Sometimes a player’s contract just doesn’t allow a team to cut him loose, but that wasn’t the case for Brad Brach. He wasn’t a great free agent signing, but Brach’s had a pretty solid career and his addition to the Cubs bullpen was viewed as a positive for the most part in the offseason. However, things sometimes just don’t work out and that was evident through the first couple months of the season with Brach. As the season went on, the results kept getting worse.
The Cubs probably could have done this a month or two ago, but they’ve finally corrected their mistake and on Saturday they DFA’d Brach to make room for Cole Hamels on the 25-man roster.
Brach signed for only $3 million guaranteed in 2019 and an option for 2020 that includes a team buyout.
He entered this year with a career 3.08 ERA, coming off a 1.52 ERA in the final two months of 2018 with the Braves. It just didn’t work out with the Cubs.
Brach appeared in 42 games this season and recorded a 6.13 ERA, with a terrible 1.76 WHIP. He was actually getting results early on, with a 2.92 ERA starting in May, but that was mostly due to some luck. Brach walked 15 batters in April in 11.1 innings. The luck then disappeared and his ERA ballooned above six.
So, this is the Cubs bullpen for now.
Craig Kimbrel, Brandon Kintzler, Steve Cishek, Rowan Wick, David Phelps, Tyler Chatwood, Kyle Ryan, Derek Holland.
