The Chicago Cubs have moved on from reliever Hector Neris, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPNThe 35-year-old was designated for assignment and has already cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent with just over a month remaining in the regular season.
Neris signed a one-year, $9 million contract with the Cubs in the offseason and appeared in 46 games, recording 17 saves, 3 holds and 5 blown saves with 46 strikeouts in 44 innings.
Neris will be replaced on the Cubs’ roster by right-hander Jack Neely, who was acquired from the New York Yankees last month in a trade that sent Mark Leiter Jr. across the board.
The Cubs are currently 61-64 in the NL Central and are 5 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot and 11 1/2 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
What makes this move even more interesting for the Cubs is how it will affect their spending for next season. Neris had a $9 million player option for 2025 that would have been activated if he had appeared in 60 games or finished 45 games with the Cubs this season.
Neris leaves Chicago having played in 46 games and having finished just 33 of them. The Cubs have 37 games left to play in 2024, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he would have reached the necessary appearances to trigger the vesting option for next season if he remained on the roster.
Neris spent the past two seasons with the Houston Astros and was excellent in a setup role, recording 56 saves from 2022-23 with a 1.03 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 133 1/3 innings.