Kirby Yates is a risk the Cubs may have to consider

Kirby Lee - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 8 hours ago

Last offseason, when Jed Hoyer was trying to rebuild his bullpen on the fly, several names were linked to the Cubs as fits for various reasons. While some of the names, like Caleb Thielbar, Ryan Brasier, and Ryan Pressly, did end up with the Cubs, only Thielbar panned out from that group, as it took the Cubs a little while to find the right bullpen mix.

One of the names the Cubs were highly invested in last season was 39-year-old right-hander Kirby Yates, who wound up taking a one-year deal with the Dodgers instead. Considering how good Yates was before last season, it was one of those deals where you shook your head as many felt the Cubs missed out on a golden opportunity.

Then came the 2025 season, when Yates not only struggled out of the gate but also got hurt and missed a large chunk of the season. Knowing the Cubs can't afford to let their bullpen struggle again, Hoyer has doubled down on his team's pursuit of adding more pitching, especially when it comes to the bullpen.

Now a free agent again, Yates is available and, considering how his season went last year, would come at a fraction of the cost he was at a season ago. However, the biggest question isn't whether Yates will pitch again, but whether he will get back to form, and if so, is it worth the risk of not knowing how good he will or won't be going forward.

When it comes to Yates, he has been one of the more overlooked relievers for quite some time, especially when you consider he has pitched in nearly 500 big league games. Since breaking into the league in 2014, Yates has never started a game, as he has been a relief-only arm since day one, going 30-24 with a 3.36 ERA.

With this comes his ability to fill in as the setup man, where he has racked up plenty of holds while also showing the ability to close out games in key moments. That is evident by his 98 career saves, but in reality, most of those saves came in two seasons, with 74 coming in 2019 and 2024. The 2024 season was his final with the Texas Rangers, when he recorded 33 saves, while the 2019 season saw him lead the league with 41.

Last season was a much different story for Yates as he not only struggled in 50 games, but also saw only 41 innings of work. During his time with the Dodgers, Yates went 4-3 with three saves, but also recorded one of the worst ERAs of his career at 5.32. He still showed the ability to strike out batters, with 17 walks compared to 52 strikeouts, as some wonder if Father Time has finally gotten to Yates.

Given his age, that wouldn't be a surprise, but as you have seen with relievers, not only can they pitch into their 40s if healthy, but they can go from bad to good and the other way from one season to the next. When it comes to Yates, he hopes last year was just a blip on the radar, as he is still looking for someone to take a chance on him.

In an era where teams covet flame-throwing relievers in the back of their pen, Yates takes a different approach as he tends to sit in the 93-94 MPH range with his heater. What he does do well is locate his pitches, while mixing in some of the best offspeed breaking balls in the game to keep hitters guessing. There is a reason he has posted his strikeout numbers in recent seasons: his 1.17 ERA in 2024 was his best to date.

Even if Yates never gets back to the 1.17 ERA that he posted in 2024, you can look at his entire body of work as the body of confidence you need. A 3.36 ERA may not be considered elite, but it's still a sound ERA, especially for an 11-year-old and soon-to-be 12-year-old veteran. Should those be the numbers he can post from here on out, Yates is still a valuable asset to have in the pen, especially when you look at the variety of roles he can fill.

Not expected to land anything more than a one-year deal this offseason, Yates is one of the toughest guys to project in terms of salary, as his struggles from last season are going to hinder the deal he gets. Even if he lands somewhere in the five-million range, that is a deal worth the risk for the Cubs, as they could view him as one of their reclamation projects for 2026.