Bullpen help is on the way for the Chicago Cubs. The calvary is almost here.
And it won’t even take a trade to do so.
Formerly a shutdown closer for the Minnesota Twins, the 41-year-old Joe Nathan is attempting a comeback with the Cubs and looking good doing so. Here’s a report of his night from July 15th against the Triple A affiliate for the New York Mets.
Joe Nathan made a relief appearance for @IowaCubs last night, and struck out two. He threw 11 pitches, eight strikes. #Cubs
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) July 15, 2016
The Cubs need as much help in the pen as they can get, and although Nathan wouldn’t be counted on was their closer anymore, having a trustworthy, veteran arm as the dog days of summer approaches can certainly never hurt the team.
In the long run, it doesn’t mean that they’re out of the conversation for either Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman at all. But as we’ve seen in the past, the more arms that you have come October, the better your chances.
Joe Maddon on whether #Cubs need more bullpen help: "Potentially maybe the answers are already here." He references Joe Nathan, among others
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) July 19, 2016
Manager Joe Maddon indicated that Nathan was close to being ready for use with the Cubs. We’ll see exactly when he’ll get called up and what type of role Maddon has in mind for the veteran.
Stay tuned.
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