RELIEVERS: 2014 buying opportunities

New Year's has come and gone. The early winter moves have slowed to a crawl. Let's take a look at projections for some interesting bullpens where there is not an immediately apparent closer but some very real buying opportunities, starting with the Chicago Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs acquired RHP Jose Veras. Veras closed for the Astros in 2013 until he was traded to the Tigers. Veras joins RHP Pedro Strop in what is expected to be the Cubs one-two punch at the backend of the pen for 2014. Their current projections:

CHC              IP  xERA WHIP  DOM  CMD HR/9  G/F  BPV
==============  ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ===== ===
J.Veras          58  3.60 1.28  9.6  2.4  0.6 41/41  83
Strop            65  3.15 1.28  9.3  2.2  0.6 55/23 ...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Relief Pitchers

This column filters by first two weeks K%-BB% and then looks at the projections to make an early call on whether the elite start is real or not real.
Apr 19 2026 3:07am
Using projections for skills and early-season usage patterns, we look at five more bullpens.
Apr 12 2026 3:05am
We are a week into the 2026 season and can start to look for usage patterns in fluid bullpens. Griffin Jax's season so has left managers screaming.
Apr 5 2026 3:06am
Every week brings changes to bullpens. One game does not give us much, but it gives us something, like a Jordan Romano (RHP, LAA) save.
Mar 29 2026 3:06am
Checking in on the Twins, Tigers, Angels, Rangers and Athletics pens for Opening Day.
Mar 20 2026 3:10am

Tools