It seems like the Chicago Cubs‘ Theo Epstein has to give former members of the Red Sox at least a chance. The Cubs signed Junichi Tazawa to a minor-league deal this winter, and he pitched in the spring, recording 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. And even though the Cubs are searching for bullpen help, they didn’t feel Tazawa would be of any help to that cause.
While in Boston, Tazawa was a strong piece in the bullpen. Once he became a fixture in their pen from 2012-16, he posted an ERA of 3.