Cubs Decline Options on 4 Pitchers Including Brandon Morrow

It's a new era of Chicago Cubs baseball and Theo Epstein is looking to clean up the payroll as much as possible, and he's started doing so in a big way Monday.

According to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the Cubs have declined team options for right-handed pitcher David Phelps, Brandon Morrow, Kendall Graveman and Tony Barnette.

One of the largest club options out of the four belonged to veteran right-hander David Phelps, who was owed $5 million in 2020 because of several escalators that included innings pitched. So, instead of being on the hook for the initial $1 million, the $4 million increase wasn't worth it to the front office. His contract didn't come with a buyout either, so he's simply becomes a free agent.

The biggest name from this quartet is Morrow, who was brought aboard to be the team's closer when he signed a two-year, $21 million deal in the winter of 2017. However, he didn't pitch a lick in 2019 due to various injuries, which led the Cubs to eat his $3 million buyout instead of paying him $12 million for next season.

Graveman, who had Tommy John surgery in 2018, never pitched a single inning as a member of the Cubs, but he signed a one-year, $575,000 deal after being non-tendered by the Oakland Athletics.

Barnette pitched only 1.1 innings for the Cubs and was placed on the restricted list because of personal reasons. His one-year deal didn't come with a buyout and now he'll be a free agent.

Look for the Cubs to make moves elsewhere with the money they just freed up.