Grading the Andrew Kittredge Trade |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
Less than two hours after acquiring Michael Soroka from the Nationals in exchange for two prospects, the Cubs were back on the phones and found a way to trade for veteran right-hander Andrew Kittredge, who is heading to Chicago from Baltimore just ahead of their weekend series. While the return hasn't been announced as to what is going Baltimore's way, Kittredge will be a nice addition to the Cubs' pen, especially when you look at how much Ryan Pressly has been struggling this season.
The 35-year-old righty has been around the league a long time, and unless you have followed his entire career, you may not know much about him. What you should know is that he has been an excellent reliever for a long time, and that is why the Cubs wanted to make this move. Signed to a one-year, nine-million-dollar deal, Kittredge has a club option for nine million after this season, and unless he completely flames out, you can expect the Cubs to pick up that option for next season. Kittredge battled a knee injury suffered in the Spring and wasn't able to pitch until May 21. Since then, he has been a busy man on the mound, appearing in 31 games for the Orioles and posting a 3.45 ERA. That may not be elite numbers, but certainly good enough numbers for a pen that has been struggling the past few weeks. Diving even more into his season numbers, the Cubs are getting a guy with a 25.2% strikeout rate and a 6.5% walk rate. The strikeout rate is worth noting, as that is slightly above his career mark, and he has been able to do that despite a fastball sitting in the 92-93 MPH range. A big reason for his ability to strike guys out is a lethal slider that tends to rank near the top of the league. He can throw that pitch at any point in the count, and even when hitters expect it, they have a hard time squaring up that pitch. Mostly a Tampa Bay Ray before pitching for the Cardinals last season, Kittredge has posted a 25-14 record across 286 games, and has posted a 3.44 ERA in those games. He also had a five-year run from 2020-2024, where his combined ERA was 2.70, including a 1.88 ERA in 2021, 2.25 in 2020, and a 2.80 ERA last season with the Cardinals, as the Cubs saw a lot of him last season. Although it hasn't been made official, it does appear that Dominican-born youngster Wilfri De La Cruz is going back to the Orioles, and if that is all they are giving up, you have to like this deal even more. The 17-year-old switch-hitter has spent his entire season in the Dominican Summer League and, for the most part, has held his own at the plate. While the numbers may not indicate that, De La Cruz had 84 at-bats this season, hitting .262 with no homers and nine RBIs. What stands out is his patience at the plate for such a young hitter, as he has more walks (26) than strikeouts (24), and is seen as a potential long-term option at third base, but that won't come to fruition for at least another four years. Grade B: Even if this may not seem like a massive move, Kittredge is a huge addition to this pen, and to get him for just one top-20 prospect and a prospect that won't contribute for a few years is a win for Hoyer. He had a plan going into the deadline about the areas he wanted to address and has expanded that area without having to give up the farm or overpay for a rental. There is a reason why he publicly stated two weeks ago that the Cubs were going to have to get creative on the trade market. Given how volatile relief pitchers can be, it's hard to grade this pick, but this is an excellent acquisition for the Cubs.
