Chicago Cubs add Nathan to the mix
If you want to know what Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein and his front office have been doing, it's been thinking about pitching.
They've been thinking about what kind of pitching they might add for the rest of this season and for the long term.
We saw one small bit of evidence of that Tuesday, when the Cubs signed 41-year-old former closer Joe Nathan to a major-league contract.
The Cubs immediately placed Nathan on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in April 2015. Nathan will head to the Cubs' spring facility in Mesa, Arizona, to continue his rehab. Reports say he won't be game ready until sometime in July.
No matter how much of a shot in the dark the Cubs are taking, it's another illustration of some baseball truths: Bullpens are the most fickle and finicky part of any team, and the bullpen a team opens the season with never is the one it finishes with.
For example, the names of Clayton Richard and Trevor Cahill were on the lips of no Cubs fans at this time last year. However, each played key roles in the Cubs' drive to the playoffs in 2015.
It has been a case of so far, so good for the Cubs' bullpen this season. They entered Tuesday with a record of 5-3 with 7 saves in 10 opportunities, an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.21. Closer Hector Rondon, who had 30 saves in 34 chances last year, entered Tuesday 7-for-7 this year.
The relievers have gotten a huge assist from the starting rotation, which entered Tuesday's series opener at Milwaukee with 27 quality starts and every start, either quality or non-quality, being at least 5 innings in length. That no doubt should keep the relievers' arms fresh if and when the weather ever heats up.
Nathan is a six-time all-star with 377 saves, eighth most in major-league history. He has pitched for the Giants, Twins, Rangers and Tigers. He made 1 appearance with the Tigers last year before having to undergo the surgery.
Really, there is little risk in this move, with the potential for a good reward.
"It's a work in progress," Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio said on the WSCR radio pregame show Tuesday from Miller Park. "We'll reach out and see where he's at and see what we can do to help. We got a guy with pretty good numbers on the back of the baseball card but also a guy that's still hungry.
"So who knows? Maybe we got another ace in the hole."
Manager Joe Maddon met with reporters before the game and told them, regarding Nathan: "It's always good to add pitching depth. … I think it's a great move and hopefully he'll be well."