The Cubs opened the first day of Spring Training with some news.
The club is nearing a deal with reliever Brandon Workman, NBC Sports Chicago confirmed Wednesday. The one-year contract would guarantee Workman $1 million (up to $3 million with incentives). The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney was the first to report the deal, the morning after Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer teased an impending signing in a Zoom press conference.
Workman, 32, spent most of his career with the Red Sox, before Boston traded him to Philadelphia at last season’s trade deadline. He was coming off a career-best 2019 performance: 10-1 with 16 saves and a 1.88 ERA. His ERA ballooned to 5.95 in the shortened 2020 season, but he still recorded nine saves.
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With Jeremy Jeffress a free agent and Rowan Wick still dealing with an intercostal injury, Workman could be another bullpen option in high-leverage situations.
“I think the bullpen is going to have to be fluid,” Hoyer said Tuesday, “and guys are going have to step up and step in in different roles.”
Gordon Wittenmyer contributed to the reporting of this story.