The Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran right-handed reliever Shane Greene, per the transaction log at MLB.com. The Ballengee Group client been assigned to Cubs’ affiliate in the Arizona Complex League for now, presumably to build up before joining the their Triple-A club in Iowa; Greene has yet to pitch for any team this season.
Greene, 34, had a strong run as a setup man and closer from 2017-20 between the Tigers and Braves. In 221 1/3 innings during that four-year peak, he posted a 3.25 ERA with a 24.2% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate, 33 holds and 64 saves. All but one of those saves came with Detroit. Atlanta acquired Greene at the 2019 trade deadline — sending lefty Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte to the Tigers in return — but deployed him primarily as a setup man following the swap.
Following the trade, Greene posted a serviceable 4.01 ERA down the stretch for them in ’19 and went on to enjoy a solid 2020 campaign with Atlanta. However, that marks the most recent bit of MLB success for the right-hander. Greene was a late signee in May 2021, ultimately returning to the Braves only to see his results crater. He was torched for 16 runs in 17 innings to begin his ’21 season (8.47 ERA), and things were only marginally better in a brief nine-game cup of coffee with the Dodgers after being released in Atlanta.
Greene saw brief looks with the Dodgers and Yankees in 2022 but only pitched a total of three MLB innings. Overall, since the conclusion of the 2020 campaign, he has just 29 2/3 innings with a dismal 7.09 ERA to show for it. His sinker, which averaged 95 mph during his best year with the Tigers, averaged just 92.6 mph in 2021 and sat at 91.3 mph during last year’s tiny sample of big league work.
Swift decline notwithstanding, Greene represents a no-risk flier for a Cubs team that regularly rolls the dice on veteran rebound candidates in the bullpen. It hasn’t always worked in their favor, of course, but the Cubs have netted strong returns on minimal investments for names like Andrew Chafin, David Robertson, Ryan Tepera, Mychal Givens and Mark Leiter Jr. (among others) in sticking to this approach in recent years. They’ll hope to add Greene’s name to that list of successes in the coming months.
The Cubs look fairly mediocre, but are only 3 gms out of first place, so do they trade Stroman for a haul or hold onto him?
With Stroman being a free agent at the end of the year, “haul” is a bit strong.
Marcus Stroman is arguably MLB’s best pitcher this year, so I believe “haul” is the correct word. If you don’t get a “haul”, you simply do not trade him. I’ve seen lesser rental pitchers than Stroman bring back a haul.
You have to deal a guy in year five to get a haul now. The large market teams demand it, and MLB HQ in NYC lets them pilot the ship these days.
And then you hope he doesn’t opt out and Joe gives Tom the money to give to Jed to extend him.
With the Cubs’ current position, it probably would take a haul to pry him away. The only way the Cubs might settle for less than a haul is if they pull a 2021 Cubs and fall off a cliff in July.
I don’t trust Ross to keep the Cubs playing as well as they have recently but I also do not believe for a second in the Reds. They are running high with some recent call ups but it appears to be a lot more smoke and mirrors than talent. The Cubs on the other hand have some talent but find new and unique ways to lose. Every “risk vs reward” move Ross makes comes back to bite him (ever playing Mancini in the field).
StrongMan wants to pitch for the Yankees free
Trade packages are up now thanks to the new CBA but still no where near where they were pre-2015/16.
The fact is there are less teams out of the playoff hunt and the penalties for signing free agents and blowing past the luxury tax are not as bad (not losing draft picks) so teams are forced to offer more. I would say the days of giving up a top 20 prospect for a rental are over but as we saw with the Mets giving up PCA for Javy or even Brown for Robertson, trading top talent isn’t off the table.
I would say, for Stroman, you’d be looking at a 3 for 1 swap. I would say odds are you’d be looking at a top 100 guy, another in an organizational top 10 along with an “intriguing” guy.
The kid GM is still taking his nap apparently.
Analytics “expert”, means you’re an Ivy Leaguer with little actual baseball experience, but know lots of influential, important people.
With this new playoff format (which sucks by the way) less teams are sellers. Stroman is staying.
Everyones a winner!
Yuk. Spelling? .
It’s not easy Being Greene.
Greene is a great example of the ups and downs relievers have in this game. Solid as recent as 2020, terrible now
He’s the type of guy I could easily see bouncing back and give the cubs around league average or a little better production. I wish him well