Kirby Yates fits the needs in the back end of the Chicago Cubs bullpen
Multiple sources have listed Yates as a free agent target that the Chicago Cubs should absolutely pursue with the market starting to take shape this offseason. The 37-year-old right hander will not come cheap based on his numbers in 2024, but his services might be worth it for a team who desperately needs all of the bullpen help they can get.
There is no doubt that Yates would instantly become the Chicago Cubs’ ninth inning option in 2025 if they are lucky enough to land him. He would join Porter Hodge and another offseason addition in Eli Morgan toward the back end of the organization’s bullpen. Yates would also be the third big league arm acquisition for the franchise, with Morgan and Matthew Boyd joining the fray ahead of 2025.
Hodge held down the fort in the ninth at the end of the 2024 campaign and made quite the impression in his first big league stint. The 23 year-old made 39 appearances and tossed 43.0 innings. In that time, Hodge possessed a 3-1 record with an outstanding 1.88 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP.
While Hodge has the ability to be fantastic in the late portion of games for the Chicago Cubs, he most certainly will need some help in 2025. Yates provides that in terms of production and big time experience across the league in his long career.
The track record and overall success of Yates at the big league level is worth noting for the Chicago Cubs
2025 will be season number 11 in the career of Yates, and he is coming off one of his best seasons yet. In his lone season as a Texas Ranger, the right-hander made his second all-star game. With the mid-summer classic hosted by his team, Yates got to show Ranger fans something they already knew, that he was a dominant part of their bullpen the year after their World Series victory.
Yates got to work with a recent Chicago Cubs’ signing in Carson Kelly during his time in Arlington last year. His familiarity with so many faces around the league and his general success at multiple stops is super appealing to plenty of organizations.
The veteran has 95 career saves with an 3.17 big league ERA across 411.1 innings tossed. In Yates’ 422 outings with six different franchises, he has a 1.11 WHIP. The best season of Yates’ career came back in 2019 with San Diego when he made his first all-star appearance. In 60 outings and 60.2 frames tossed, he had a 1.19 ERA with 41 saves.
Yates showed shades of his 2019 campaign this past season, and it has plenty of suitors lining up at a chance to sign him this offseason. The Chicago Cubs would love to bring him to the NL Central for the first time in his career, but it will not be easy to land him. If the front office is willing to pony up to bolster the bullpen, they can be right in the mix to sign Yates in the coming weeks.
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