According to a team source, the Cubs have agreed on a 1-year deal that will bring Jason Motte to Chicago. The deal is worth $4.5 million and is still pending a physical. He is coming off his worst season of his career, but it was due to being out all of 2013, while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Jason will most likely serve as one of the set-up men to closer, Hector Rondon, as his addition will make for a dominant right-handed bullpen.
What Jason Motte brings to the bullpen in Wrigley is a hairy game as his beard is like a forest.
He has 3 pitches; cutter, 2-seam fastball, and 4-seam fastball. His fastballs come in at around 94-97 MPH, but he is not exactly a power pitcher, considering his numbers as a reliever, but he has shown flashes of it when he put up 9.6 K/9 during 2010-2012. For just $4.5 million, the Cubs are getting a bargain, as Motte has shown many flashes of a player that is worth $7 million/year. From 2010-2012 he posted an ERA of 2.41 with a 13-9 record and a WHIP of 1.000, while the league average in WHIP was 1.324. In 2012, before he went out for Tommy John Surgery, he saved a NL leading 42 games. The only negative about Jason is the fact that his career FIP (basically a pitcher’s true ERA if the team’s defense is not factored in) is 3.55, while his career ERA is 3.03, so that stat might be why he is not getting more than $4.5 this year.
Never the less, this was a B+ signing for the Cubs, as adding Jason Motte will potentially set up a 3-headed monster in Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon, and now Motte. Jason will be the head of it most likely, as he can provide guidance to Rondon and Strop, who don’t have any post-season experience, so Jason, who already has a ring, will be crucial for them if the Cubs make the playoffs in 2015. Despite Motte being a nice addition, the Cubs are still in need of another lefty in the bullpen.
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