Cubs sign RHP Brandon Workman

Jed Hoyer said on Tuesday that the Cubs were working on bringing another reliever into the fold, and here he is:

Brandon Workman is 32. He was a solid reliever for the Red Sox from 2017-19, in fact in 2019 he had an outstanding season with a 1.88 ERA, 1.033 WHIP and 104 strikeouts in 71⅔ innings. He recorded 16 saves and posted 3.2 bWAR.

Workman was traded to the Phillies in August 2020 and injuries ruined his season. This seems like a good deal at a reasonable price. With the credentials I noted above, Workman could be a good setup man for Craig Kimbrel and possibly step in to close if Kimbrel is injured (or bad, as he’s been for much of his Cubs tenure).

That just about wraps up any additions I’d think the Cubs will make before Opening Day, with the possible exception of adding an infielder who can play shortstop.

This signing has not been officially announced by the Cubs. When it is, and when the signings of The Two Jakes (Arrieta and Marisnick) are made official, three players will have to be removed from the 40-man roster.