In today’s age, very much a bullpen-oriented era, it was smart for Theo Epstein and Co. to ink several low-cost, low-risk relievers despite the ownership’s repeated emphasis on not shelling out tons of money on key free agents. Needless to say, it wasn’t the exciting offsesaon Chicago Cubs fans had anticipated.
Among the new faces joining the Cubs this season are former All-Star Brad Brach, lefty Kyle Ryan, who has been impressive within the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, Chicagoland native and two-time World Series Champion George Kontos and righty Tony Barnette, who enjoyed a solid 2018 season with a 2.