Pedro Strop

Right-hander Pedro Strop has asked his release from the Cubs, who have granted the request, tweets Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. He’s still in good standing with the organization, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers adds, indicating this was an amicable parting of ways. MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets that the team remains open to bringing Strop back in the future.

Strop was away from the Cubs on a leave of absence due to personal reasons. Details surrounding that absence were not revealed, and it’s not clear at this point whether he’ll pursue an opportunity with another club. He pitched two shutout innings for the Cubs in 2021, but as of this weekend, Strop had returned to his home in the Dominican Republic.

Set to turn 36 next month, Strop has spent parts of 13 years in the Majors — eight of them with the Cubs. He came to the organization alongside Jake Arrieta in the franchise-altering deal that sent Scott Feldman to the Oriole and went on to become one of the team’s most vital relivers, pitching to a sub-3.00 ERA in his first six seasons in Chicago. Strop has tallied 375 innings in relief for the Cubs over the years and logged a 2.88 ERA while more than 28 percent of his opponents. He’s also been nails in the playoffs, logging a career 1.86 ERA in 19 1/3 postseason frames.

All told, Strop carries a lifetime 3.20 ERA through 505 2/3 big league innings split between the Cubs, Orioles, Rangers and Reds. If he indeed decides to explore other opportunities, there will no doubt be interest in him given his lengthy track record.

The Cubs have another reunion in the works, agreeing to a minor league contract and Spring Training invite with free-agent righty Pedro Strop, as first reported by Mike Rodriguez (Twitter link). Strop, a client QC Sports, will earn $800K if he makes the big league club.

Strop, acquired alongside Jake Arrieta in one of the more lopsided deals in recent memory, was with the Cubs from 2013-19 before an extremely brief, 2 1/3-inning stint with the Reds in 2020. He and Arrieta, who reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Cubs last week, could now both be back at Wrigley Field for the 2021 campaign.

A groin injury limited Strop’s time with the Reds in 2020, but his results even when on the mound weren’t particularly encouraging. It was a small sample, of course, but Strop walked six of the 15 batters he faced and also threw a wild pitch, indicating that his control wasn’t anywhere near its usual levels. It’s likely that the groin injury contributed to those struggles, but the Reds didn’t give him much of a chance to right the ship; Strop was designated for assignment immediately upon coming off the IL. He returned to the Cubs on a minor league deal but didn’t get back to the Majors.

Now healthy, the 35-year-old Strop should have a decent chance of making the team. The Cubs’ bullpen is largely unsettled behind closer Craig Kimbrel — and even he has yet to ever truly find consistency in Chicago. The Cubs reportedly agreed to a deal with Brandon Workman earlier this morning, and they’ve also signed lefty Andrew Chafin to a big league deal. Beyond that, they’ll rely on a host of journeymen and/or prospects with limited MLB track records. Rowan Wick, Dan Winkler, Duane Underwood Jr., Jason Adam and Brad Wieck are among the team’s other options in the ’pen.

Certainly, given his track record, Strop could have an inside track on a bullpen spot. The righty’s original seven-year stint with the Cubs, after all, was an undeniable success. He racked up 373 innings out of the Chicago bullpen, pitching to a 2.90 ERA with 28 saves, 110 holds, a 28.1 percent strikeout rate and a 9.7 percent walk rate. He added in 17 innings of 2.12 ERA ball in the postseason, including a pair of scoreless frames in the 2016 World Series.

There’s surely some sentimental value in the signing for Cubs fans, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that the team is putting together a patchwork bullpen for the third straight offseason. The combined $3.75MM the Cubs have spent on Workman and Chafin is the only guaranteed money invested in the bullpen this winter, and the club hasn’t succeeded in developing a reliable in-house reliever in years. To their credit, the organization has still posted middle-of-the-pack results in terms of bullpen ERA despite the lack of homegrown arms or notable additions, but it’s also tough to cobble together an effective relief corps in this manner each offseason.

Free-agent reliever Pedro Strop is returning to the Cubs, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports. The right-hander will go to their alternate training site.

This will be the second stint on the North Side for the 35-year-old Strop, who was a valuable part of Chicago’s bullpen from 2013-19. He accumulated 373 innings of 2.90 ERA/3.19 FIP pitching with 10.25 K/9, 3.55 BB/9 and a 53.2 percent groundball rate during that span, though Strop’s effectiveness waned last year during his final season of team control. He was unable to secure a multiyear contract in free agency as a result, instead signing a one-year, $1.825MM with NL Central rival Cincinnati.

The Strop-Reds union didn’t go well for either party, as he battled groin issues and only threw 2 1/3 innings with the club before it designated him for assignment Aug. 26. While Strop allowed just one earned run (three total) as a Red, he issued a whopping six walks and saw his average fastball, formerly in the 95-96 range, drop below 92. He’ll now try to work his way back to the majors with the Cubs, who lead their division by 3 1/2 games despite having received uninspiring production from their bullpen. The Cubs have, however, worked to upgrade their relief corps in recent days, as they landed Josh Osich and the currently injured Andrew Chafin at the trade deadline before reuniting with Strop.