The Chicago Cubs traded veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge, whom they acquired from the Orioles at the MLB trade deadline, back to Baltimore on Tuesday for cash considerations.

Kittredge was acquired from the Orioles for minor league infielder Wilfri de la Cruz, a teenage shortstop who signed with the organization in January.

The 35-year-old had a one-year, $9 million club option for the 2026 season that included a $1 million buyout. That decision will now be Baltimore’s.

The right-handed reliever was a key piece for the Cubs down the stretch and in the playoffs. He posted a 3.32 ERA in 23 appearances (21.2 innings) with 32 strikeouts. He appeared in five games in the playoffs for the Cubs, allowing a 5.40 ERA in five innings. He picked up the save in the Cubs’ deciding, Game 3 win over the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card Series.

Kittredge featured tantalizing stuff. No one induced more swings out of the strike zone from hitters than the right-hander. His strikeout rate (30.8%), walk rate (5.3%) and expected ERA (2.75) all ranked in the 92nd percentile or better among qualified MLB pitchers.

Kittredge’s departure creates another question mark in a Cubs bullpen that was dominant for much of 2025. The Cubs reliever corps was 12^th in baseball in ERA (3.78) and after May 1, were fifth with a 3.53 mark.

Craig Counsell had found his bullpen formula by the end of the season and in the postseason, using Kittredge and Brad Keller late in the game, left-handers Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar against left-handed hitting pockets and Daniel Palencia as a firefighter, deploying him in the highest leverage moments, regardless of inning.

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Now, Palencia is the lone member of the bullpen returning in 2026. Of course, they could negotiate with Keller, Pomeranz and Thielbar, who are all free agents.

The Cubs have found success building strong bullpens with unheralded players – in 2024, right-hander Tyson Miller was acquired in a minor-league deal and right-hander Nate Pearson was acquired in a separate trade at the deadline, and both were pillars in a bullpen that was solid down the stretch. Pomeranz was acquired in a minor-league trade this past April, while Keller was signed to a minor-league pact in the offseason and Thielbar signed a one-year deal in the winter.

They’ll have to rebuild that group on the fly again as they hope to return to October baseball in 2026.