Jeremy Jeffress signs with Cubs - 1 year, $850K

[Eye Black]

Per Jeff Passan:

 

Reliever Jeremy Jeffress and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a one-year, $850,000 major league contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Jeffress can earn an additional $200,000 based on games pitched.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Well, that's going to be interesting. That's a really good deal for them if JJ is right. But if he isn't, he won't last long, and the Cubs are not out much. It's actually a really good contract for them. I kinda wish the Brewers would have re-upped with JJ for that.

[KeithStone53151]

I'm a bit annoyed that the Cubs signed him. I liked JJ and would like to see him do well for all but 2 teams in baseball. Annoying to have to root against him.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I'm a bit annoyed that the Cubs signed him. I liked JJ and would like to see him do well for all but 2 teams in baseball. Annoying to have to root against him.

 

It would make it even more funny if the Brewers ended up signing Pedro Strop now. Like the two teams traded erratic relievers.

[Roderick]

Yeah, $850K is not much of a gamble to see if he is right. Well we can always acquire him at the deadline, right?

[MrTPlush]

His former agent probably torqued he got a MLB deal.

 

I won't miss him, was never a big fan of him. I would say good luck, but I hope this ends up like any other experiment on a different team.

[AKCheesehead]

I'm hoping JJ completely stinks for the cubs, costs them several games and gets released.

 

Then Milwaukee picks him up for nothing and he dominates.

 

At this point, I halfway expect that to be about what happens.

[brewerhuman]

I'm surprised the Cubs could afford him.

[tmwiese55]

I'd have taken him back for that contract. Though I'm guessing for MKE a big factor is that he wouldn't be able to be shuttled, so I get that. He seems like a great bounce back candidate to me. Overworked in 2018 led to injury that derailed all of 2019. So he pitched way few innings last year and hopefully the arm rebounds. BUt i also want to say some thought the new ball was bad for his splitter (or one of his key pitches). My eye test seemed to think there was still tons of movement on his balls and that he wasn't that far away from being good.

[KeithStone53151]

I'd have taken him back for that contract. Though I'm guessing for MKE a big factor is that he wouldn't be able to be shuttled, so I get that. He seems like a great bounce back candidate to me. Overworked in 2018 led to injury that derailed all of 2019. So he pitched way few innings last year and hopefully the arm rebounds. BUt i also want to say some thought the new ball was bad for his splitter (or one of his key pitches). My eye test seemed to think there was still tons of movement on his balls and that he wasn't that far away from being good.

 

The Brewers are pretty well set up for a massive shuttle squad this year. We don't have a lot of projected relievers that are locked onto the roster. I think only Hader, Knebel, Claudio, and maybe Black are locked in. Hader and Knebel I think actually have options, but obviously they aren't getting optioned for fresh arm reasons...that only happens if they are Travis Shaw bad. We have quite a few options for those last 4 bullpen spots and they all have options(barring a late signing).

[JimH5]

Jeffress seems like a great guy. I hope he dominates and can turn this into another big payday.

[CheezWizHed]

I want JJ to do well, but... not with the Cubs...

[SoCalBrewfan]

This is like the irresistible force and the immovable object. I'll root for Jeffress, but maybe secretly I wish for JJ to do poorly, get dumped by the Cubs, come back to the Brewers midseason, and then dominate?

[TJseven7]

I'd have taken him back for 850k. We know what he can do. That's very cheap and the guy was always good for us.

 

Honestly, its entirely possible last year was our fault. MKE basically tore his arm off in 2018. He was used a ton. April May of 2019 had solid results. June July August fell apart. That can happen when the guys coming off over an 80 inning season and isn't the kind of guy who should do that out of the pen.

 

I think MKE used him 20 too many innings in the deep playoff run of 2018. I think its possible his 2019 was the aftershock. So for less than a mil I'd give him another shot.

[PeaveyFury]

This is like the irresistible force and the immovable object. I'll root for Jeffress, but maybe secretly I wish for JJ to do poorly, get dumped by the Cubs, come back to the Brewers midseason, and then dominate?

 

I'll second this scenario, as I want to root for him but not for him with the Cubs.

[CrewFanBrewMan69]

Hopefully he sucks enough so they cut him then goes to another team and is good that doesn’t affect us. He might just be cooked though.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Surprised agent39 didn't laugh at this offer. He laughed at the 3/$12m offer someone proposed last year. He must love prove-it deals.

[Thurston Fluff]

I'd have taken him back for that contract. Though I'm guessing for MKE a big factor is that he wouldn't be able to be shuttled, so I get that. He seems like a great bounce back candidate to me. Overworked in 2018 led to injury that derailed all of 2019. So he pitched way few innings last year and hopefully the arm rebounds. BUt i also want to say some thought the new ball was bad for his splitter (or one of his key pitches). My eye test seemed to think there was still tons of movement on his balls and that he wasn't that far away from being good.

 

I'm not sure his problems was due to overwork in 2018. According to him he changed his workout in the off season and failed to address a certain muscle group or some such thing.

[brooks_quichenick]

Big fan of JJ, so this really sucks. Want him to do well as long as the Cubs are subpar.

[TJseven7]

Surprised agent39 didn't laugh at this offer. He laughed at the 3/$12m offer someone proposed last year. He must love prove-it deals.

 

I thought you were going in a different direction with this. I thought he and JJ broke up. I thought you were going to say surprised he didn't laugh at this offer because switching agents clearly didn't help his cause.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Surprised agent39 didn't laugh at this offer. He laughed at the 3/$12m offer someone proposed last year. He must love prove-it deals.

 

I thought you were going in a different direction with this. I thought he and JJ broke up. I thought you were going to say surprised he didn't laugh at this offer because switching agents clearly didn't help his cause.

 

Actually thought that as I wrote that, but couldn't remember if it happened or I invented it in my head. Tried to Google quickly but it was inconclusive.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Surprised agent39 didn't laugh at this offer. He laughed at the 3/$12m offer someone proposed last year. He must love prove-it deals.

 

I thought you were going in a different direction with this. I thought he and JJ broke up. I thought you were going to say surprised he didn't laugh at this offer because switching agents clearly didn't help his cause.

 

Actually thought that as I wrote that, but couldn't remember if it happened or I invented it in my head. Tried to Google quickly but it was inconclusive.

 

JJ fired Josh Kusnick last November, and hired Roc Nation (Jay-Z's agency). Kusnick is softly bashing the deal that JJ got today on Twitter. Reading between the lines, it appears that Kusnick had a better offer than this lined up for JJ last fall, and urged him to take it, but JJ got mad and instead fired Kusnick.

[TJseven7]

Roc Nation. It's cool and all, but it's cooler to get paid.

 

Not surprised Kusnick is being as diplomatic as possible, which for him is softly trashing the deal. He never struck me as a passive wallflower.

[BrewBalls]

Like others have said, I wish JJ the best but quietly am hoping he implodes in Chicago and gets cut so Stearns can swoop in and have him return to form and be part of the three headed monster one last time. Why do I feel JJ is the new version of K-Rod who always wound up back on the team and came up big down the stretch?

[CrewFanBrewMan69]

Would be kinda weird to see JJ, Hernan (Cubs signed him to a minor league deal/ST invite) and Scooter all wearing Cubs uniforms on opening day.