On June 25th, as reported on the MLB.com transactions page, the Cubs signed former All-Star closer Shane Greene to a minor league contract, and assigned him to their Arizona Complex League affiliate.

Greene, 34, has had an up and down career. He debut with the Yankees in 2014, posting a solid 3.78 ERA before being traded to the Detroit Tigers. He would struggle there in 2015-2016, before finishing the 2017 season with a 2.66 ERA.

After a down year in 2018, Greene would have his best season as a big leaguer in 2019, earning All-Star honors and posting a pristine 1.18 ERA over 38 innings with 22 saves in Detroit before being shipped off to Atlanta at the deadline.

He wouldn’t be as dominant for the Braves, but remained serviceable to close out the season, finishing with a 4.01 ERA in Atlanta, giving him a 2.30 ERA over 62.2 innings that year. He would return again with Atlanta in the pandemic year and post a 2.60 ERA in 27.2 innings.

Greene would struggle with the Braves in 2021, and would eventually be designated for assignment. He would go on to have short stints with the Dodgers and Yankees, throwing just 3.0 innings in 2022.

Cubs take a flier on the vet

It is very similar to throwing darts with a blindfold on, but there is zero risk for the Cubs in taking a flier on Greene , and seeing if they can hit on anything.

The 34 year old has lacked control since his stellar 2019 campaign, and he no longer has velocity to blow past hitters. That being said the Cubs will look to utilize their Pitch Lab to try and find something that works.

Greene appeared in 3 games for the ACL Cubs, posting a line of: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, giving him a 2.45 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.

On August 6th, Greene was assigned to AAA Iowa. Since then he has appeared in 2 games, posting a line of: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K.

Greene has started both games, and look especially sharp in his second outing on August 9th, going 3 innings and giving up 0 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts. His sinker velocity touched 92, a tick or two higher than where it was sitting last year.

Don’t expect him to get called up very soon, the Cubs will likely want him to continue working in AAA Iowa for a few more weeks, before they even consider calling him up, which would require a 40 man move. It’s certainly possible that his previous issues will resurface and he’ll be released, but he is worth keeping an eye on to see if things continue to trend upward.

The Cubs have struggled mightily with their back end relievers in 2023.

Jeremiah Estrada, Hayden Wesneski, Michael Rucker, Anthony Kay, and Daniel Palencia, have all struggled with consistency. This team could benefit immensely from Shane Greene’s veteran presence, if he is able to rekindle some of his former glory.

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– Zachary Lory

Follow me on Twitter for more sports content @Swervin32_

*Photo courtesy of Getty Images