An injured reliever with loads of playoff experience mentioned as a Cubs target

After signing a reliever to a multi-year deal for the first time since 2019, the Chicago Cubs continue to remain focused on the bullpen, with some reports indicating that they're setting their sights 'even higher' after bringing in veteran Phil Maton.

It would still come as a shock if Jed Hoyer set the reliever market by signing Edwin Diaz - but all signs point to the Cubs remaining open to just about anything else, including exploring deals with injured pitchers like Evan Phillips, who was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers last week.

Phillips underwent Tommy John surgery in June, and rather than give him the $6.1 million he was projected to earn in arbitration, Los Angeles cut ties with the right-hander. The 31-year-old has 15 1/3 scoreless postseason innings to his credit, which, assuming all goes well in his recovery, could make him a valuable midseason arrival in 2026.

Evan Phillips makes a ton of sense for a team like the Cubs

In a recent piece over at The Athletic (subscription required), Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney noted that Phillips is on the Cubs' radar. Given their track record with relievers looking to bounce back or re-establish value, and Craig Counsell's reputation of putting players' health above all else, Chicago could be an attractive landing spot for the veteran.

Phillips fits the bill, too, because of his late-inning experience. He closed games for the Dodgers in 2023 and during their 2024 World Series run. As we saw this season when Daniel Palencia went down late in the regular season, it was critical to have an in-house option to turn to. And, really, we saw the importance of late-inning arms, in general. Ryan Pressly came to the Cubs last winter with closing games in mind - by Aug. 1, he was no longer a member of the team.

Pitching staffs - and bullpens, in general - are wildly volatile, but bringing in established veteran arms (that aren't on the wrong side of 35) should help the Cubs raise the floor of the group, while still allowing young arms to get opportunities to establish themselves and get big outs over the course of the season. With his pedigree and experience, Phillips checks a lot of boxes for a team hoping to return to the playoffs again in 2026.