Longtime Cubs reliever Pedro Strop is eyeing a comeback attempt, as the right-hander himself made clear when tweeting out video of himself throwing a bullpen session this weekend. “I want to come back,” Strop wrote in yesterday’s tweet. It’s the second time in the past couple weeks that he’s alluded to a comeback by tweeting out video of a ’pen session, though yesterday’s was more direct than the first.
Strop, who’ll turn 38 in June, hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2021 and has thrown just 4 1/3 big league innings since the conclusion of the 2019 season. He’s pitched for los Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League in each of the past two offseasons, combining for 23 2/3 innings of 3.80 ERA ball with a 25.2% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. Strop also tossed 14 innings in the 2021 Mexican League, allowing five runs (3.21 ERA) on 14 hits and five walks with 16 punchouts.
Strop’s last season with a significant amount of time spent in the Majors was back in 2019, when he limped to a 4.97 ERA in 41 2/3 frames. His 27.5% strikeout rate that year remained plenty strong, but Strop’s 11.2% walk rate was one of the highest of his career and his velocity dipped to what was then a career-low 93.6 mph. In two subsequent seasons, he tossed 4 1/3 frames between the Reds and Cubs but walked eight of his 25 opponents in that time while sitting at 91.8 mph with his heater.
Prior to those struggles, Strop was a durable and excellent reliever over a six-year stretch with the Cubs. Acquired alongside Jake Arrieta in an absolute heist of a trade with the Orioles, Strop’s first six seasons in Chicago resulted in a 2.63 ERA over 331 1/3 innings. He pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA every season, fanned 28.2% of his total opponents and walked 9.5% of them. He picked up 19 saves and another 114 holds during regular-season play along the way, and he also excelled in the postseason. Through 17 total innings, he allowed just four runs (2.12 ERA) on eight hits and six walks with 12 strikeouts — including two scoreless frames during the Cubs’ 2016 World Series run.
Time will tell whether Strop actually gets another opportunity with an affiliated club and whether he can take that hypothetical opportunity a step further and ultimately return to a big league mound. He certainly wouldn’t be the first pitcher to engineer a successful big league return in his late 30s, though. Daniel Bard returned from a seven-year MLB absence at age 35 back in 2020, and Rich Hill was also 35 by the time he kicked off a late-career renaissance that he’s still continuing into his age-43 season.
Motte is on his way in, Strop is on his way out, pointing towards the heavens. We can only ask, or wonder if he is asking, some, departed relative, for forgiveness, for this atrocious performance.
Haha Costas really did not need to go that damn hard.
Oh sweet Jesus, thats what happens when you surrender the lead with two outs mainly by walks…
Forgot all about his ‘atrocious performance’ then a short on Twitter made me remember why I love baseball
The delivery was killer, tear inducing laughter followed for about 10 minutes while watching the clip on repeat, over and over until it wasn’t funny anymore
“The delivery was killer, tear inducing laughter followed for about 10 minutes while watching the clip on repeat, over and over until it wasn’t funny anymore.”
Maybe it should be ‘HippyTripper’…
):^o
Turns out Pedro’s 2019 decline had nothing to do with choking under pressure.
He had been diagnosed with strop throat.
Been holding onto that one awhile, huh?
Give yourself a Pat on the back for that one, Little Johnny! You have a bright future a head of you
@DCartrow here is my Little Johnny moment!
How could you Strop so low?
Cubs are calling up Morel and sent down Velasquez. Wonder where he’s gonna play?
Strop needs a couple of months on a big league roster to get 10 years service time.
Teams always need pitching and i suppose if he has any decent velocity and can at least throw strikes someone may give him a chance
Strop was very good with the Cubs but I don’t see him returning to form ever again. But with what they’re getting paid these days, Why not give a shot? I would.
He can’t! He won’t! He don’t Strop!
I wonder if he still wears his cap like a gang member.
He wore his hat that way to honor his father, a fisherman, who would wear his cap that way to block the sun from his eyes. But please, continue being an ignorant pos.
You are probably mixing him up with Rodney.
Yep, that’s definitely Rollercoaster Rodney he’s thinking of.
Looks nothing like Al Capone
Bob Costas suggesting that Strop was pointing toward heaven to ask one of his dead relatives for forgiveness for his terrible outing was one of the most insane things I’ve heard during a baseball game
I recall when he called Puig a dumb mf’er in an interview and he laughed about it but in reality they both were just as dumb
Wonder why Bob Costas never went in for a pituitary gland implant?
Vote for Pedro.
It’s a misprint folks!
The original note, scribbled by his agent, read:
“Pedro, Stop Eyeing Comeback Attempt.”
Just came here to read the Bob Costa related comments 🙂
Is there anyone in baseball outperforming their peripherals as much as Bard right now? 1.29 era vs 5+ FIP. In Colorado of all places. Yikes. Great guy but that screams regression.
Strop it