Cubs linked to All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase |
It is no secret that the Cubs need pitching help both in the rotation and the bullpen, but not much has been done at this point. Sure, several huge names are remaining in free agency, which the Cubs are in on; it seems more likely that they will add pieces via the trade market. Tyler Glasnow is the name most linked to the Cubs, but given his injury history and everything that comes with, many fans don't want the Cubs to touch him on the trade market.
Shane Bieber is another name linked to the Cubs, and given his past relationship with Carter Hawkins, you can see why it does make sense to the Cubs. Expect Bieber to be talked about a lot this offseason, but he may not be the only player from the Guardians that the Cubs are discussing, as All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase could be another name on the table for the Cubs. Like many small market teams, AKA the Rays, Athletics, Pirates, etc.... the Guardians are a team known for financial struggles and selling off key pieces right before they hit the market. That is what is going on with Bieber, and now Clase seems to be on the verge of that, which could be a win-win situation for the Cubs. Clase is a 25-year-old closer who has not only led the AL in saves but is also a multiple all-star. He is the definition of lockdown closer, and for as good as Adbert Alzolay was last season, Clase is a name the Cubs need to consider as a potential building block for the future. When you look at Clase and try to describe his pitching style, the word FILTH comes to mind as he is flat-out filthy. You could make the case that he has the best stuff in terms of closer, even better than Edwin Diaz and Josh Hader, which is tough to believe. Clase has a 100 MPH heater in his back pocket, but it isn't a heater per se. This is a 100 MPH cutter that not only has life but has a late break that makes it nearly impossible to react to. To compliment that heater comes to a late-breaking slider that sits in the 94-96 MPH, which is nearly as fast as most heaters in today's game. His stuff alone makes him worth a look, and there are a lot of reasons why he would make this Cubs team better. Considering what Edwin Diaz is making on the open market, what Hader is expected to make, and with Jordan Hicks being the next best option, Clase to the Cubs makes too much sense, especially when you look at his overall success the past three seasons. However, there are a couple of big red flags that not only the Cubs, but other teams are looking into and it makes you wonder if that could effect his trade market value. Clase has been one of the best relievers in baseball over this past half-decade, with a career 2.00 ERA (2.44 FIP), 24.9% strikeout rate, and 5.3% walk rate. Like mentioned, he also comes with a great slider and a stunning 100 MPH cutter. Even at that, that strikeout rate is much lower than some would expect, especially when you look at the overall stuff his repertoire has. One of the red flags that comes with Clase was his 80-game suspension for testing positive for PEDs. Granted, he has been clean since, but you have to wonder if his performance came off of PEDs, as he wasn't nearly as good back then as he is now. Since then, which ironically was the COVID season, Clase has put together 2 1/2 solid seasons since that suspension, so I don’t necessarily think that puts a cloud over his performance as much as it does his character. The biggest red flag and this is a significant red flag that does concern a lot of teams, is for as good a Clase has been; he also led the league with 12 blown saves in 2023. Several of those came in extra innings, but a blown save is a blown save nonetheless, and a closer needs to be as locked in as possible in the biggest moments. With the blown saves came a career-worst 3.22 ERA, which shows that Clase was not only blowing saves, but he couldn't limit the damage as well as you would like. His strikeout rate dropped considerably, and his walk rate climbed (albeit to just 5.3%). In addition, in 2023, Clase allowed his highest average exit velocity (88.4 MPH), barrel rate (5.0%), and hard-hit rate (37.6%). None of that is appealing when discussing a closer, but he is still good enough and dominating enough to be worth the trade consideration. A big reason for his struggles came from the hitters themselves being more patient and learning to recognize the different spins out of his hand. They were chasing pitches less, and when they did swing, they were whiffing far less often than in the past. It will be up to Clase to figure out how to keep them more off-balance this season, but with 16 million owed to him through the 2026 season before he hits his option years, if Clase can rediscover his old form, this could be a home run pick up for the Cubs this season.
