Chicago Cubs: Re-signing Brian Duensing a good move for team
By Brad Faber
Although the Chicago Cubs have bid farewell to closer Wade Davis this offseason, they have been able to make a few moves to bolster their bullpen. The most recent of these moves was re-signing left-hander Brian Duensing.
Last week, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported that the Chicago Cubs had brought back left-hander Brian Duensing on a two-year, $7 million deal. Duensing is the third free agent reliever that the Cubs have signed this winter. Earlier this offseason, the Cubs signed both Steve Cishek and Brandon Morrow to two-year deals as well.
While Duensing has enjoyed previous big-league success with both the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles, he quite arguably had one of the best seasons of his career with the Cubs last year. Through 62.1 innings pitched, Duensing posted a 2.74 ERA and an 8.81 K/9.
Duensing, who underwent elbow surgery when he was with the Orioles in 2016, did get off to a little bit of a slow start last season. He also stumbled to the finish line, posting a 4.82 ERA in September. However, he was quite good during the middle four months of the season. Duensing will turn 35 in February and still appears to have plenty left in the tank.
Bullpen shaping up nicely
During their championship season of 2016, the Cubs’ bullpen ranked fourth in the NL with an ERA of 3.56. Last season, they ranked third in the NL with a 3.80 ERA. Even in the absence of closer Wade Davis, who signed with the Colorado Rockies, the Cubs’ bullpen is looking like it could be quite useful once again in 2018.
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The Cubs will have Carl Edwards, Pedro Strop, Mike Montgomery and Justin Wilson returning as well. Despite still issuing too many walks and struggling a bit in the postseason, Edwards has a great arm and posted a 2.98 ERA over 66.1 innings last season. The veteran Strop had yet another good season last year as well, posting a 2.83 ERA over 60.1 innings.
Montgomery, who can also be used as a starter, posted a 2.49 ERA across 61.1 innings as a reliever last year. While Wilson struggled after coming over in a trade with the Detroit Tigers, he is a much better pitcher than what he showed with the Cubs.
Bringing back Duensing to join the current bullpen mix was apparently a wise move by the Cubs. He gives manager Joe Maddon another quality left-handed relief option, joining Montgomery and Wilson. With Montgomery being a swingman and Wilson being a bit of uncertainty after his late-season struggles last year, it should be nice to have Duensing as added insurance.
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Of course, there could be a couple of uncertainties in the North Siders’ bullpen in 2018. Morrow has limited experience as a closer, so it remains to be seen how he will fare in that role. Still, on paper, the Chicago Cubs have certainly been able to make a few very shrewd moves to address their bullpen this offseason.