Cubs interested in AJ Minter, Kyle Finnegan

The Cubs were expected to make moves to strengthen their bullpen this offseason even after acquiring the right-hander Eli Morgan from the Guardians last month, and two names have emerged that Chicago has signaled interest in. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi writes that the Cubs are among the teams interested in the lefty AJ Minterwhile ESPN’s Jesse Rogers notes that the club has spoken to the right-hander Kyle Finnegan.

Minter, 31, is one of the most interesting free agents of the winter. The lefty broke out with the Braves during the 2020 season and has since been one of the best left-handed relief arms in baseball with a 2.85 ERA and a matching 2.84 FIP in 243 innings over the last half-decade. In that time, he struck out 30.1% of his opponents while walking 7.8%. Among left-handed relievers with at least 200 innings of work since the start of the 2020 season, Minter’s SIERA 3.05 ranks third in the majors behind only Josh Hader AND Taylor Rogers.

That track record would appear to be enough to line him up for one of the most lucrative relief contracts of the offseason, but Minter’s free agency is complicated by a difficult platform season. In 2024, Minter managed to post a solid 2.62 ERA, but saw his strikeout rate drop to just 26.1% while his FIP increased to 4.45 due primarily to an increase in home runs allowed. More problematic for Minter than those steps back in the peripherals, however, was the season-ending hip surgery Minter underwent in August. Recent reports have indicated that it is still unclear whether Minter will be ready to pitch at the start of the 2025 season, a reality that could cast a shadow over his free agency if interested teams believe he has been sentenced to a substantial absence early in the season .

As for Finnegan, the 33-year-old spent all five seasons of his major league career with the Nationals, but went undrafted by the club last month. After impressing in his 2020 rookie season with a 2.92 ERA in 25 innings, Finnegan was the club’s primary closer during its recent rebuild. He collected 88 saves over the next four seasons, pitching to a 3.62 ERA that was 13% better than the league average in 265 2/3 innings of work during that span despite a somewhat off-kilter 4.28 FIP. not very bright.

Despite his gaudy save totals, which include a career-high 38-of-43 (88.4 percent conversion rate) in save situations last season, Finnegan’s numbers peg him as more of a middle man than a true closer. He’s struck out just 23.3% of opponents over the last four years while walking 9.3%, and while his career ground ball percentage of 47.5% is certainly above average, it’s not exactly great given that Finnegan ranks just 22nd among relievers with at least 200 innings of work since starting. start of the 2020 season according to the metric system. Over the same time frame, Finnegan’s 3.86 SIERA is well below average for a reliever and ranks just 55th among 70 qualified relievers.

That said, Finnegan’s somewhat mediocre numbers over the course of his career could make him relatively affordable on the open market, and the Cubs’ hesitation in recent years to commit to expensive guarantees for relievers could lead them to be intrigued by the upside on offer by a pitcher. who averaged 97.4 mph on his fastball last year and offers late-inning experience that could benefit a mostly young bullpen that currently features Porter Hodge as his best high-leverage option after the Steed posted a dominant rookie campaign in 2024. Minter, by contrast, believes a country is a healthier bet as long as its market isn’t depressed by health question marks that surround him. MLBTR predicted the lefty would get a two-year, $16 million guarantee as part of our annual list of the top 50 MLB free agents, where he ranked 34th.