Chicago Cubs: A look at the current state of the bullpen

Cubs will definitely miss the efforts of Jeremy Jeffress

As previously mentioned, the Cubs will be without Chafin (free agent) and Osich (Cincinnati Reds) in the upcoming season. Joining those two this week was right-hander Colin Rea, who was released by the team on Tuesday.

Rea will be continuing his baseball career in Japan after posting a 5.79 ERA and 1.214 WHIP in nine games last season.

Ryan Tepera was also non-tendered this earlier offseason, though it remains to be seen whether or not the Cubs will bring him back. Tepera, 33, would’ve made ~$1.5 million in arbitration. The righty posted a 3.92 ERA and 1.403 WHIP in 21 games last season, which (accidentally) earned him an NL MVP vote.

Both Rea and Tepera had their moments in 2020, though neither was dominant enough to make finding their replacements impossible. The biggest challenge will come in finding someone to take the spot of closer Jeremy Jeffress.

The 33-year-old veteran is currently a free agent, after turning in one of his best seasons in the big leagues with a 1.54 ERA and 0.943 WHIP in 22 games this past summer.

Surprisingly, there haven’t been many rumors with teams linked to Jeffress so far this offseason. Jeffress made $850k (non-prorated) on a one-year contract last season. Talk about a bargain. Even with COVID-19 impacting the market, the right-hander still pitched his way into some type of a pay raise for 2021.

Just how much raise remains to be seen, as does Hoyer deciding to bring back Jeffress. I think the team will likely go with the cheaper option, eventually naming a current arm on the roster as the new closer.

Cubs have brought in plenty of low-risk high-reward relievers this offseason.

The hiring of Jon ‘Boog’ Sciambi as the new play-by-play announcer is arguably the biggest name the Cubs have brought in this offseason. Many people have looked past the bullpen arms the team has been stockpiling. That’s rightfully so, as it remains to be seen how these arms will pan out next season.

Hoyer has signed the following relievers to minor league deals. Other than Joe Biagini, the majority have appeared in just a handful of games in recent years.

Minor League Reliever Signings (Career Statistics)

• RHP Joe Biagini (30) (221 games) 5.07 ERA 1.480 WHIP
• RHP Trevor Kelley (27) (14 games) 9.26 ERA 1.971 WHIP
• RHP James Borque (27) (7 games) 13.50 ERA 2.786 WHIP
• RHP Jake Jewell (27) (21 games) 6.99 ERA 1.367 WHIP
• LHP Jerry Vatso (28) (6 games) 8.31 ERA 1.846 WHIP
• RHP DJ Snelton (28) (4 games) 10.38 ERA 2.769 WHIP

The Cubs also added a couple of relievers, who are better known around the league, Robert Stock and Jonathan Holder.

Stock was claimed off waivers after running out of minor league options. The 31-year-old righty can easily throw his average fastball in the high-90s. Last season Stock posted a 4.73 ERA and 1.950 WHIP in 10 games for the Red Sox.

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Coming over from the Yankees is Holder, a 27-year-old right-hander. Like Stock, Holder has some upside, and there is a good chance the Cubs could get the most out of this once-promising reliever. Holder had a few solid years in New York with his best coming in 2018 (3.14 ERA 1.091 WHIP) but struggled in the previous two seasons. Last summer Holder posted a 4.98 ERA and 1.662 WHIP in 18 games.

An interesting addition comes in the form of Rule 5 Draft pick Gary Fenter. The 25-year-old right-hander has yet to make his big league debut, and last pitched in 2019 for the Single-A affiliate of the Orioles, the Delmarva Shorebirds. Fenter dominated the South Shore League that season with a 1.81 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 11.9 K/9 in 22 games.

The most recent bullpen addition comes in the form of left-hander Adam Morgan who was signed to a minor league contract on Sunday. The 30-year-old has spent all six of his major league seasons with the Phillies, and is coming off flexor tendon surgery from October. Last summer Morgan posted a 5.54 ERA and 1.538 in 17 games. Fun fact: Morgan was the pitcher who gave up the walk-off grand slam to Jason Heyward in 2018.

All these pitchers have one thing in common: they’re low-risk, high-reward. It’s not like the Cubs need every one of them to turn their careers around this upcoming season. The idea is to have at least one or two of these low-budget relievers used as reliable weapons in 2021. It might not be the best on paper, but the Cubs already have a solid bullpen foundation to build on.

It took a while, but the Cubs bullpen turned into a strength last season.

The current bullpen options on the active roster give the Cubs a solid foundation to work with this upcoming season.

Do I think this group will be enough to push the Cubs through the postseason? Absolutely not. It’s rare for a team to go a whole season without any changes to their bullpen, and you could never have enough weapons. I think the team could still use one or two proven arms, and some combination of the current activities, plus a recent minor league addition could add up to a successful bullpen formula.

Relievers on the Active Roster (2020 Statistics)

• RHP Craig Kimbrel (33) (18 games) 5.28 ERA 1.435 WHIP
• RHP Rowan Wick (28) (19 games) 3.12 ERA 1.385 WHIP
• LHP Kyle Ryan (29) (18 games) 5.17 ERA 1.404 WHIP
• RHP Duane Underwood Jr. (25) (17 games) 5.66 ERA 1.500 WHIP
• RHP Dan Winkler (30) (18 games) 2.95 ERA 1.200 WHIP
• RHP Jason Adam (29) (13 games) 3.29 ERA 1.244 WHIP
• RHP Jonathan Holder (27) (18 games) 4.98 ERA 1.662 WHIP

Some names on the active roster not mentioned above include right-handers James Norwood, Dillon Maples,and lefty Brad Wieck who pitched in just six combined games last season. The trio is quickly running out of time to find their place in the Cubs bullpen before the team decides to move on.

Career Statistics

• RHP James Norwood (27) (23 games) 4.50 ERA 1.864 WHIP
• RHP Dillon Maples (28) (31 games) 8.49 ERA 5.000 WHIP
• LHP Brad Wieck (29) (50 games) 5.27 ERA 1.078 WHIP

Another active player with a small 2020 sample size is the No. 1 prospect in the Cubs’ farm system, Brailyn Marquez. The 6’4 185-pound lefty made his big league debut in the regular season finale, giving up five earned runs on two hits while walking three and striking out one batter in two-thirds of an inning. It was far from perfect, but Marquez has some nasty stuff and he will be a dangerous option for the Cubs if he can piece it together for this upcoming season.

Assuming the team doesn’t bring back Jeffress, Rowan Wick and Craig Kimbrel will likely compete in Spring Training for the closer role. Wick proved to be the man for the job until an oblique injury ended his season last summer.

At this point, we all know about Kimbrel’s story since the Cubs signed him in the middle of the 2019 season. Say what you want, but Kimbrel turned around a terrible start to his 2020 campaign to finish with a 1.42 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings during his final 14 games. The right-hander is due $16 million in the final year of his current contract which includes a $16 million team option and $1 million buyout for 2022.

Whether or not the Cubs hold onto Kimbrel remains to be seen. I don’t think any team is going to take a flyer on that amount of money before the season starts, so depending on how the Cubs are doing around the trade deadline, that could be around the time Kimbrel gets moved.

I’m usually one of the biggest critics when it comes to not spending money when it comes to team needs. When it comes to the bullpen, I think it’s different. It’s hard to find a Mariano Rivera type of arm where you can guarantee the money is being well spent. That’s the reason there’s so much turnover in bullpens and also a reason why piecing together a ‘pen with low-risk moves and a few solid arms might not be a bad formula.