Cubs Pedro Strop Tears Meniscus: Fantasy Impact
By Brad Kelly
Pedro Strop is a vital piece out of the Chicago Cubs bullpen, but after tearing his meniscus, he will now head to the DL. What is the fantasy fallout of the injury?
The Chicago Cubs are the best team in baseball, and after fortifying their team with the addition of Aroldis Chapman, Chicago’s bullpen shaped up to a big time strength. But, injuries to Hector Rondon, and now Pedro Strop, have the Cubs’ bullpen depth in question. With most fantasy leagues now rewarding set-up men, the loss of Strop will provide an opening for fantasy owners to own stock in the Cubs bullpen .
Strop has never lacked the arm talent, but he did battle command issues early in his career. But, being dealt to the Cubs in 2013 was the best thing that could have happened to him, as he has developed into one of the best relievers in baseball during his time with the club. He currently sits with a 2.89 ERA/56 K/21 HLD line and has cut his walk rate by over one a game this season.
The Cubs lead the league in wins, and it looks as though they will continue to succeed moving forward, which offers plenty of chances for fantasy owners to take advantage of their relievers outside of just the closer. Unfortunately, Strop’s meniscus tear will more than likely cost him at least a month, and the Cubs will need to find someone to help bridge the gap to Aroldis Chapman.
The Cubs certainly have the rotation to make things easier, yet losing Strop on top of Rondon, may serve as a headache. Rondon is still on the shelf as well, thanks to a triceps injury, and the team does not have a definitive timetable on his return either.
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Losing Rondon and Strop was definitely not a part of Theo Epstein’s plan for the Cubs’ October run, but he was preemptive at the deadline in adding arms for times such as these. The additions of Joe Smith and Mike Montgomery look even more important now, especially for Smith who Joe Maddon will give more looks to late in games.
But, the potential replacement of fantasy intrigue in the Cubbies’ bullpen, is Carl Edwards Jr. The 24-year-old rookie was a highly touted starter in the minors, but the Cubs transitioned him to the bullpen in 2015, which expedited his way to the big leagues. He features mainly a two pitch mix, a mid-90s fastball that has the movement of a cutter, and he also breaks off a nasty curveball.
Out of the bullpen this season, he has been lights out, posting a 1.42 ERA/26 K line in only 19 innings. After Strop had to leave his last appearance, Edwards came in and retired Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Andrelton Simmons in order. He was cool, calm, and collected, showing a veteran reliever’s type of mindset on the mound.
Fantasy owners should make Edwards a waiver wire add, as he automatically becomes a key piece in the Cubs’ bullpen moving forward. Smith will get his chances, but he has not exactly been consistent this season, and Montgomery will continue to be used in a match-up role.
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The Cubs have stated that they are going to monitor Edwards workload, as he has been used at will here lately, but Chicago knows the talent they have with Edwards and the void he can fill. The Cubs will keep winning, and Edwards should become a source of Holds and decent K totals. Make the move.