Cubs Insider · Mar 22, 2019
Has Junichi Tazawa Earned Spot in Cubs Bullpen?
When the Cubs signed veteran reliever Junichi Tazawa to a minor-league deal as part of a wave of flyers taken on bullpen arms over age 30, the move was largely ignored. Maybe some of that was because Tazawa was coming off of a disastrous season split between Miami, Anaheim, and Triple-A in which he posted an ERA north of 7.00 and gave up seven homers in just 28 innings.
Then a funny thing happened: The Japanese hurler started pitching well this spring. It’s only been 5.2 innings, but he hasn’t allowed a run and has given up only three hits while striking out nine and walking none. What is it Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have always said about wanting proven strike-throwers for the bullpen?