Cubs could be the perfect landing spot for this trio of former Rangers relievers

With the Texas Rangers bringing in former Chicago Cubs outfielder Joc Pederson on a two-year, $37 million deal late Sunday, there are now real questions over when ownership will hit the brakes on spending.

After that move, Roster Resource has the Rangers' payroll at approximately $229 million - giving them around $11 million to round out a roster that fell short in their World Series defense this year, going 89-73 and missing the postseason entirely after battling several notable injuries to key players.

The bullpen remains an area of need for the team, even after some recent additions. But three pitchers who spent last season with the Rangers also make sense for the Cubs, who continue to scour both the trade and free-agent markets for pitching staff upgrades: Kirby Yates, David Robertson and Jose Leclerc.

Yates and Robertson are seasoned, to say the least. The former turns 38 in March and the latter, who pitched for the Cubs back in 2022 before getting flipped to the Phillies for Ben Brown, hits the big 4-0 in April - but neither has shown any signs of slowing down. Last season, Yates made 61 appearances for Texas, working to a sterling 1.17 ERA en route to 33 saves and 12.4 K/9. Even at his age, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see him get a multi-year deal given how the market has played out this winter.

I expect the same for Robertson, who was a key late-inning arm for Bruce Bochy last season, making 68 appearances, punching out more than a dozen batters per nine and working to a 2.65 FIP. A reunion with Chicago makes a ton of sense given their familiarity with one another, but Yates could be the ninth-inning solution fans continue to clamor for.

Leclerc figures to be the most cost-effective of the three, despite being nearly a decade younger, heading into his age-31 season. At first glance, you might be scared off by his ERA jumping from 2.68 in 2024 to 4.32 last year, but his 3.48 FIP fell right in line with what he's done in his career. He maintained elite whiff and strikeout marks and continued to excel at limiting hard contact - all things the Cubs bullpen badly needs.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of potential bullpen additions, but the Pederson signing puts the Rangers' payroll front and center - and opens the door for teams like the Cubs to swoop in and add established bullpen pieces despite Texas' continued need for more arms heading into 2025.