Cubs may be priced out of bullpen upgrades after Braves’ Evan Phillips contract

Even before Evan Phillips signed with the Atlanta Braves, there were indicators that the Chicago Cubs were not going to be involved in the market for bullpen arms this offseason. Jeff Passan all but ruled the Cubs out of the bidding for David Bednar, and previous reporting suggested that the Cubs' interest in Adrian Morejon is only as a starting pitcher.

Still, there was hope that perhaps the Cubs could still find a bullpen arm on the cheap. Considering the Cubs had brief interest in Phillips last year, and the fact that he only made 31 appearances in 2026, he had the impression of being an ideal buy-low candidate for Jed Hoyer to target for the bullpen. As it turns, that was never going to be the case.

Phillips inked a three-year deal with the Braves worth $35 million. For reference, FanGraphs' median crowdsource projection for Phillips was a one-year deal worth $6.8 million. That felt more in line with the type deal the Cubs could consider, especially since a majority of their spending this offseason is expected to be geared towards starting pitching.

Braves' Evan Phillips contract likely pushes the Cubs out of the free-agent relief market

To be clear, the Cubs have never been a team to spend heavy on the bullpen. Last year's two-year deal with Phil Maton, worth $14.5 million, was viewed as them stepping outside of their comfort zone for relief pitching, and it backfired immediately. Not to mention, the $6 million the Cubs threw down the drain on a one-year deal with Hunter Harvey, who only made four appearances with the team.

As much as it's speculated that the Cubs will eventually need to go out and sign an established high-leverage relief arm, thay day is never going to come. At least, not as long as Hoyer is at the top of the front office.

In this case, it's hard to be overly critical of the Cubs. Unlike last winter, they already have the base of their bullpen in place. If anything, they could use another left-handed relief pitcher. As a buy-low candidate, perhaps an exception would have been made for Phillips. But, for some reason, the Braves felt comfortable blowing past his contract projections.

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