Chicago Cubs get relief help, sign Brandon Morrow
By Eric Brown
The Chicago Cubs had a few areas of need this offseason. One of those needs has been satisfied with the signing of Brandon Morrow.
This was no secret, the Chicago Cubs desperately needed help in the bullpen for the 2018 season. If the team wanted to get back to their winning ways, something had to be done. Last year, whether it was Joe Maddon making mistake after mistake, or the bullpen just having no faith in theirselves, it was a disaster. During the playoffs, the pitching got even worse, Carl Edwards Jr. was called upon it seemed like every night.
Pitching every night had to be tiresome, as many fans wondered. The fans wound up being correct. In 7 appearances in 8 games, Edwards gave up a total of 6 runs. Practically all of the runs came at key moments, including a 3 run homer in the 8th inning against the Washington Nationals in game 2 of the NLDS.
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Bringing in Brandon Morrow, who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017, will undoubtedly help one of the worst bullpens in the MLB. According to Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com, the Cubs moved in quickly on Morrow.
What does Brandon Morrow bring?
One of the key aspects that the Cubs had to be looking at when signing Brandon Morrow had to be his postseason experience, and they know much of it. Against the Cubs in the NLCS, Morrow pitched in 4 games, throwing a total of 4.2 innings, giving up 0 runs. Unbelievably, he got even better in the World Series. Pitching in every game of the series against the Astros, baseball history was made.
Overall in the postseason, Morrow threw 13.2 innings with an ERA of 3.95. The Cubs? 25 total runs. That just is not going to cut it for any team trying to win the World Series. We saw what the Astros and Indians were able to with their bullpens, and the Cubs saw first hand what the Dodgers did to them by routinely shutting them down.
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Signing Brandon Morrow is just one piece of the puzzle for the Chicago Cubs to get back to contending for the world series every year. Many more additions will likely be made, most expect the Cubs to go after a free agent outfielder, or trade for one of the many on the block. In addition, the team is exploring many options to replace Jake Arrieta, who seems destined to leave. What moves do you expect the Cubs to make? What moves would you like Cubs to make? Let us know in the comments below!