Chicago Cubs Release Reliever Héctor Neris, Clearing Way for Jack Neely
The Chicago Cubs have parted ways with reliever Héctor Neris, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The 35-year-old was designated for assignment and has already cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent with a little more than a month left in the regular season.
Neris signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Cubs in the offseason and appeared in 46 games, recording 17 saves, three holds, and five blown saves with 46 strikeouts in 44 innings. He 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. the other way.
The Cubs are currently 61-64, sitting 5.5 games out of a wild-card spot and 11.5 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. What makes this move all the more interesting for the Cubs is how it will affect their spending for next season. Neris had a vesting player option for $9 million for 2025 that would’ve been activated had he appeared in 60 games or finished 45 games this season.
Neris leaves Chicago having played in 46 games and finished 33 of them. The Cubs have 37 games to play in 2024, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for Neris to reach the 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 holds between 2022 and 2023 with a 1.03 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 133⅓ innings.
This move could have significant implications for the Cubs’ bullpen and their financial situation heading into next season. With Neris off the roster, the Cubs will need to find a new reliever to fill the void, and they may also need to re-evaluate their spending priorities.
