Cubs front office is sticking to a bullpen strategy that’s already outdated

When Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs finally broke the mold and extended a multi-year, high-dollar offer to free agent left-hander Tanner Scott last winter (only to be spurned), it caught the entire industry off-guard. That's just not how Hoyer has operated since taking over the team's baseball operations in the fall of 2020.

Ultimately, he ran back the familiar playbook that's worked more than it hasn't, assembling a collection of aging veterans and bounceback candidates, hoping the cream would rise to the top by season's end. That's just how it played out, with Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz each turning in career years out of the Chicago bullpen.

After trading midseason acquisition Andrew Kittredge back to the Baltimore Orioles this week in exchange for cash considerations, Hoyer and GM Carter Hawkins are starting from scratch, with Daniel Palencia representing the only meaningful relief arm set to return in 2026.

Cubs aren't expected to set the market for late-inning relievers

With the bullpen representing a clear area of need this winter, could we see Hoyer step up and make a play for big-name relievers similar to how he did last offseason with Scott? Don't hold your breath. According to The Athletic (subscription required), the Cubs aren't expected to jump into the fray, at least not early on, but could test the waters if any high-profile relievers linger on the market late into the offseason.

Hoyer and the Cubs simply do not believe that throwing money at problems makes them go away. En route to a second straight World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen was a huge problem, despite landing Scott and Kirby Yates, while also re-signing Blake Treinen last winter. Those three cost LA a combined $40+ million in luxury tax payroll in 2025 and were non-factors in the postseason.

The piece notes Chicago could look to the trade market again, much the same as they did with the ill-fated Ryan Pressly deal last winter, to add some stability, but the pen will again likely be made up of 'NRIs, cheap veterans and pitchers with little name recognition'. Given the staggering amount of play in the team's projected 2026 payroll, choosing to primarily build your bullpen with bargain bin additions feels unnecessarily high-risk.

You don't have to set the high-water mark for relievers right out of the gate, but the Cubs are long past due to head into a season with a bullpen picture that's largely solidified. Have those reclamation projects and bounceback candidates in the mix, sure, but let's not hope, pray and hang our hopes on guys outperforming expectations yet again.