Chicago Cubs have been linked to a Mets free agent reliever
With this plan in place, they should be able to compete heavily in the upcoming offseason and, should they want to do so, aggressively restructure their squad. This is according to David Stearns, the new president of baseball operations.Adam Ottavino, a reliever, was a guy who would have blended in well with this squad design.
But he chose to test free agency following two successful seasons with the Mets by declining his $6.75 player option for the 2024 campaign.
When the experienced bullpen component joined with New York in 2022, it was a wise addition. Following difficult seasons with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in consecutive years, he experienced a career comeback.Ottavino made 132 appearances for the Mets, tallying an ERA of 2.62 and an ERA+ of 155.
The 37-year-old appears to have found a market this offseason, as Bruce Levine of 670 the Score reports that the Chicago Cubs are considering signing him.Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation reported about his contact with the source, saying, “Levine listed three righty relievers to ‘keep an eye on’ for the Cubs: Robert Stephenson (whom we’ve heard about before and who would be an awesome, expensive signing), Ryne Stanek, and Adam Ottavino.”
For the Cubs, the trade would make sense.They are in dire need of bullpen arms going into 2024, since their inexperienced and weak relief staff kept them out of the postseason the previous year.
It should be mentioned that Ottavino earned $8.75 million with New York after fulfilling a few of his contract’s requirements. It’s likely that he’s searching in that area after declining his player option to go on the free market.