Cubs Add Hector Neris to Bullpen

Hector Neris made his big-league debut way back in 2014 with one game and one inning for the Phillies. He remained with Philadelphia through the 2021 season, pitching in a variety of roles, but he spent a lot of time as the team's closer.

He became a free agent after the 2021 season and signed a two-year deal with the Houston Astros where he has set up Ryan Pressly. In 2022, he went 6-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 65 1/3 innings. He had 79 strikeouts with just 17 walks. In 2023, he worked in 71 games. He was 6-3 with a diminutive 1.71 ERA. In 68 1/3 innings, he struck out 77 batters, but he did walk 31 batters. 

He was hoping for a three-year deal this offseason, but instead he gets a deal that contains only one guaranteed season. It can become a two-year, $23.25 million deal depending on the options. 

Neris was clearly the best remaining reliever still on the market, but how will he fit into the 2024 Cubs roster. Specifically, what role should he be expected to fill? Adbert Alzolay came on very strong in 2023 as the team's closer, and one would assume he will go into the season with that role. Julian Merryweather , Mark Leiter, Jr., Jose Cuas, and the recently-acquired Yency Almonte will also get opportunities in late innings, but Neris certainly has the best track record among that group. Should Alzolay struggle, Neris would likely get an opportunity to close. 

It is interesting to note though that Neris did see a pretty significant drop in velocity in 2023. After consistently averaging 94-94.6 mph with his fastball for the past eight seasons, that number dropped to 93.0 mph in 2023. In addition, his split-finger's average velocity dropped from 95.1 mph in 2022 to 82.9 mph in 2023. So again, Neris put up the dazzling ERA in 2022, but it isn't hard to see why teams may have been hesitant to guarantee more years or dollars to him. 

We'll have more detailed analysis on the newest reliever in the Cubs organization. For now, share your initial thoughts on the signing.