Cubs Reportedly Sign Former Blue Jays Reliever Ryan Tepera
By Sean Facey
The Cubs continued their process of bolstering relief depth with cheaper arms on Friday afternoon.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, Chicago has reportedly signed former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ryan Tepera.
Ryan Tepera agrees to Cubs deal
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 20, 2019
Owner of a respectable 3.64 career ERA, 2019 was far from normal for Tepera. In fact, it was disastrous.
He posted a 4.98 ERA in just 23 appearances for the Blue Jays, which sure was concerning for Toronto fans to see.
Once in his career, the newest Cub (Ryan Tepera, per Jon Heyman https://t.co/c1h4T1Cbft) walked Buster Posey with the bases loaded in the 13th inning, giving the Giants a walk-off win in 2016 (https://t.co/WyJECKP69y).
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) December 20, 2019
It was … Tepera shrimp
Tepera, along with the likes of Dan Winkler and others, will be just a few of the many bargain arms that the team uses next year to offset the loss of key pitchers and avoid the bullpen woes that plagued them for the vast majority of the 2019 season.
The Cubs will certainly try to fix him in order to get him back into his more reliable form. There's certainly upside, but this signing also comes with a risk. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out for the club.