Next week at the Winter Meetings, I plan to put a halt to the “Cubs target” series since I believe there will be plenty of baseball news to talk about, along with the possibility of any Cubs signings and/or deals.
Before the weekend, I wanted to write one more post in this series about a left-hander that may go unnoticed but might be a huge asset to the Cubs bullpen.
Since 2016, Brent Suter has established himself as a valuable left-handed reliever in the National League. The Brewers tried him first as a starter then used him pretty effectively as a reliever from 2019 to 22. Over the course of those four seasons, Suter pitched 140 games (five starts) and 190 innings with a 3.08 ERA and 1.168 WHIP. In those innings, he walked just 52 and struck out 175, both respectable ratios.
After the 2022 season, the Brewers placed him on waivers, and the Rockies claimed him. In Colorado, he had a respectable season with a 3.38 ERA and 1.298 WHIP, or 0.8 bWAR.
Suter tortured Cubs hitters for a large portion of his career. In 29 games against the Cubs, he has a 2.79 ERA, 1.155 WHIP, 46 strikeouts, 16 walks, and just two home runs allowed in 58 innings pitched.
Suter may be a valuable multi-inning reliever for the Cubs, in my opinion. Beyond his impressive stats, Suter is clearly well-known to new Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who may use him when it would benefit the team as a whole.
34 is the uterus. In 2023, he earned $3 million. He wouldn’t cost a much. I would be open to offering him a $6 million, two-year contract. Because of the Counsell connection, I believe the Cubs will be watching him.
