The Chicago Cubs will begin spring training next week in Arizona, and they’ll have one of their most electric pitchers on the mound as they agreed to a one-year contract with reliever Pedro Strop.
Strop, the hard-throwing reliever who posted a 2.85 ERA and racked up 60 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched last season, will make $5.5 million in the 2017 season, as he avoided an arbitration hearing with the Cubs.
With the departure of Aroldis Chapman and the acquisition of Wade Davis in the offseason, the Cubs’ bullpen will likely take on a similar look to the one it had down the stretch last season.
Strop, an eighth inning guy for most of the year, was pushed back to the seventh inning when Chapman was brought aboard for the stretch run, and he’ll likely continue in that role with Hector Rondon staying in the eighth inning spot.
With Strop now under contract, the Cubs have come to agreements with all of their arbitration eligible players. Jake Arrieta was by far the biggest contract handed out to avoid an arbitration hearing, as he’ll make nearly $17 million for the Cubs in the final season before he can hit free agency.