Hector

Neris

The deal, which was reported earlier this week, is now official after Neris passed a physical. The 35-year-old veteran right-hander returns to Houston after recording 17 saves earlier this season for the Cubs to accompany a solid 3.89 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 46/26 K/BB ratio across 44 innings (46 appearances). He figures to pitch in high-leverage spots, helping to bridge the gap to closer Josh Hader.

Neris was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Wednesday despite a solid a solid 3.89 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and 46/26 K/BB ratio across 44 innings (46 appearances), It was a financial decision to save the team money for 2025, but also allowed Neris to sign with another team and he chose the Astros, who he pitched for the previous two seasons. With Ryan Pressly banged up, Neris will provide a little extra depth to the late innings in Houston.

The move enables Neris, who secured 17 saves this season in his Cubs debut to accompany a solid 3.89 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 46/26 K/BB ratio across 44 innings (46 appearances), to latch on with another club in time to be eligible for a postseason roster ahead of September’s deadline. The 35-year-old veteran went unclaimed on Sunday after Chicago’s front office made a purely financial decision to prevent him from securing a $9 million vesting option for 2025.

Neris was cruising along as the Cubs’ closer until Friday, when he gave up three runs in a bad blown save against the Blue Jays. He pitched one more scoreless inning in a tie game Sunday, and now he’s gone, all because his contract called for his $9 million option to vest if he made 14 more appearances or finished 12 more games. He had a 3.89 ERA and 17 saves in 44 innings this season, including a 2.60 ERA in his last 18 appearances. Jorge López is our guess as the new favorite for saves.

He’s already cleared waivers, says the report. This is all about the Cubs not wanting to be on the hook for Neris’s $9 million option for 2025, which vests if he pitches in 60 games (currently 46) or finishes 45 (currently 33). Jorge López is probably the favorite for saves in the Cubs bullpen now. Jack Neely is being called up to full the open spot.

After Hector Neris tossed 33 pitches in an outing on Friday, López got the call in the ninth inning to close it out against the Blue Jays with a two-run lead. He served up a solo homer to leadoff man Addison Barger, then struck out the next three batters to hold on for the save. It was López’s third save of the season. The 31-year-old right-hander might’ve earned himself a few more looks in the ninth inning, given Neris’s volatility.

The Jays had three singles in a 5-2 game before a surprising balk, on what appeared to be strike three to Leo Jiménez, advanced the runners. Whether that really affected things is hard to say, as Jiménez did end up striking out for the second out of the inning anyway. However, George Springer followed with a game-tying triple. Neris’s previous blown save came on June 17. He’d allowed a total of two runs in 15 1/3 innings since that day. His job as the Cubs’ closer seems safe enough for now.

Neris committed an error to allow Brooks Baldwin to get on to begin the inning, but he was able to leave the outing unscathed to procure his 17th save of the 2024 campaign. The Hector Neris Experience (patent pending) can be a wild one, but he mostly — emphasis on mostly — gets the job done.

Neris allowed two singles to start the inning and later walked a batter, but he managed to escape in a one-run game. He’s 6-for-6 saving games over the last six weeks.

Neris replaced Julian Merryweather with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth and walked a batter to force in a run. However, he then retired four in a row to end the game. Neris has surrendered just one run while picking up two wins and five saves in his last 13 outings.