The Chicago Cubs – I must reiterate! – would be looking at reclamation reliever options no matter what else they were doing on the big league roster. So just as the Trevor Richards signing was not a “response” to missing out on Tanner Scott, this latest report has absolutely nothing to do with the whole eye-rolling Kirby Yates thing. (And there are some good late-inning arms still available.)
The Cubs are reportedly among the teams looking at righty Lou Trivino:
Free agent RHP Lou Trivino threw a bullpen session at Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach in front of scouts this morning
Yankees, Dodgers, Guardians, Cubs, Giants, Reds, Royals were among those in attendance and teams came away impressed, Iโm told
Got his sinker up to 94โฆ— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) January 21, 2025
Trivino, 33, has been in his career an above-average reliever overall, posting a 3.86 ERA over 284.2 big league innings, with peripherals that more or less exactly support those results. He also pitched in parts of a few postseasons, keeping runs off the board and generally raising his profile. Letโs call him a very good middle reliever, who periodically flashed the potential to be something a touch better.
The big rub here is that Trivino hasnโt pitched in the big leagues since 2022. His elbow popped just before the 2023 season, and after an attempted rehab, he wound up getting Tommy John surgery early in the season. That left him still recovering well into 2024, and he managed only a handful of minor league appearances before the season was up. Although it’s impressive that his fastball velocity is already up to 94 mph at this stage of the year, he previously worked at 95/96/97 mph, so that’d be something to watch.
Thus, heโs available now to teams looking for a reclamation opportunity, and we know the Cubs love to dip into that no-risk pool.
Itโs impossible to say what you might get from a guy with a reconstructed elbow who hasnโt pitched in the big leagues for two and a half years. He may well be feeling really good again, and with some work in a new organization, could get back to where he was or even break out. Itโs not like we havenโt seen it before. But with that big of a gap in performance, Iโd be lying if I told you I knew exactly what the new version of Trivino could be. We probably would not know until he signs, works in Spring Training, and we start getting some eyes-on reports and new data.
I will note that, when he was at his best, Trivino would get a whole lot of ground balls, something I do think the Cubs could stand to add to their pitching mix overall.