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Chicago Cubs: There are real question marks in the bullpen
The Chicago Cubs have a lot of question marks in the bullpen. From walks to injuries and everything in-between, these guys need to step up in 2019.
Let’s just start with some of the obvious ones, shall we? The Chicago Cubs bullpen pitched well last year, as a whole, but there’s a lot to worry about if you dig into the numbers.
Carl Edwards, Jr. can be one of the most dominant weapons in the Cubs bullpen. But late last year the lanky right-hander completely lost the strike zone. He walked at least one batter in every appearance he made in September except for one. In case you’re wondering, that comes out to 12 walks in seven innings. If Edwards finds the strike zone again, he has closer stuff. If he keeps walking batters at that high a rate he is the setup man version of Tyler Chatwood.
Do you remember how pleasantly surprised we all were at about this time last year when Brian Duensing resigned with the Cubs and took less money to do so (two years, $3.5 million each year)? Obviously, his season-long numbers look terrible (ERA 7.65, FIP 6.35). However, Duensing started last season off well. He didn’t give up an earned run until May 13, his 18th appearance of the season.
If Duensing goes back to the pitcher he was in 2017 or the beginning of 2018, he is a full-inning left-handed reliever. If not, his career may be over. His Cubs career certainly would be.
Which brings us to the closer. When Brandon Morrow was healthy last season he was great. The problem is he wasn’t healthy very much. After offseason surgery, the Cubs are planning on beginning the season without him. The question now is simple: will he come back and close out the rest of the season or will it just be the beginning of his injury woes in 2019?
Chicago Cubs: Can Kintzler get his head straight this year?
Brandon Kintzler pitched significantly worse after being traded to the Cubs last season (ERA 7.00) than he did prior to the trade for the Nationals (ERA 3.59). He was then left off the Cubs playoff roster.
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Justin Wilson was in a similar situation last offseason. After the Cubs traded for Wilson in 2017 he walked 19 batters in 17 2/3 innings. Wilson’s ERA with the Cubs was 5.09 after having an ERA of only 2.89 with the Tigers. But in 2018 Wilson recovered to post a 3.45 ERA and he only walked 33 batters in 54 2/3 innings.
Wilson last year might have had a higher ceiling than Kintzler does coming into this year. Kintzler depends on a high groundball rate and doesn’t strike out many batters (6.1 per 9 innings for his career). I also would not be surprised to hear rumors of the Cubs front office trying to trade away Kintzler and his $5 million salary.
If he isn’t traded away, Kintzler remains a veteran reliever with a long history of success. One hopes he might bounce back in his first full season with the Cubs after failing to pitch well for Chicago following that midseason trade. Will he bounce back like Justin Wilson did?
That is Kintzler’s question.
Chicago Cubs: Get ready for Edwin Jackson, 2.0
Tyler Chatwood pitched so wildly last he has lost his spot in the starting rotation. The question with Chatwood is can he contribute to the Cubs at all in 2019? If one of the starting pitchers misses a start, would the Cubs dare insert Chatwood back into the rotation? Can he be useful in the bullpen?
Chatwood is owed $12.5 million in 2019 and $13 million in 2020. I’m sure the Cubs front office is trying to trade him away. But any trade involving Chatwood is going to either involve the Cubs paying a significant portion of his salary or be a bad contract swap. Aside from a Russell Martin/Chatwood trade I can’t even imagine a deal both the Cubs and another team would be interested in.
That just leaves trading him away and paying a big chunk of his salary. Chatwood’s stuff is so electric that I’m sure there are teams out there that would be willing to take him on as an intriguing resurrection project. But at that point would the Cubs be saving enough money to make it worth trading him away?
In 2015 the Cubs began the season with Edwin Jackson occupying a spot in the bullpen. He too had pitched so badly that he lost his previous spot in the rotation. He also had two very expensive years left on his contract. Despite putting up some reasonable numbers (3.19 ERA, 2.91 FIP) it was obvious the Cubs didn’t trust him with any meaningful innings. Eventually Jackson was released by the team.
Chatwood might suffer a similar fate this coming season as Jackson did in 2015. However, coming into 2015 the Cubs weren’t sure that their competitive window had opened yet. Many experts at the time thought it would be one more year before they could compete for a playoff berth. So the 2015 Cubs could better afford to begin the season with Jackson in the bullpen. I’m not sure this variation of the Cubs can afford to do the same thing.
There is also the possibility that the Cubs hope that Chatwood pitches well enough in Spring Training that they are able to trade him away to a team that suffers an injury to one of their starting pitchers before Opening Day.
Next. Game of Thrones, the Cubs & the Long Winter. dark
The Cubs bullpen has a lot more question marks than a team that wants to win another World Series would like to have. Perhaps some of these pitchers get traded away before the season begins.
But if the Cubs don’t add to their bullpen this offseason, then these pitchers are going to be among the group of relievers that the Cubs will begin the season with. But it is likely Chicago is going to begin the season with some uncomfortable questions unanswered in the bullpen.