the strike zone consistently and has some solid closing experience? Great find, Theo.
