Chicago Cubs management delivered on their offseason plan

Epstein Talks Frankly About Pitching

In his postseason comments, the Cubs President of Baseball Operations offered these blunt thoughts on how the season ended.

“Come on, we have to be a lot better than that,” he said.

The Chicago Tribune went on to point out that Epstein had added that “pure strike-throwers” would be a priority. Any way you look at it, it is clear the writing was on the wall for the Cubs bullpen. The pen needed to be remade with the focus on not giving up free bases to opposing batters, particularly late in games.

To the end, the results can’t really be questioned. Theo and Co. hit the mark, identifying relief pitchers with track records of working the strike zone effectively. Simmons, Morrow and Cishek each boast career strike rates better than the balance of the Cubs relief staff. The three also excel with solid contact rates. Another new signing, Alvarez bests them all in this department. It is clear that the Cubs prioritized relievers who are in or around the strike zone while not getting hit around. The signings they made were very much in line with this approach.