The Cubs made an interesting move today signing lefty reliever Tim Collins to a major league contract, and in a corresponding move designated fellow lefty Brian Duensing for assignment.
Collins was at one point a very effective reliever for the Kansas City Royals posting a 3.54 ERA in 228 games and 211 innings with a 221-121 strikeout to walk ratio. His career was derailed by not one, but two Tommy John surgeries derailed his career. He did come back to post a 4.37 ERA in 38 appearances with the Nationals last year, but there are definitely some legitimate questions about his health.
He was with the Twins earlier in the Spring, but was released after posting a 4.91 ERA in seven games, but he also struck out 12 while walking just three.
He's not a particularly hard throwers with a average fastball velocity of 92.4 MPH. His most impressive pitch is his curveball, which although he doesn't throw it that often, it held hitters to a .118 batting average.
He's a solid lefty who is still just 29 and has the potential to be a key part of the Cubs bullpen. He struggled a bit in 2018, but it's fair to say that may just be due to not pitching at the big league level for four years.
Duensing was a major part of the bullpen in 2017 for the Cubs, but fell off in a huge way in 2018. His 7.65 ERA in 48 games was a major step back. His walk numbers spiked significantly and his Spring Training struggles did not help his case whatsoever.
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