Roenis Elias is an interesting bullpen option for Cubs |
Before we get into today's column, I want to continue to pray for Damar Hamlin and his family for a speedy recovery. What we saw on the football field Monday night was unimaginable, but a harsh reality of how fast your life can change. Don't take that statement for granted. Enjoy your time now because you never know when it will be over.
Now, let's get into some baseball talk, particularly the case of Roenis Elias. When the Cubs signed the 34-year-old to a minor league deal a few months ago, it was more of a depth signing for their AAA roster. Once a promising piece in the Mariners organization, Elias went through a series of arm issues that paused his career. The former starter went nearly three years without pitching in the majors before returning in 2022 to post a 3.52 ERA across seven innings. For his career, Elias has a 22-24 record with a 3.96 ERA. Those numbers could be better, but they could be far worse also, as he has done a great job remaking his body to reach the bigs again. Now that he has had a little bit of success this past season, Elias wanted to continue that this winter and elected to play in the Dominican Republic for Winter Ball. Not only was that a great decision, but it is a decision that could change and save his career. Winter ball is difficult to follow, but always intriguing to watch if you have the chance. What is a mixture of veterans trying to save their careers and prospects looking for extra bats heading into spring; the competition factor is second to none, and some of the best competition hail from the Dominican Winter League. What Elias has done since he arrived is nothing short of amazing, and he will not only receive an invite to spring training, but will garner plenty of major league consideration. Going back in the MLB history books, you will find a guy by the name of Orel Hershiser, who owns the longest shutout streak in MLB history at 59 innings. Why is that significant, you may ask? Well, Elias was doing something not seen since that 1988 season and was looking to chase down Hershiser for that record. I understand it is Winterball, and the competition level could be better, but whenever you put up the numbers, he has you have to take notice. Elias was on quite a roll and had a shutout streak of 41 innings, which recently ended. Had he done that against major league competition, it would have been the ninth-longest streak of all time and the longest since Zac Gallen put up the seventh-longest streak of 44 1/3 innings this past season. Although his scoreless streak ended, Elias continued to dominate the Winter League competition, which he has done all season. Looking back at his last seven starts with Aguilas, Elias has gone 44 1/3 innings allowing just 20 hits and posting an ERA of 0.61. He also walked seven hitters compared to 50 strikeouts which translates to one walk and seven strikeouts per outing. At 34, Elias will not be part of the Cubs long-term future, but given what he has done this winter, you have to consider him, at the very least, a bullpen option for this season. He is a lefty which the Cubs pen desperately needs, and he has starter experience if you ever need to stretch him out and use him as a swingman. When it comes to his stuff, Elias is not overpowering and typically sits around 92 MPH with his fastball, although that has been closer to the 93-94 range this winter. However, his curveball is his bread-and-butter pitch, which could be one of the best-breaking pitches in the league this season. Looking at his deal, Elias is on a minor league contract, so the Cubs don't have to add him to their roster immediately. Instead, they may elect to keep him in Iowa to get some innings and stay fresh. However, I also expect an early opt-out clause in his deal should he want to try and latch on to a big-league roster. In any case, the Cubs will have to decide on him sooner or later, especially if he continues to pitch this way into spring training and beyond.
