Chicago Cubs: Relief pitcher market beginning to thin out

Revamping the bullpen is going to be something the Chicago Cubs will want to address eventually, and they may have to get creative to do that.

The quiet offseason for the Chicago Cubs continues as the calendar flips over to 2019. While most of the big-name free agents are still on the board, a number of the middle-tier players (both arms and position guys) have been signing a bit more frequently. These are mainly bullpen and/or depth guys.

There have been some smaller moves for pitching depth, but nothing huge. Fact of the matter is, the Cubs are going to need to add more reliable bullpen arms sooner or later. There is not even a defined closer yet with Brandon Morrow opening the 2019 season on the DL. The only reliable arms currently are Pedro Strop and Steve Cishek, considering Carl Edwards Jr. struggled mightily down the stretch again after a fantastic start to 2018.

A few weeks ago we made a list of potential/affordable arms for the Cubs to explore, most of which have now signed with another team. The crop is thinning, and the Cubs have work to do.