Bullpen options to address major need on Chicago Cubs holiday shopping list

Righties

In his lone season in the Lone Star State, Kirby Yates excelled as the Rangers’ closer in 2024 with 33 saves over 61.2 innings with a 1.17 ERA and limiting hitters to a .407 OPS against him. Not only was he good enough to be named an all-star, but he also finished 9th in AL Cy Young voting this past season. Yates looked like his former dangerous self from his time with the Padres after struggling to overcome injuries from 2020 to 2022. Over the past two seasons, Yates converted 38 of his 42 save opportunities, leading the cast of available relievers by a considerable margin.

Carlos Estévez certainly made a name for himself as one the league’s top free agent back-end relievers over his past two seasons with the Angels and Phillies. An all-star in 2023, Estévez rode that momentum and held opponents to a downright filthy .235 wOBA, good enough to finish in the Top 4% of all pitchers in the MLB. He also did significant work in limiting walks, dropping all the way down to only giving a free pass to 5.7% of batters.

Another up-and-coming name in the closer department is Kyle Finnegan, formerly of the Nationals. Since becoming the full-time ninth-inning man in 2023, Finnegan has finished off the fourth most games in baseball with 66 saves the past two seasons, earning him a trip to the All-Star Game in Arlington this past July. With the least amount of service time among the list on the market, he may have the most palatable bang for your buck to make him one of the more attractive candidates for Hoyer to pursue.

While never a full-time closer, Jeff Hoffman has really shined as a more than dependable back-end reliever with the Phillies over the past two seasons. Last year, Hoffman finished in the top ten of all National League relievers with 21 holds, while also supplying 10 saves here and there throughout the season. Much like Yates and Finnegan, Hoffman was also named an all-star in 2024, his first appearance.

Long-time veterans David Robertson and Kenley Jansen also remain on the market but are likely to come with much heftier price tags.