Cubs add another bullpen depth piece, but still haven't locked down late-inning arms

Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs are on the clock. Days after the Los Angeles Dodgers prevailed in their pursuit of All-Star closer Tanner Scott, they're reportedly close to bringing in Kirby Yates, as well, another name that's been connected to the Cubs throughout the offseason as the club looks to bolster its bullpen.

In the meantime, Hoyer continues to stockpile a mountain of scratch-off tickets with just weeks until pitchers and catchers report. His latest pick-up comes in the form of 31-year-old right-hander Trevor Richards, who split the 2024 season between Minnesota and Toronto, working to a 4.36 FIP with a league-high 13 wild pitches across 65 1/3 innings of work.

Richards will be in big-league camp, along with other non-roster invitees, including veteran Phil Bickford, Ben Heller and Brooks Kriske. They join a crowded mix of arms vying for roster spots in the Cubs bullpen; the team's biggest offseason additions in this department (at least to this point) are right-hander Eli Morgan (acquired via trade from Cleveland) and Caleb Thielbar - so, needless to say, there's room for late-inning additions.

Richards carries reverse splits, which could be helpful given the Cubs' lack of go-to lefty options outside of Like Little and Thielbar. He's limited left-handed hitters to a .220/.315/.371 in his career. Paired with his ranking in the 89th percentile in xBA last year, there might be more to like here than the surface-level numbers suggest.

Regardless, if he can't dial in the control aspect of his game, it seems unlikely he will break camp with the team. Leading the league in wild pitches isn't a great way to get a leg up on the competition; he'll need to impress in spring training if he wants to head to Japan with the team for the Tokyo Series in mid-March.