The Chicago Cubs needed to find reinforcements for the bullpen.

Acquiring a reliever with a consistent track record was particularly important — and something they finally addressed Saturday.

The Cubs and veteran reliever Héctor Neris have agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal that includes a $9 million team option for 2025, a source told the Tribune. Neris’ club option converts to a player option if the right-hander appears in 60 games, a mark he has hit each of the last three years and six of eight seasons excluding the shortened 2020 season. His contract ultimately can max out at $23.25 million with incentives.

Bringing in Neris addresses key needs in the bullpen. He brings durability, pitching in at least 70 games five times, and gives the Cubs a proven, back-end-of-the-pen reliever who has experience pitching in big games. The Cubs bullpen struggled down the stretch en route to missing the 2023 postseason as an inexperienced group wore down and battled injuries in September.

Neris, 34, owns a career 3.24 ERA over 546 big-league appearances coming off two seasons in Houston, including a World Series title in 2022. He also spent eight years with the Philadelphia Phillies. Primarily used in the seventh and eighth innings with the Astros, Neris also has experience closing, earning five saves in Houston and 84 with the Phillies.

Neris gives the Cubs another splitter in the bullpen to accompany right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., whose pitch has been a shutdown weapon versus lefties. Neris utilizes his splitter against righties and lefties, a pitch that generated a 42.2 Whiff% and .237 slugging percentage in 2023.

While he typically relies on a four-seam fastball and splitter combination opposing left-handed hitters, Neris also mixes a sinker and slider when facing right-handed batters. His average fastball velocity dropped by 1.3 mph from 2022 to 2023, but this deal indicates the Cubs are not significantly concerned with that.

The Cubs’ work on building a more proven bullpen should not be complete with the Neris acquisition. They still need more depth and ideally another postseason-tested reliever.

And with Cody Bellinger among the notable position players still available in free agency, the Cubs are capable of making significant roster improvements in the coming weeks.

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New Chicago White Sox infielder Nicky Lopez is enjoying the most unforgettable offseason of his life.

That was true even before receiving an honor Friday that he said ranks among the best of his accomplishments.

“It’s been an eventful offseason, for sure,” Lopez said. “A day before I got married, I got traded from the Braves to the White Sox.

“That was something I won’t take for granted, just to be able to come back and play for a hometown team, which is something special.”

But getting the call for the Naperville Central Athletic Hall of Fame is equally special for Lopez, 28, who graduated from the school in 2013 after earning five varsity letters in baseball and basketball. He was inducted Friday, joining a Hall of Fame that already included Candace Parker, Anthony Parker, Owen Daniels, Sean Payton and Casey Krueger.

“100 percent it’s up there, only because it means so much not only to me but my family,” Lopez said. “This is where it started.

“This is a steppingstone for the journey that I’m still on. So that’s what I’m most thankful for, that I’m coming back and seeing all the teachers who have helped me become who I am. That’s why it’s a little bit more special.”

Those teachers include Naperville Central basketball coach Pete Kramer and baseball coach Mike Stock, who were proud to be part of the induction ceremony held before the boys basketball game against Neuqua Valley.

“It being Nicky, there was a lot of excitement in the building, and that would have been the case even if he was playing for the Braves,” Stock said. “But the fact he’s with the Sox adds another layer.

“It’s just a blast. It’s one of the rewards that you get from being around people like this all the time. We want to make sure we slow it down and celebrate. He’s a great young man from a great family.”

Also inducted Friday were 2006 graduate Erica Carter, who helped Naperville Central’s girls basketball team win two state titles and scored more than 1,000 points at Binghamton; pioneering female athlete Lois Madsen, a 1975 graduate who became the first person to earn a full volleyball scholarship at Northern Illinois; wrestling star Rodney Landorf, a 1962 graduate who became an Army officer and received a Bronze Star in the Vietnam War; and late wrestling coach Bill Young.

“I haven’t been back to Naperville since a few months after I graduated,” Carter said. “There are so many amazing times that happened throughout high school and my athletic career.

“Walking through the hallways, it brings back a lot of good memories, and I feel honored to be a part of the Hall of Fame. I know there are so many student-athletes that go through the building at Naperville Central, and it’s just been a day full of amazing memories.”

Lopez’s family, including his parents Bob and Angela and brothers Bobby and Anthony, still lives in Naperville. Angela Lopez presented him for induction.

“Obviously, this honor is humbling,” Nicky Lopez said. “You always hear each year of people getting inducted, so to be able to add to the list is awesome.”

After graduating from Naperville Central, Lopez played baseball at Creighton and was picked by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft. When the Royals called him up in 2019, he became the first Naperville Central graduate to play in the major leagues.

Lopez, who has a .249/.312/.319 career slash line, was a Gold Glove finalist at second base in 2020 and became the first Royals shortstop to hit .300 in 2021. He played parts of five seasons in Kansas City before being traded in July to the Braves, whom he helped win the National League East title.

Lopez said he is thrilled to join the White Sox, who acquired him in November.

“I grew up going to White Sox games,” he said. “I went to Game 2 of the World Series in 2005, so just being able to put the jersey on, wow, it’s cool.”

Long known for his humble, hardworking approach to the game, Lopez is quick to share credit for his ascent.

“When you come to high school, obviously you’re there to learn, but you’re there to grow and also learn life lessons, and these teachers every step of the way helped mold me,” he said. “Whether it was my English teacher or math teacher, we’ve all had conversations with them that have helped me get to where I’m at.

“I can’t thank them enough. They’ve done so good by me with all the respect and love that they’ve shown, and I keep in touch with them.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.

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The Chicago Cubs announced one of their most important offseason decisions Monday, naming John Steinmiller, formerly with the Blackhawks, as their new senior director of media relations.

It’s not exactly bringing back Cody Bellinger, but it’s newsworthy, and that counts for something during this Cubs offseason, where President Jed Hoyer has been biding his time while waiting for the prices of free agents to drop.

At least the Rickettses aren’t messing around in this key position, which serves as the bridge between the local media and manager Craig Counsell and his players.

Steinmiller, who replaces veteran Jason Carr, has been in the business since 2005 when he began with the Milwaukee Brewers. His relationship with Counsell should serve him well, and he has a familiarity with most of the Chicago media, including me.

Steinmiller still took the job, which is commendable.

There may be no more thankless job than that of media relations for a professional sports team, especially a major market team like the Cubs. You’re dealing with managers who might be in a cranky mood after a crushing loss, players who decide to leave the clubhouse without talking to the media after hitting a game-winning home run, and writers constantly asking: “Is Jed talking today?”

The relationship between the media and athletes has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, with less access for reporters, fewer stars who feel the need to talk before or after games, and front-office executives who only deal with national writers at the expense of their beat writers.

The main responsibility of a media relations boss is to make sure the team always comes out in the best light, or if it’s a particularly controversial news story to perform some damage control. Steinmiller should be well-prepared after working for the Blackhawks, where damage control has become an art form in the last few years.

The last time I saw Steinmiller at a Blackhawks game, I accidentally stepped on the Blackhawks logo in the postgame locker room, which drew a much-deserved reprimand from one of his media relations assistants: “Hey, get off the logo!” Instead of a lifetime ban, I got off with a warning to watch my step.

Everyone deserves a second chance, though I’ve avoided the Blackhawks locker room since. Fortunately, the floor of the Cubs’ clubhouse is simply a weathered carpet without any logo, so there will be no worries about a repeat offense unless stepping on Clark the Cub counts.

Steinmiller also reminded me that day of the time I wrote in the Chicago Tribune that Counsell was “tragically unhip,” apparently making fun of the new Cubs manager back when he was running the Brewers. I couldn’t remember writing anything like that, but a quick Google search revealed Steinmiller’s memory was accurate.

While writing a Cubs-Brewers series preview in August 2018, I wrote of the competing managers: ”Hipster Joe Maddon matches wits with the tragically unhip Craig Counsell.” Oof. I have no reason to believe Counsell is unhip, tragically or otherwise. The Tribune regrets the error.

Counsell has been around for a long time. He probably doesn’t need any assistance from Steinmiller on how to deal with the Chicago baseball media, which is much larger — and a bit snarkier — than our peers in Milwaukee, except for the Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs-owned outlet that treated former manager David Ross like he was part of the network and thus blameless during the team’s end-of-season collapse.

Hoyer obviously saw otherwise and made the right call on replacing Ross with Counsell, whose $40 million contract is the largest of any manager in MLB history.

Counsell seems to have a quirky sense of humor, which will likely be necessary as he begins the long grind when spring training starts in two weeks in Mesa, Ariz. As former manager Lou Piniella said in spring training 2007: “This is no push-button operation, I can tell you that.”

After an uneventful start to the offseason, the Cubs have made a couple of big moves since the calendar turned, signing Japanese starter Shota Imanaga and reliever Héctor Neris. Everyone still expects Hoyer to re-sign Bellinger, but until he’s in camp it’s mere guesswork.

“Anyone can do a deal,” Hoyer told fans at the Cubs Convention. “Anyone can say yes to an agent’s asking price. If you do that, you’re going to run out of money really quickly.”

I doubt the Rickettses will ever run out of money, no matter how much they give Bellinger or anyone else. But if Hoyer signs Bellinger at a bargain price, his strategy will have worked and most fans will be satisfied. If Bellinger signs elsewhere, the Cubs could be looking at another 80-win season.

Everything really hinges on one decision.

The 2024 season is almost here, but there’s still time to make a move or two. Hopefully Hoyer gives his new media relations director something to do as Steinmiller begins his new job on Feb. 5.

Those press releases don’t write themselves.

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By JOHN BOHNENKAMP (Associated Press)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark scored 35 points in her final regular-season home game, becoming the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader in No. 6 Iowa’s 93-83 win over No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday.

Hannah Stuelke scored 23 points and Gabbie Marshall added 12 for the Hawkeyes (26-4, 15-3 Big Ten), who secured the No. 2 seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament behind the regular-season champion Buckeyes (25-4, 16-2), who had their 15-game winning streak snapped.

Clark, who announced on Thursday that she would enter the WNBA draft after the season despite having another year of eligibility remaining, made two free throws with less than a second left in the first half to eclipse Pete Maravich’s 3,667 career points. Clark has 3,685 points heading into the postseason.

The Hawkeyes were facing a similar scenario last season, when they defeated regular-season champion Indiana on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Clark. But there was no need for late drama as Iowa took control of this game in the first half.

The Hawkeyes went on an 18-3 run in the first quarter to take a 25-10 lead. Ohio State rallied in the second quarter to get within four points twice, and trailed 44-39 after Rikki Harris’ 3-pointer with seven seconds left before a wild sequence of events closed the half.

Stuelke was fouled on a layup attempt with three-tenths of a second left. McMahon was then called for a technical foul after the play for bumping Clark during the dead ball. Stuelke hit her two free throws, then Clark hit two to break Maravich’s record, and Iowa led 48-39 at halftime.

The Hawkeyes kept control in the second half, leading by as much as 17 points.

Jacy Sheldon led Ohio State with 24 points. Rebeka Mikulasilova had 14, Taylor Thierry had 11 and McMahon and Celeste Taylor each had 10 points.

Kate Martin added 11 points for Iowa.

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: There were times when the Buckeyes lost their composure — besides McMahon’s technical foul. Rikki Harris got a technical foul in the second half. Four of Clark’s points came off the techs.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes might have suffered a serious loss for the postseason when guard Molly Davis was injured with 6:42 left in the first half. Davis, who has started 27 games this season and came in averaging 6.3 points per game, fell to the court and grabbed her kn ee. She was carried from the court. Davis played a key role in Iowa’s run to the national championship game last season.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: At Big Ten Tournament on Friday

Iowa: At Big Ten Tournament on Friday