CHICAGO -- The Cubs’ bullpen has experienced a high rate of turnover, especially in the late-inning roles, as injuries have steadily impacted the group all season long. Adding a legit arm to the mix at the Trade Deadline was one of the top priorities for Chicago’s front office.
Prior to Monday’s Deadline, the Cubs traded with the Angels to reel in hard-throwing righty Ryan Zeferjahn. Chicago sent catcher Moisés Ballesteros and righty Mason McGwire (No. 18 on Pipeline’s Top 30 list for the Cubs) to the Angels.
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TRADE DETAILS
Cubs receive: RHP Ryan Zeferjahn
Angels receive: C Moisés Ballesteros, RHP Mason McGwire (was CHC No. 18 prospect; now LAA No. 15)
Cubs manager Craig Counsell recently noted that help on the right-handed front would benefit Chicago’s relief corps, and Zeferjahn certainly brings an upgrade in that department. This season with Los Angeles, he has amassed 75 strikeouts against 32 walks in 51 2/3 innings, with a 3.66 ERA across 45 games.
“That’s what he’s really good at,” Counsell said of the strikeout rate. “And I think he’s getting better. I think he’s an improving player. It’s a talented arm [who has] got his feet wet in the big leagues and has developed in the big leagues, and has particularly developed this year. He’s on a good trajectory.
“We think it’s a really good reliever that we can put into our bullpen and commit innings to.”
Zeferjahn has a five-pitch mix, but leads with a sweeper and four-seamer that each top 40% in whiff rate, per Statcast. His fastball clocks in at 97.4 mph on average, bringing some velocity to a Cubs bullpen that could benefit from more swing and miss. Zeferjahn has a 33.6% strikeout rate, which is well north of Chicago’s team rate (21.3%) out of the ‘pen.
Zeferjahn is 28, but does not reach his arbitration years until 2028 and is under club control through 2030.
“The reliever market was probably the tightest market, I felt like,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “That was a challenging market. Getting a guy with a great arm and a great strikeout rate -- we don’t have a ton of swing and miss in our bullpen.”
The Cubs have already set a single-season club record with 15 players notching at least one save -- evidence of the way Counsell has been forced to mix and match. Righty Daniel Palencia began the year as the closer, but has spent the bulk of this season on the injured list, along with a long list of other relievers.
Ballesteros was Pipeline’s No. 1 Cubs prospect before this season and made the Opening Day roster as Chicago’s primary designated hitter. Struggles through May and June led to a trip back to Triple-A Iowa, where he has had mixed results. McGwire (son of Mark McGwire) has had a breakout year between Single-A and High-A and made the All-Star Futures Game.
“Ideally, you don’t trade prospects,” Hoyer said. “But at the same time, we’re here to win and we’re here to make this roster better. We’ve invested a lot in this roster, not just financially, but in how we put the roster together. It’s a really good team. That’s part of being in contention and being in a good position. You have to make those decisions.”