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Cubs add Jonathan Holder to pitching depth

3 years agoTony Andracki

The Cubs added a pitcher to the mix Thursday afternoon, reaching an agreement with Jonathan Holder on a non-guaranteed contract.

Holder is a 27-year-old right-handed pitcher who has extensive experience in the big leagues, appearing in 157 games with the New York Yankees over the last five seasons. He went 3-0 with a 4.98 ERA in 18 appearances in 2020.

The Yankees non-tendered him earlier this month.

The former 6th-round pick has almost exclusively worked out of the bullpen in his MLB career, but he started 30 games in the minors and has often worked in a multi-inning capacity as a reliever.

Holder had a nice run in 2017-18, posting a 3.42 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 11 holds and 8.5 K/9 in 97 appearances.

He struggled with his control last season (4.6 BB/9), but the Cubs have a lot of faith in their pitching infrastructure. In recent years, they’ve found success with unproven pitchers like Rowan Wick and Jason Adam as well as taking a flier on veteran arms like Ryan Tepera and Dan Winkler.

The Holder signing brings the Cubs’ 40-man roster to 36, with pitchers accounting for 23 of those spots.

The Cubs know they will need a plethora of arms to get them through the 2021 season.

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