2024 Cubs Free Agent Target: Wandy Peralta |
When the Chicago Cubs offseason began, the team had three goals in mind. No. 1, add a starting pitcher to their rotation to replace Marcus Stroman, which they did by adding Shota Imanaga. No. 2 continue to build a competitive bullpen. With the acquisition of Yandy Almonte and recent pickups Carl Edwards Jr and Hector Neris, their bullpen appears to be as complete as they can expect.
Their third goal was to retain Cody Bellinger and add more left-handed thump to their lineup. Adding Matt Busch could give them the left-handed thump they were searching for, but Bellinger remains out there, and people are growing impatient. At this point, Bellinger could be the final piece for the Cubs this offseason, as things haven't gone as planned. Despite that, this team has improved in many areas, including the bullpen, as Neris will make a massive difference in the later innings. However, if Luke Little makes this team out of spring, the Cubs will again enter the season with one left-handed reliever as Drew Smyly is filling that role. Sure, Neris and Mark Leiter Jr did better against lefties than righties last season, but can the Cubs expect that to happen again this season? That is why this team would love to add a left-handed reliever to the pen, and there is one name out there that would be a massive addition in lefty Wandy Peralta. Looking at his overall performances from the past three seasons, you can see why he would be a great addition to this team. Peralta also has one of the best ground ball rates in all of baseball which plays into the Cubs hands when you look at how their infield is constructed. Looking at the current situation in the Cubs' pen, Smyly was excellent in 29 relief outings last season, where he posted a 2.55 ERA. You also had Little show up down the stretch, posting a 0.00 in his nine games. Apart from them, the Cubs lefties struggled, with Brandon Hughes posting an ERA north of 7.00 and Anthony Kay finishing at 6.53. That isn't going to get it done, and the Cubs desperately need another lefty in their pen. Peralta may not be a name many fans were thinking of, but he is one of the solutions this team could make, especially after his past three seasons. He has spent time with the Giants and Yankees over the past three years, where he has posted a combined 2.96 ERA. He walked 68 and struck out 141 while holding opponents to a .219 average. Those are great numbers, but the walk rate is a bit high, which would need to come down a bit for him to reach his full potential. While with the Yankees last season, Peralta went on to have arguably his best season, and it is shocking to see him still on the open market. Despite a 30BB/51K ratio in 54 innings spanning 63 games, Peralta managed to limit the damage as he held opponents to a .190 average. He did that by having one of the best ground ball rates in the game to limit contact and finished the season with a 2.83 ERA. Even with his high walk rate, Peralta knows how to get guys out, which the Cubs' pen struggled to do down the stretch last season. Peralta isn't the overpowering type of reliever that you see in today's game, but what sets him apart is that ground ball rate that ranks in the 94th Percentile. Going a bit farther back, Peralta is ranked in the 80th Percentile in hard-hit percentage, chase percentage, average exit velocity, and fastball velocity. That shows you that even if he isn't always finding the zone, he does enough to keep hitters off balance to get guys out. From a repertoire side of things, Peralta trots out a fastball in the 94-96 MPH range, but the other three pitches set him apart. For starters, his 93 MPH sinker is his go-to pitch when he needs a ground ball, and that pitch is nearly impossible to square up. He adds an 86 MPH change and an 85 MPH slider to go with that as both pitches aim to mess up the hitters timing while also changing their look at the plate. Sitting at 32 years old, should the Cubs inquire about Peralta and his services, you could see a similar deal to the one Neris just got from the Cubs. That alone would be a bargain, and if you get him in that pitch lab with Tommy Hottovy, Peralta could become one of the more effective left-handed relievers in the game.
