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Former Cubs reliever joins Javier Baez in new MLB city

By Vincent Parise

Jun 5, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Andrew Chafin (39) stands on the field before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 5, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Andrew Chafin (39) stands on the field before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Cubs traded away Javier Baez in 2021. He was one of many players to leave town as a result of the roster rebuild that they began. Now, Baez is with the Detroit Tigers as he signed a big deal with them before the MLB lockout.

Joining him in Detroit now is former Cubs reliever, Andrew Chafin. He was a fan favorite before the Cubs traded him away as well. He became a member of the Oakland A’s via trade but they failed to reach the playoffs after being buyers at the deadline.

We have seen the A’s sell off a lot of their players as well now so we knew Chafin wasn’t going back. Going to this up-and-coming Detroit team isn’t a bad idea as they might surprise some people this year. They probably aren’t good enough to win the division but a postseason berth with the extra team making it is certainly on the table.

In 2021, he had an ERA of 1.83 with a 0.932 WHIP and 64 strikeouts over 68.2 innings pitched. All of this accumulated a WAR of 2.9 which is really good for that amount of innings. If he is able to duplicate that in 2022, Detroit will consider him well worth the money.

Andrew Chafin was outstanding for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland A’s in 2021.

Chafin was outstanding with the Cubs and A’s. That was enough success in 2021 to earn a two-year deal worth 13 million dollars. He joins a Tigers bullpen that could absolutely use the help if they plan on competing hard in 2022. Chafin can certainly help with that.

Having Baez there has to be cool for him. Each of them was there with the Cubs during the tough times and now brighter days are ahead for both of them. The Tigers are going to be good in short order and they might be a part of it.

We have seen how important bullpens are in Major League Baseball. The team they are chasing in the AL Central is the Chicago White Sox who have one of the best bullpens in the league. Adding Chafin gets them closer but there is a long way to go. As for the Cubs, finding more relievers like him to rebuild their bullpen is going to be a major key.

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