Heading into the 2020 season it appeared as though Brandon Workman would be one of the most sought-after relief pitchers when he hit free agency the following offseason.
Workman was coming off a 2019 during which he proved himself to be a legitimate closer, holding opponents to a .123 batting average while going 10-1 with 16 saves.
And even after an up-and-down start to the 2020 campaign, Workman was a sought-after commodity leading into last season's trade deadline. It was why Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom was able to pry two promising young pitchers from the Phillies -- Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold -- in exchange for Workman and Heath Hembree.
But the final month of 2020 changed everything for Workman.
The 32-year-old righty had a disastrous 14 appearances with Philadelphia, finishing his stint in Philly with a 6.92 ERA and 1.146 OPS against.
Now, Workman will be looking to revitalize his career in Chicago.
As was first reported by Patrick Mooney, the reliever has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cubs worth a base of $1 million with the possibility of earning another $2 million in incentives.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had left the Red Sox to become the general manager of the Padres by the time Workman was picked in second round of the 2010 MLB Draft. But the man Hoyer has worked with for the majority his professional life, former Cubs president Theo Epstein, was part of the Red Sox front office that picked Workman.