Chicago Cubs: Bullpen can still improve following Craig Kimbrel signing

The Chicago Cubs significantly improved their bullpen with the signing of All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel. But they shouldn’t stop there as there’s more work to do.

With the acquisition of Craig Kimbrel, the Chicago Cubs sent a message across the league saying they believe they can contend for a World Series. Kimbrel certainly gives the Cubs and their bullpen a huge boost but there is still work to be done.

The Cubs are still lacking that lockdown left-handed reliever. They don’t have a dominant lefty that can come in during a high leverage situation and get the team out of a jam. In fact, they really haven’t a left-handed reliever of that caliber since Aroldis Chapman in 2016.

This year, the bullpen has struggled when it comes to lefty-lefty match-ups. In said situations, the Cubs have pitched 18 innings and have an ERA of 6.00 which is the eighth-worst in baseball. As a unit, they’ve surrendered 30 hits and walked 12 batters. They just don’t dominate left-handed batters like they should as they’ve struck out 20 batters, which is middle of the pack in the league.

Chicago Cubs: Lefties have not seen a lot of success

The Cubs have mostly called on Kyle Ryan in these lefty-lefty match-ups as he’s become their workhorse. In a total of seven innings against lefties, Ryan has a 6.43 ERA while giving up 11 hits and four walks. He started the season on a roll, but his luck has started to run out of late.

The usually reliable Mike Montgomery has had his own issues against lefties this season in limited action. In his 3 2/3 innings pitched, Montgomery has allowed a 12.27 ERA. He hasn’t been fooling anyone at the plate as he’s given up 11 hits and struck out just one batter.

Ryan and Montgomery have really been the Cubs only lefties out of the bullpen this season. They signed Xavier Cedeno in the offseason but he has been hurt much of the season which forced them to use Tim Collins for a spell. Randy Rosario was a big piece in the Cubs bullpen last season but after struggling early on he has spent much of the year in the minor leagues.

The Cubs simply can’t go into October with this group of left-handers in their bullpen. I don’t feel comfortable watching any of these guys potentially have to pitch to the likes of Matt Carpenter, Christian Yelich or Cody Bellinger as the Cubs are trying to win the World Series. They need to go out and make a deal for a dominant left-handed reliever and they certainly have the ability to get it done.

By going out and signing Kimbrel, the Cubs are still in a really good position to make a deal for a left-handed reliever. The reason being is that because Kimbrel was a free agent, all they had to do was pay him money, he didn’t cost the Cubs any assets. Chicago still has their full farm system at their disposal to try to make a deal with another team.

Chicago Cubs: Brad Hand makes the Cubs bullpen dominant

The Cubs’ top target should be Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand. Maybe I’m getting a little bit greedy here, but acquiring Hand to be a setup man or lefty-lefty specialist could really make the bullpen elite. As far as left-handed closers go, Hand is the cream of the crop.

The southpaw has been flawless this season in the ninth inning, going a perfect 18-for-18 in saves. He has only surrendered three earned runs on the year and is rocking a 1.05 ERA. He’s simply dominated on the mound with a FIP of 1.91 while striking out 36 batters and walking just seven.

Against lefties, Hand has been nearly untouchable. He has given up zero runs in 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine. He’s surrendered just three hits and three walks.

Hand is having arguably his best season and due to a contract that has him under control until 2020 (possibly 2021 with a team option), the Indians are going to demand a lot in return for him. Personally, I would be fine trading Ian Happ to the Indians who are surely looking for help in the outfield, seeing as they just let Carlos Gonzalez walk.

Hand’s availability will, unfortunately, depend on whether or not the Indians are truly sellers. They look to be out of contention in the AL Central already but are only a game back in the AL Wild Card. They’re battling a lot of big injuries early in the year so if they slide further, they could go into sell mode, making Hand a hot commodity.

Chicago Cubs: One year of Will Smith could be worth it

If the Cubs aren’t able to land Hand or Doolittle, a lesser known name they should explore is Will Smith from the San Francisco Giants. The Giants are going nowhere this year and with Smith enjoying arguably his best season in the big leagues, they would be wise to move him.

This year in 23 games, Smith has already recorded 13 saves after recording 14 all of last season. He also has not blown a save for the Giants this season. On the year, Smith has posted a career-low 2.38 ERA while allowing just six earned runs to score.

This season Smith has shown much more control than in the past. He’s managed a career-low 1.6 BB/9 rate which is down from 2.5 a season ago. He’s only walked four batters all year and has struck out 26, which is good for his career-high 8.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Unfortunately, Smith has struggled a bit in lefty-lefty match-ups this season. Against left-handers, he’s pitching to the tune of a 3.86 ERA after facing 20 batters. It’s a small sample size, but he’s given up a walk, three hits and two earned runs.

Despite those struggles, he would be a worthy addition to the Cubs bullpen in the late innings. He is set to become a free agent at the end of this season, so as a rental the Cubs wouldn’t have to give up a whole lot to get him.