Justin Grimm

After looking like an undervalued member of the Cubs' bullpen in 2015, Grimm has had a pair of seasons where he's been less reliable as a high-leverage contributor. The struggles in 2017 led the Cubs to option him to Triple-A Iowa on multiple occasions, which puts him on very thin ice as the team begins to put together its relief corps for 2018. After peaking at a career-high 32.8 percent K% in 2015, Grimm's ability to put hitters away has waned in each of the last two campaigns, and walks are now a recurring problem for him. He still throws hard, having averaged 94.9 mph on his fastball last season, but the lack of control paired with a spike in homers (career-high 1.95 HR/9 in 2017) doomed him. Further struggles this spring, or early in the season could punch his ticket out of Chicago, and if he stays, there are several more talented options ahead of him for important late-inning opportunities, which significantly limits his appeal.

On the surface, little changed with Grimm's skills from 2015 to 2016. The biggest difference, however, came with a surge in his hard-hit rate, which jumped from 30.9 percent in 2015 to 36.8 percent last season. He also generated groundballs at a lower clip, which with the aforementioned increase in hard contact drove a 66-point spike in BABIP. One possible explanation is the reduced velocity on his fastball, which slipped from 95.2 mph in 2015 to 94.2 mph. Just one year after beating his FIP (3.11) by more than a run with his ERA (1.99), Grimm underperformed his mark (3.28) with a 4.10 ERA in 2016. Fortunately, he seemed to figure things out in the second half, closing out the year with a 2.42 ERA and 31:8 K:BB over 22.1 innings down the stretch. With 12 of his 68 appearances in 2016 taking place in the eighth inning or later in tied or one-run games, Grimm is unlikely to find his way into save opportunities as a member of the Cubs.

Grimm was the forgotten man in the Matt Garza trade of 2013, but he's arguably been the best player involved in that deal — and that includes Garza. Last season was the best yet, and he finished with 15 holds and three saves as one of the key players in the Cubs bullpen. He faltered down the stretch, however, giving up 12 runs and 12 walks in his last 15 appearances, though that came immediately after a near-perfect run (15 scoreless appearances in a row with a 16:1 K:BB). Something was definitely different about his game last year, as he's never had strikeout rates — even in the minors — close to his 12.1 rate of K/9, and his walks were up a bit as well. He'll likely have a similar role in the 2016 version of the Cubs, but don't break the bank betting on a repeat.

After struggling with the Rangers, Grimm has found new life as a reliever for the Cubs. He gave up 15 home runs in 89 innings for the Rangers in 2013, but he kept the ball in the park for the Cubs last year. That he only had 11 holds in 73 appearances might indicate that the Cubs don't trust him yet in key situations, but it's also an indication that the Cubs didn't have a lot of key situations in 2014. Grimm struck out a batter per inning last season -- his first time accomplishing that feat since 2011 -- and he could be entrusted with more high-leverage spots by the Cubs if he can trim his walk rate (3.5 BB/9).

Grimm's two years in Texas were no fairy tale, as he gave up 138 hits and 81 runs in just 103 innings. He began the year at Triple-A Round Rock, but was quickly thrust into the starting rotation when Matt Harrison got hurt. He came over to the Cubs in the Matt Garza deal and showed a little improvement, but still has some work to do. Grimm has shown some promise in the minors, most notably with Double-A Frisco in 2012 (73:14 K:BB ratio), so hope remains.

Grimm made a few token appearances in the majors, but spent most of the 2012 season split between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. His control numbers and K/9 took a nose dive against more advanced hitters at Triple-A Round Rock, taking the shine off his start from a solid beginning to 2012 with Double-A Frisco. He doesn't project as much more than a groundball inducing swingman, similar in that regard to Scott Feldman.