Steve Cishek will not be trotting out from underneath the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field in 2020 (and probably not in 2021, either).
The veteran reliever signed a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox Tuesday, as ESPN's Jeff Passan reported. The deal also includes an affordable option for the 2021 season.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand provided details on the financials, with $6 million guaranteed to Cishek:
Cishek, 33, spent the last two years as a staple in the Cubs bullpen. He signed a two-year, $13 million deal with the North Siders prior to the 2018 season and was one of the most valuable players on the roster each year.
In addition to posting a 2.55 ERA in a Cubs uniform, Cishek also has been one of the most utilized pitchers in the game over the last two years:
He saved 4 games in 2018 and then another 7 in 2019, filling in for all the injuries to Cubs closers (Brandon Morrow, Pedro Strop, Craig Kimbrel). Cishek also notched 36 holds between the two campaigns, turning in two of the best seasons of his career.
Per Baseball Reference, Cishek was worth 4.1 WAR over the last two years.
MLB
It's a great move for the White Sox to add a veteran reliever of his caliber and the Cubs bullpen will certainly miss the rubber-armed Cishek in 2020 and beyond. But there also wasn't any traction with a potential reunion between the Cubs and Cishek, given the state of the Cubs offseason.
Over the first couple months of the MLB winter, Theo Epstein's front office has been relegated to only small moves — like the signings of relievers Ryan Tepera and Dan Winkler and the Rule 5 acquisition of right-hander Trevor Megill.
The Cubs are already projected to eclipse the luxury tax in 2020 and in a year in which they are hoping to reset and get under the tax, they've been limited in options this winter. They also have not yet found a match to their liking in the trade market as an avenue to shake up the roster and simultaneously shed payroll.
The Cubs like Cishek and they clearly need some bullpen help, but it's always been difficult to see them dumping resources of that caliber into a 33-year-old with a lot of mileage on his arm. For now, the Cubs are forced to continue to augment their bullpen via the outskirts of the relief market and Cishek did well for himself to get a solid deal on an up-and-coming roster.