The Cubs were looking hard for bullpen help in July 2018, even before an injury to closer Brandon Morrow made the need more urgent. Finally, Chicago opted for another Brandon, Kintzler in this case, trading minor league reliever Jhon Romero to the Nationals for the veteran righty on July 31.
Kintzler was fresh off an All-Star season in 2017 split between Washington and the Minnesota Twins. In 42.2 innings before the trade, the groundball specialist had a 3.59 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.38, just about in line with his career numbers.