Cubs pitcher Adbert Alzolay is expected to make his season debut after a long-term shoulder injury and sees himself as a potential big part of the bullpen next year.
All of which would leave a place at the front of the rotation for a big free agent and likely little room at the back end for Alzolay to be as strong a fit as he might be in a multi-inning relief or swingman role.
“I feel it’s more versatility for the team and for the manager also,” he said. “You don’t have me every five days there, but you can have me every two or three days, where I can go three or four innings, or I can go and throw one inning late in the game. "I feel like there are a lot more options there," he said."And then that allows the team to be aggressive in the offseason."
Alzolay, 27, spent most of last season in the Cubs’ rotation, going 5-13 with a 4.58 in 21 starts and eight relief appearances.“It was my main goal,” he said. “Even if it was the lsat two weeks of the season, the last month of the season. … It was about making sure that everything was all right, that I didn’t have a setback. Thank God when I started throwing, I didn’t have a setback at all. I never stopped throwing; I kept building up.
“For me it’s a huge takeaway because now we can go into the offseason with that clear mind that we’re fully healthy, and we did pitch at the end of the year.”“My arm feels real good now,” he said. “It hasn’t felt this good in a little bit now.”
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