3 Cubs relievers fighting for a spot in the bullpen mix

With Steven Brault suffering a setback and the loss of Codi Heuer for the year, one thing is already clear for this Cubs team: there are spots open and up for grabs in the bullpen. As guys start getting kicked over to minor league camp, make no mistake: we’ll see a lot of them back with the big league club throughout the season.

Throughout the year, you’ll have guys struggle and get optioned and you’ll also have minor leaguers pitch so well they force their way into the picture in Chicago. In recent years, the Cubs’ bullpen has had a bit of a revolving door and that figures to be the case again in 2022.

Let’s take a quick look at three guys you should keep in the back of your mind as spring training winds down and Opening Day draws nearer.

3 Cubs relievers fighting for a bullpen spot – #3: Locke St. John

In three spring appearances, Locke St. John has recorded 3 1/3 scoreless innings and 3 strikeouts. If you were watching, he was noticeably sharp with all of his pitches and quickly became someone whose name I circled.

Last season, St. John posted a fantastic 2.58 ERA and 75 Ks in 36 games and 59 1/3 innings of work in Triple-A. In fact, he also posted a sub-3.00 ERA as well from 2016-2018. Over the course of seven minor league seasons, St. John owns a 3.44 career ERA, amassing nearly 500 innings of work during that span. The next step is proving it at the major league level, which he hasn’t exactly had much of a chance to do.

St. John is a potentially effective lefty the Cubs desperately need in their bullpen this season. Dare I say potential setup man to Mychal Givens or David Robertson as some point?  If anything, his career numbers, work this spring and the team’s total lack of lefty relievers all give him a real shot at being a key guy in the Cubs pen this season.