Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Brandon Morrow (elbow) is hoping to play catch around Feb. 6. Morrow had 22 saves in his first season in Chicago in 2018, but his elbow injury cost him the entire second half of the season, and it looks like he won't be ready for Opening Day in 2019. The right-hander underwent surgery and has an extensive injury history. He was solid before the injury, though, posting a 1.47 ERA, 1.08 [...]

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Now that the National League East and all their moves have been covered, it's time to look at the NL Central and discuss the lack of movement in that division.Several teams in the NL Central could benefit from strengthening their relief corps, yet only one team has made any noise in free agency or the trade market so far. There are still several talented late-inning pitchers available as free agents though, so with still about a month until spring training begins, the NL Central bullpens are cer[...]

The Chicago Cubs brought relief pitcher Brandon Morrow in to be their closer in 2018 after a stellar year with the Dodgers in 2017 that saw him go 6-0 with a 2.06 ERA and solid 10.31 strikeouts per nine innings. Morrow recorded a career-high 22 saves, but his season was defined by a bone bruise in his right elbow that kept him out for all of the second half of the season. The 34-year-old also underwent an arthroscopic debridement on his right elbow in early November, which could cause him to mi[...]

A tough position to evaluate is that of relief pitchers, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these days, further stifling the value of closers.That being said, only four of the pitchers that ranked in the top-10 in saves in 2017 followed up in 2018. One of those pitchers had a huge jump in saves, but [...]

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Chicago Cubs closer Brandon Morrow (elbow) underwent a scope on his elbow a month ago, and it could impact his availability for the start of the 2019 season. Morrow missed all of the second half last season due to elbow issues, but he was very good in the first half, posting a 1.47 ERA, 1.08 [...]

As I mentioned last week, I'm one of more than 100 fantasy analysts participating in this year's #2EarlyMock. Its been a fun way to run out the clock on a 2018 season that has been forgettable for me in terms of both my personal fantasy performance and the IRL collapse of my preferred team. As fate would have it, I made my 20th round selection shortly before it was time to start writing this column.If you're curious as to how other analysts are approaching their drafts, a tip of cap to Smada, wh[...]

Congrats on (probably) making it through the first week or two of the playoffs! I got knocked out in the first round because almost all of my hitters decided to pretty much take a week off from being on base. My closers did great though, so I'm still qualified to create this week's Closers and Saves Report, I guess don't bother asking me about hitters though (unless you want to know how to get your hitters to combine for a .162 batting average and one home run throughout a whole week!) Aroldi[...]

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Brandon Morrow (biceps) has been shut down for the remainder of the season, according to manager Joe Maddon. Morrow has been sidelined since mid-July with a bone bruise in his right elbow. The Cubs will go closer-by-committee with both Morrow and Pedro Strop (hamstring) sidelined. Morrow pitched just 30 2/3 innings for the Cubs in 2018. Steve Cishek and C.J. Edwards are the most likely candidates to see saves, but it's never a certainty with Joe Maddon.