Cubs Have Trade Interest in All-Star Closer

The Chicago Cubs are only in the “fourth or fifth inning” of their offseason, as president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer put it last weekend.

The implication is that the Cubs are not nearly done this offseason, one that has been marked by one major signing in pitcher Shota Imanaga and one solid trade that brought corner infielder Michael Busch and relief pitcher Yency Almonte to the Windy City.

Relief pitching remains a focus, even after the Almonte acquisition, and on Tuesday 670 The Score in Chicago reported that the Cubs have interest in trading for one of the best closers in baseball.

The Cubs had a solid closer last season in Adbert Alzolay, who saved 22 games. But it was also his first year as a full-time closer so he doesn’t have the track record of a player such as Emmanuel Clase in Cleveland.

The right-handed reliever is reportedly the player of interest for the Cubs.

Clase broke in with the Texas Rangers in 2019 and went 2-3 as a reliever with one save. He was part of the price paid by the Rangers to get stater Corey Kluber before the 2020 season. Kluber pitched just one inning in the Rangers’ Opening Day game before he suffered a season-ending injury.

Everything Clase has done since has rubbed salt in that wound.

He reached the Majors with the Guardians in 2021 and has emerged as one of the best closers in baseball. He saved 24 games in 2021 and was fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

In 2022 and 2023 he made the AL All-Star team and led the Majors in saves, with 42 in 2022 and 44 in 2023. While his ERA jumped to 3.22 in 2023 from 1.36 in 2022, he has a career .200 ERA and strikes out nearly nine hitters per inning.

Also making him attractive is his contract. The 25-year-old is working under a five-year, $20 million deal through the 2026 season. The contract carries him through his arbitration seasons. The Cubs would get him at a below-market cost for three seasons.

Perhaps this was what Hoyer was talking about when he indicated the Cubs aren’t done this offseason. While Alzolay is a solid ninth-inning option, Clase is clearly better.