CHICAGO, IL: Héctor Neris, a seasoned reliever, is leaving the Cubs. The Cubs' primary addition to the bullpen was Neris, 35, who was signed to a 1-year, $9 million contract in the offseason.
Right-hander Jack Neely, whose contract is being picked from Triple-A Iowa, will take Neris' spot on the 40-man roster. In the transaction that sent Mark Leiter Jr. to the Bronx at the deadline, Neely was acquired from the Yankees.
For 2025, he had a team option that, based on appearances or games completed, might become a player option. The veteran was designated for assignment by the Cubs, and after clearing waivers, he became a free agent. Tuesday afternoon, the team made the announcement.
Neris had an 8-4 record, 3.89 ERA, and 1.52 WHIP during the season. Over the past three months, he has been the Cubs' closer, leading the team with 17 saves in 22 opportunities.
Neris is obviously not in his greatest form right now, but it was just a year ago that he lit up the Astros with a 1.71 ERA in 68 1/3 innings. That figure is also misleading because he was helped to lower his earned run average by a .219 average on balls in play and a 90.5% strand rate.
Despite more pessimistic metrics like FIP (3.83) and SIERA (3.89), Neris still had the makings of a strong all-around season given his 28.2% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate. In general, Neris has a very strong track record from 2019 to 23.
Between the Phillies and Astros, he pitched 297 1/3 innings, accumulating a 3.12 ERA (3.33 SIERA), 30.2% strikeout rate, 9.6% walk rate, 40.1% grounder rate, 0.97 HR/9, and 73 strikeouts.
Neris is free to join with any team for the balance of the season since he is back on the open market. For any time he spends on the big league roster or injured list, his new club will only be responsible for paying the prorated league minimum.
The Cubs would deduct that amount from his salary, but Chicago would still be responsible for the majority of his deal. Additionally, Neris may be added to a team's postseason roster if he inks a new contract before September 1st, even if it is for a minor league contract.
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