Chicago White Sox: Steve Cishek helps the bullpen big time
The Chicago White Sox added another reliever to the group on Monday. Steve Cishqek is coming to the south side looking to win.
The Chicago White Sox went into the offseason needing some pitching help. They needed a couple of starters more than any relievers but some bullpen help was definitely needed in its own right. They had a decent bullpen in 2019 but you could tell that the front end of it needed a few more arms to help out the back end of it. Aaron Bummer, Evan Marshall, and Alex Colome carry the torch of the back end of it for the most part.
They need a few guys who can come in immediately following the starter. Especially if Dallas Keuchel or Gio Gonzalez goes for five innings of solid baseball. It came out on Tuesday that they have signed Steve Cishek to a contract to be one of those guys that helps the bullpen. It is a deal that is worth six million dollars and spans one year. ESPN’s Jeff Passan also reports that there is an option that could take the deal to a second year for 12 million dollars total. It is the perfect deal for the White Sox right now.
Steve Cishek is a ten year MLB veteran. He has played for the Florida/Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, and most recently the Chicago Cubs. He has been with the Cubs for each of the last two seasons. He is 33 years old and will turn 34 about halfway through the season so his age as a veteran is perfect for this current White Sox roster. He is not a superstar lights out reliever but he is very solid. He is a perfect addition to a White Sox bullpen that should be pitching with a lead more often than not in 2020.
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Cishek had a pretty good year for an underwhelming Cubs team in 2019. He had a 2.95 ERA and a 1.203 WHIP over 64 innings pitched. These are solid numbers despite being part of a bullpen group that was not good. They were also mismanaged at times by Joe Maddon throughout the season but none of it was Cishek’s fault. He is known for being a really good reliever. He also is very capable of pitching two days in a row if needed. This was a fantastic move by the White Sox and fans should be excited.