Cubs linked to Raisel Iglesias in search for late-inning help |
Dustin Riese
· · 8 hours ago
In case you have missed it over the past 48 hours, the Chicago Cubs continue to be mentioned with plenty of deadline targets. Despite starting pitching being at the top of their list, it does appear that the Cubs are targeting not only relievers, but high-leverage relievers, a lot more than people expected them to.
Griffin Jax was a name mentioned last week, as were Pete Fairbanks and Emmanuel Clase, as the Cubs are trying to do what they have to do to put themselves in a position to acquire at least one more high-leverage reliever to lock down the late innings. The latest name added to their list isn't one that seemed like a target, but rather one the Cubs are very familiar with: Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. With the Atlanta Braves all but out of it, especially after losing their fifth starter due to an injury, it is only a matter of time until the Braves begin to sell off some of their pieces. Had Chris Sale not gotten hurt, he would've been the prime target, but now Iglesias could be targeted by several teams with the Cubs being one of those teams high on the list. Not known as a dominating closer, Iglesias has been one of the National League's best closers since his time with the Reds. Given that he is a free agent after this season, he is a very likely trade chip at this point in the season. Since breaking into the league in 2015, Iglesias has logged 235 career saves while posting a 2.99 ERA. That includes four seasons of at least 30 saves, with a career high of 34 saves in 2024, during which he also posted a career-best 1.95 ERA. For whatever reason, things have been a struggle for Iglesias this season as he has posted a 5.09 ERA across 43 games and only has 11 saves after losing the Closer job in June. The odd part about his struggles stems from his command, as he has 10 walks to 46 strikeouts across 41 innings, as the command hasn't been an issue this season. This is one of those instances where the ERA doesn't accurately reflect Iglesias' performance, as he has pitched significantly better than the results indicate. For example, his expected ERA is more than two runs lower than his actual ERA, while his hard-hit rate ranks in the elite category among relievers. Typically, that is where you want to be; yet Iglesias is sitting where he is from a results standpoint. The veteran righty’s ERA reflects Iglesias’ tendency to get hit particularly hard when he does get hit, as 10 of his 23 earned runs allowed this season were contained within just three outings. However, at 35 years old, he is still showing that he has more left in the tank and is far from being finished. Armed with a fastball that sits around 95 MPH, but can reach 97, it's the 88 MPH slider that is his best pitch, as it has been his go-to strikeout pitch throughout his entire career. Although that pitch hasn't been as effective as it once was, he will still rely on it more often than not. Whenever he needs a punchout, you can expect him to at least go with this pitch to try and get the job done. Had he been on the market a year ago or even two years ago, trading for him would mean he would be your closer the rest of the way. Given the impressive run that Daniel Palencia has been on this season, unless you go and get a guy like Clase or Mason Miller, it seems very unlikely that Palencia will be removed from the closer role, thus moving a guy like Iglesias to the eighth inning role. You put him with Palencia in the back innings, which essentially pushes everyone down a peg. As Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz move from the eighth to the seventh, Ryan Pressly and Ryan Brasier are moved to the sixth. That combination right there would be one of the best in all of baseball, and come playoff time, you can bet that any one of those guys will be up to the task to get big-time outs.
