What It Means:

Nathan was solid in three appearances for the Cubs coming off of Tommy John surgery, but the Chicago bullpen is too full right now for Nathan. It will be interesting to see whether he accepts a minor league contract or tries to sign with a contender down the stretch.

Nathan has thrown just two innings with a 40.00 strikeout rate this season since coming back from injury. He pitched just 1/3 of an inning in 2015. The season before, he threw 58 innings to the tune of a 4.14 xFIP. His 20.85 strikeout percentage that season was just above 2015's league average of 20.40 percent, and well below his career average of 25.83 percent.