Chicago Cubs: Kevin Gausman could be underrated bullpen arm

The Chicago Cubs will need to completely retool their bullpen and could get an underrated pickup in Kevin Gausman if he’s non-tendered.

One area that the Chicago Cubs will need to significantly improve this offseason is their bullpen. Let alone the fact that Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler, and Brandon Morrow are all free agents. While Morrow has not seen the mound since July 2018, the option will no longer be there should he return. They have a club option in David Phelps who pitched well in the month of August but struggled mightily with a 2.040 WHIP in 8.1 innings in September.

That pretty much leaves Craig Kimbrel, Tyler Chatwood, Rowan Wick, Kyle Ryan and a whole slew of unknowns. They could benefit greatly from within their own division in the Cincinnati Reds. Kevin Gausman is a potential non-tender candidate for the team who was used primarily in relief after being claimed off waivers in early August. He actually made a spot start in mid-September against the Cubs and went just 2.0 innings and allowed 3 earned runs.

"“Gausman avoided arbitration last winter, agreeing to a $9.35 million deal with the Braves. Now heading into his fourth year of arbitration-eligibility, the 28-year-old, who was claimed off waivers by Cincinnati in August, is coming off a platform season that saw him post a 5.72 ERA despite a 3.98 FIP and a career-best 10 strikeouts per nine innings. Gausman pitched out of the bullpen in 15 of his 16 appearances with the Reds, who may not want to pay him an eight-figure salary.” – MLB"

And while his days of being a starting pitcher appear to be over, Gausman has thrived as a reliever. For whatever reason, the Reds used him in relief for more than one inning on a number of occasions. For the month of September, Gausman had a 3.65 ERA in 12.1 innings of work and had a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings for the year in relief. Most important, he had a near 12K/9 from the bullpen versus 9.55 K/9 as a starter. Compared to his 6.37 ERA as a starter, Gausman was able to limit opponents to a 0.240 batting average from the bullpen.

A closer look at his pitch usage for the month of September indicates that he used his slider at a 16 percent clip which produced exactly 0 hits from the opposition and a 33.3 percent whiff rate. Over the course of the 2019 season, opponents were able to hit just 0.154 off his slider and 0.233 off his split-finger fastball. His four-seam fastball was not kind to him this year as opponents were able to slug 0.553.

An increase in the usage of his slider going forward would likely benefit Gausman as a reliever. He’d likely have to take a smaller deal potentially a one-year deal with a club option for 2021 in the range of $3 million and he could be a very nice 6th or 7th inning option for the Cubs next season.