Cubs reportedly interested in veteran lefty Brooks Raley |
At this juncture of the offseason, it's safe to assume that the Cubs aren't going to be making any more big moves unless it comes down to Roki Sasaki signing with them. Even if that's the case, his contract would essentially be a glorified Minor League contract, which plays right into the Cubs' hands.
Should they not get Sasaki, it's going to become a question as to what the Cubs do to add to their rotation, as there is no way they can go into next season with the current rotation they have. Even if the Cubs don't go out and make a major splash, that isn't going to stop them from adding to their roster any way they see fit. With the bullpen continuing to be a significant issue for this team, expect Jed Hoyer and company to monitor the relief market with the hopes of landing a reliever capable of impacting this team. One name that has now popped up as a possibility for the Cubs is former Chicago Cubs farmhand turned dominant reliever, as the Cubs are now kicking the tires on left-hander Brooks Raley, according to The Athletic. Again, any time you think of a pitcher who's already 36 years old, you never expect much out of him, but Raley is the norm, as he has posted a 2.58 ERA across his last 115 innings of work. That is no longer a sample size but more of a trend, as Raley has become one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball. Considering the Cubs are one of only two teams (Yankees) being linked to Raley, you have to like their chances, but there is a catch, as is the case with every other free agent on the market. As good as Raley has been, he had Tommy John surgery last May and missed the rest of the season with the Mets. Anyone who signs him this offseason can't expect him to pitch until at least July, which brings the question of whether it has to be a two-year deal to see if you can get more out of him in 2026. There is a reason why the Cubs and Yankees are the only teams looking to give him a multi-year deal right now, and had he been healthy, he would've been one of the more sought-after relievers on the market. It has been a while, but Raley was part of the Cubs organization long ago when they drafted him in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB draft. After going 20-26 with a 3.72 ERA across his first three Minor League seasons, Raley got the call to the bigs, where he debuted as a starter. Raley made five starts that season with the Cubs, going 1-2 with an 8.12 ERA, which ironically was the only five starts of his MLB career. One year later, Raley returned to the majors, pitched nine games for the Cubs, and posted an ERA north of 5.00. That alone was enough for him to realize he didn't have what it took to be in the majors as he tried his luck in the KBO following the 2013 season. Over the next seven seasons, Raley pitched well enough to remain in the KBO but wasn't a dominating pitcher by any means, going 48-56 across 157 games and posting an ERA just north of 4.00. All but one of those 157 games were starts, as he proved he still had something left in the tank. Following his time in the KBO, Raley found himself returning to the majors ahead of the 2020 season and began the next step of his career as a reliever. He went on to appear in 21 games during the 2020 season, but it wasn't until the 2021 season with the Tampa Bay Rays that he started to turn his career around. During his season in Tampa, Raley earned a 2.68 ERA over 53.2 innings of relief, striking out 27.9% of the batters he faced while walking only 6.8%. As they do so often, the Rays traded Raley when his price tag got too high, and he ended up with the Mets, where he continued his success, posting a 2.80 ERA with a 25.8% strikeout rate. He then came out of the gates strong in 2024, tossing seven scoreless innings to begin the season and striking out nine only to have his elbow pop, leading us to the situation he is in now. Despite not being a hard thrower and living with a fastball that sits around 91-92 MPH, Raley has cemented himself as a dominant reliever and a high-leverage lefty that makes any team better. He's a guy who relies on up to five pitches, but it's his slider and change-up that give him the most success, as those pitches need to be on for him to be at the top of his game. Given that you may not get much out of him this season adding him would be more of a 2026 play where you could give him a multi-year deal and backload with more money coming in the second year of the contract. Raley would be a massive upgrade to the pen and give the Cubs the lockdown lefty they have been lacking.
