Chicago Cubs: A perfect offseason blueprint to win in 2019
Step Two: Tear up the bullpen, and build it from the ground up
Was the Cubs bullpen good enough in 2018? Yes.
Does having a “good enough” bullpen win you a World Series in today’s MLB? Absolutely not.
The Cubs need to completely rebuild their bullpen.
Lets start with who should stick around. Pedro Strop, Brandon Morrow, and Steve Cishek all deserve to stay.
Pedro Strop grabbed the 40th #Cubs save of the season, which means you can enter to win this experience: https://t.co/paqL7pWuS5 #CubsRelief@Biofreeze available at Walgreens. pic.twitter.com/JPSoCtWgtK
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 6, 2018
Thats about where it stops. Carl Edwards Jr. and Justin Wilson have got to go. After that, the Cubs have some building to do.
The free agent market is rich with relief pitching. Andrew Miller, Cody Allen, Zach Britton and Craig Kimbrel are all set to hit the market. Add one of the aforementioned names to the Cubs pen, and its an instant game-changer.
Next, the Cubs need to search the trade market for some bargains. Twins relievers Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger could be great buy-low options. White Sox reliever Nate Jones and Blue Jays reliever Ryan Tepera are also intriguing options.
The Cubs shouldn’t sell off the farm for a reliever. Nor should they dump nine figures on one. Regardless of how, the Cubs need to completely revamp their bullpen. 2018’s ‘pen wasn’t pretty, and the Cubs are only going to hurt themselves by keeping the same guys around.