Chicago Cubs Could Still Move Veteran Relievers with Unique MLB Practice

The Chicago Cubs are a team analysts are keeping an eye on, as they could continue a unique MLB practice in 2024.

Jun 9, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Hector Neris (51) reacts after the victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs weren’t nearly as active ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline as many analysts expected them to be. To the surprise of many, they were buyers, acquiring Isaac Parades from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Christopher Morel and pitchers Ty Johnson and Hunter Bigge.

The Cubs also acquired Nate Pearson from the Toronto Blue Jays and traded reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the New York Yankees. On the fringe of the National League playoff picture, seven games behind the last wild card spot, Chicago played both sides.

They did a little bit of buying and a little bit of selling. But, their roster could still change in the coming weeks.

Over at ESPN, Buster Olney did a piece about a practice that emerged in baseball last year for teams looking to save money. They would place players on waivers to help get below the luxury tax.

It was something the Los Angeles Angels took to an unprecedented label. They placed six players, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Randal Grichuk, Matt Moore, Dominic Leone and Hunter Renfroe on waivers. The Yankees did the same to Harrison Bader.

Giolito, Lopez and Grichuk were all acquired in deals ahead of the 2023 MLB trade deadline in an ill-fated attempt to make a run at a playoff spot. It didn’t take long for that run to fall apart, prompting the placement of several players on waivers.

It will be interesting to see if the same practice is used this season. No rules were put in place to deter franchises from doing it, with part of the reason being that the moves didn’t have a huge impact on the playoff race.

"When you look at what happened, none of those guys proved to be difference-making [in the playoff races]," one official noted. "They didn't swing the balance of power. I bet it'll happen again, because teams will try to save some money."

The Cubs are one team that Olney has identified as a possibility to repeat what the Angels and New York did to some extent. Veteran reliever Hector Neris could be on the move if Chicago is motivated to save a few bucks.

“One prime candidate seems to be Hector Neris. The Chicago Cubs are on the fringe of contention, but if they fall out of the race next month, they could put the right-handed reliever on waivers and save $1.5 million of his $9 million salary if someone claims him,” Olney wrote.

There is a good chance that a player of Neris’ caliber would be claimed off of waivers. Some teams would do it strategically, wanting to claim Neris for themselves instead of seeing him land with a rival in the playoff race.

That was the motivation for the Clevland Guardians last year. They claimed all three pitchers that Los Angeles waived so that the Minnesota Twins, who were leading the American League Central, could not bolster their staff.

Given the logjam in both leagues for the wild card races this season, something similar could unfold again.