Chicago Cubs Mailbag: Spring Training 2019 Edition
2. Young relievers or veterans?
Thoughts on the organization’s confidence in the young pitchers for relief help, instead of going and getting veteran help?
— Ryan Heckman (@TheRyanHeckman) March 17, 2019
The Cubs bullpen is without a doubt the most volatile part of this team.
As of now, it looks like the Cubs’ Opening Day bullpen should consist of Strop, Edwards Jr., Steve Cishek, Mike Montgomery, Brad Brach, Brandon Kintzler, and Brian Duensing. It seems safe to assume those seven will start the season in the big league ‘pen.
That leaves one spot open and the frontrunner for that spot is likely Tyler Chatwood, especially if the Cubs feel he’s made significant progress on his control in the offseason.
The back of the bullpen actually looks pretty strong, especially if Morrow can return in early May and pitch as he did before his injury last season. The front of the ‘pen is a totally different story.
It’s hard to have much confidence in Kintzler and Duensing since both struggled mightily in 2018. If they don’t pitch well, their spots will quickly be up for grabs.
The top two candidates to fluctuate in and out of the bullpen are Xavier Cedeno and Tony Barnette, although both are currently dealing with injuries and look doubtful to be ready for Opening Day.
After those veteran options, the next two men up would be the young guys – Dillon Maples and Alec Mills.
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Maples, in particular, has an incredibly high ceiling. He has a devastating slider that generates a lot of swings and misses, plus a fastball that reaches the upper 90s. His strikeout rate is sky high, but his lack of control has hampered his development into a great reliever.
Mills’ potential isn’t nearly as high as Maples, but he still has the repertoire to be a solid MLB reliever. He’s a groundball pitcher with a nice sinker, plus he’s excelled at limiting walks in the minors.
Personally, I think the team is going to be turning to Maples and Mills as bullpen options rather than going out and signing more veteran pitchers. The Ricketts family has shown that they won’t be spending much more money on the current Cubs roster, so I think they’ll happily see what they can get out of the two young guys first.
Maples and Mills both seem like more promising options than any other free agent reliever, outside of Craig Kimbrel of course. They both certainly deserve a chance before the team scours the remnants of this year’s relief pitcher free agent class, and they could develop into key cogs in the bullpen for years to come.