3 things Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer must to do keep his job

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President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has a pivotal 12 months ahead of him. He is heading into the final year of his contract with the Chicago Cubs, coming off back-to-back seasons in which his team could have easily snuck into the postseason only to fall short.

Recent remarks from Cubs owner Tom Rickets suggest there will not be an extension for Hoyer before the season. With fans frustrated and a lame-duck season ahead of Hoyer, all eyes will be on him this winter as he puts the pieces together for another high-expectation season. There are some bare minimum things he needs to accomplish this year in order for him to keep his job.

1. Fix the bullpen

Arguably the main thorn in the team's side this year was the bullpen, which for the second straight year did not have an identity until the middle of the season. This was partially due to closer Adbert Alzolay and set-up man Yency Almonte going down with season-ending injuries. But the main addition Hoyer made to the bullpen was Hector Neris, who proved to be ineffective in the ninth inning and he was eventually designated for assignment in August.

If it wasn't for the emergence of rookie Porter Hodge and the mid-season additions of Tyson Miller, Jorge Lopez and Nate Pearson, the Cubs bullpen would have been nothing short of a disaster. Thankfully those additions proved to be fruitful and the team boasted the sixth-lowest bullpen ERA over the final three months of the season.

All that being said, if Hoyer had put more assets into the bullpen before the season, maybe the team would not have blown 26 saves and had enough wins to make the playoffs. The best bullpens in the modern game have multiple relievers capable of closing games and the Cubs simply did not have that to start the 2024 season and they honestly still don't.

As things stand, Porter Hodge is the only guy on the team who has proven trustworthy in the ninth inning other than Alzolay, who will miss the 2025 season and could be a non-tender candidate. Lopez is hitting the open market, Miller is a soft-tossing middle reliever and Pearson has potential but needs to do more to earn ninth-inning duties. Needless to say, Hoyer has serious work to do on the bullpen and he needs to add more firepower.

2. Upgrade the lineup

The other obvious issue is the fact that the Cubs lineup lacks a star hitter. This lack of talent results in the team being unable to dig itself out of offensive ruts, which have become prevalent over the last couple of seasons. It's a lot harder to overcome those tough stretches when you don't have a rock in the lineup. The truth is, the Cubs have a lot of solid hitters but they do not have an elite bat.

Adding to the lineup will be hard given the opt-outs Hoyer has dished out and his offseason approach will depend a lot on Cody Bellinger's decision. Reports have swung both ways on that front, and it seems like nobody will really know until the opt-out deadline five days after the conclusion of the World Series. The team is honestly in a better position to add if Bellinger walks away because a substantial amount of at-bats will become available and $27 million will come off the 2025 payroll.

The dream scenario is that Hoyer pursues someone like Pete Alonso, Teoscar Hernandez or even Juan Soto. But given how Hoyer has done things in the past, it would be foolish to expect a signing of this caliber given his unwillingness to make substantial long-term financial commitments.

Even if Bellinger stays with the team, Hoyer needs to figure out a creative way to inject some consistency into the lineup a la the Michael Busch trade.

3. Make the playoffs

This is the big one. Ever since Hoyer took the reins of this team, the Cubs have failed to make the playoffs and they had the opportunity to in both 2023 and 2024. If I were Tom Rickets, three straight failed seasons would be enough for me to find someone else to run my team so it is essentially a make-or-break year for Hoyer.

Other than fixing the bullpen and lineup, Hoyer has the opportunity and resources to add a number 1 starting pitcher. Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Jack Flaherty will all be available and each one would add significant value to the starting rotation. Upgrading at catcher should also be a priority and reports suggest the team already tried to do so at the trade deadline.

Revamping the coaching staff will also be a factor, as Craig Counsell will finally have the opportunity to make his own hirings. Mike Napoli and Willie Harris have already been relieved and veteran baseball coach Jerry Weinstein has been brought on.

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1. Fix the bullpen

2. Upgrade the lineup

3. Make the playoffs

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