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A boost for the Chicago Cubs' bullpen
Tanner Scott checks too many boxes- a ninth-inning guy to push Porter Hodge into a setup role, a lefty reliever on a staff essentially devoid of them, and another whiff rate arm as the Cubs finally seem to be crafting a modern bullpen built around velocity. He also has one of the prettiest Statcast charts I've seen this offseason. Will Santa Jed break his track record of not committing multiple-year deals to relievers to bring joy to Cubs fans this year?
Adding Scott would really be the final piece in a multi-year rebuild of the Cubs pen. Scott, Hodge, Nate Pearson, Julian Merryweather, Ben Brown, Luke Little, Caleb Killian, and Danny Palencia would give the Cubs brass a ton of options that bring above-average to elite fastball velocity in 2025. Having that many options with 95+ average fastball MPH is a testament to the work Hoyer has done to create a modern bullpen portfolio for Craig Counsell to play with.
Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman would make fine consolation prizes if Scott's pricetag gets too hefty- it's just critical that the Cubs sign at least one of them to push everyone back an inning.