Follow our new Twitter account for real-time updates and in-depth analysis of all things Chicago Cubs.
Honestly, the reaction to this signing should be just like every other one of these types of moves. The Cubs are just adding some depth and they’re brining in a guy who’s been really good in the past and who knows maybe that guy can figure something out again.
If it works? Cool. If it doesn’t? Just let him go because it’s only a minor league deal. Who cares. However, I went from gushing about Cubs prospect Brennen Davis being compared to Dale Murphy to the news of the Cubs signing Kelvin Herrera.
What a downer.
We already knew about the Matt Dermody signing. You can read about him here.
Follow our new Twitter account for real-time updates and in-depth analysis of all things Chicago Cubs.
The White Sox signed Herrera to a two-year deal heading into the 2019 season and he quickly proved to be a disappointment, putting up the worst ERA of his career.
The righty had a 6.14 ERA in 51.1 innings, while he doubled his walk rate and started to give up more home runs. I guess the HR part was basically every pitcher in the league, but the most concerning development was that Herrera’s velocity dipped to the 96mph range after throwing 99mph when he was dominating with the Royals.
Herrera’s velocity, like many other pitchers in this unusual season, has declined even more and he was only averaging 93.9mph before the White Sox DFA’d him last week.
I get it though. Herrera was still pretty damn good just two years ago, but that velocity drop has clearly made it harder for him to get outs.
It’s a minor league deal and this may not even matter, but please if there’s ever a discussion about giving Herrera a shot, why not just go with one of your prospects instead?
Anyway, forget about Herrera and read about Brennen Davis instead.
