Chicago Cubs: Has team done enough to improve bullpen?

The improvements to the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen have been subtle. Has it been enough, and what moves might be left this offseason?

Had the Chicago Cubs not blown the third-most saves in baseball a season ago, they may have very well found themselves in contention. Pedro Strop led the way with six blown saves, followed by Steve Cishek with four. Both players entered the offseason as unrestricted free agents with Cishek drawing some level of interest from the Boston Red Sox, who, like the Cubs, are struggling to remain under the luxury tax threshold.

Craig Kimbrel was inked to a three-year contract shortly after the MLB Draft when the draft pick associated with him was dropped, but he looked far from the dominant closer he once was. His 1.60 WHIP, 9.1 H/9, 3.9 HR/9, and 5.2 BB/9 were all career-worsts, and his 8.00 FIP suggests that he should have performed worse. The Cubs are hoping that a full offseason will right the ship, and the last thing the team needs is another disappointing high-profile free-agent signing.

As noted, both Strop and Cishek remain unsigned this offseason, as does Brandon Kintzler. The 35-year-old had a bounceback season after a disappointing second half of 2018 with the club. A surprising move was bringing Brandon Morrow back, albeit on a minor league deal, who might feel like he owes something to the organization after spending the majority of his two contract years on the injured list. The now 35-year-old is a low-risk, high-reward signing and has the potential to be a lethal weapon as a setup man. However, expectations for Morrow are at an all-time low, so the Cubs would likely be happy to see him stand on the mound again.

And while the moves that they have made this offseason are by no means flashy, there is some potential to find a couple of reliable arms.

Jharel Cotton

Cotton hasn’t pitched since the 2017 season and posted a 5.58 ERA in 24 starts before undergoing Tommy John Surgery. He was close to returning to the Athletics last year before a hamstring injury ultimately shut him down and ended his time in Oakland. When healthy, Cotton displays a five-pitch arsenal with an excellent mix of his four-seamer, slider, and changeup.

CD Pelham

Insert your Taking of Pelham 123 jokes here, but Pelham fell off the tracks last year in the Texas Rangers organization. He pitched across two levels of the minors and posted an 11.97 ERA in 42 appearances. Pelham did strike out 37 batters in 32.1 innings, but his command was shaky at best, allowing 40 free passes and a .338 batter’s average. The Rangers designated him for assignment at the end of the year, and the Cubs claimed him off waivers. Right now, it looks like he’ll just be trying to make the team out of camp.

Dan Winkler

The Cubs originally drafted Winkler in the 43rd round of the 2010 MLB Draft, but he chose to return to school. They are hoping that he can rebound to his 2017 and 2018 form as he made just 27 appearances out of the bullpen for the Braves last year, posting a 4.98 ERA but struck out 22 in 21.2 innings. His WHIP, H/9, HR/9, BB/9, and SO/9 were all career-worsts before he was traded to the San Francisco Giant and designated for assignment the next day.

Trevor Megill

Hoping to strike lightning twice via the Rule 5 draft (Hector Rondon), the Cubs selected the big righty who has yet to make his big league debut. He did pitch across three levels of the minors last year, posting a 4.30 ERA in 39 appearances. Megill struck out 87 batters in 60.2 innings but also walked 22. If any of the acquisitions already named have a chance to stick in the bullpen, it’s going to be Megill. The Cubs reportedly tried to trade for him earlier in the 2019 season, and now they finally have him.

Ryan Tepera

The former 19th round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays spent his first five seasons with the team, but only made 27 appearances last year, which was the lowest since the 2016 season. Tepera is a Cishek workhorse, type-of-guy that the Cubs are hoping can be used frequently, and he showed the ability to do so during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He made 141 combined while striking out 149 batters in 141.4 innings of work. He collected seven saves in the 2018 season, so he’s used to high-pressure situations with a career .213 opponents’ batting average in such circumstances. Tepera also has a career-best .181 opponents’ batting average on 0 days of rest.

Not all of the players mentioned above are going to make the 40-man roster out of Spring Training, but have the potential to be reliable complements to guys already set with roster spots. Other arms that figure to be in the mix include:

The Cubs have historically utilized seven bullpen arms and Wick, Ryan, Wieck, Chatwood, and likely Alzolay figure to be the first five with jobs. Competition is going to be stiff for the final two spots in the bullpen. Underwood Jr. is a former second-round pick by the club but has yet to materialize into the player they had hoped. If he fails to make the team in 2020, his time may be up on the north side.

Maples has elite spin on his secondary pitches but has struggled to find consistent command. Both Mills and Rea (and potentially Alzolay) are going to compete for the open fifth starter spot as well, so at least one will be out of the running. Norwood was utilized sparingly last year, making just nine appearances and struck out 11 batters in 9.1 innings but allowed eight free passes.

Next. Team has reportedly requested players for Kris Bryant. dark

If the season were to start today, Fangraphs has the Cubs bullpen ranked as the 16th best in baseball and ninth-best in the National League. On paper, it doesn’t look sexy, but note that the 2019 World Series Champion Washington Nationals had the worst bullpen in the National League last season.

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