Cubs' pitching staff comes into focus with latest round of spring training cuts

The Chicago Cubs just optioned Gavin Hollowell and Ethan Roberts to Triple-A, two of their best-performing relievers this Spring Training. The move reduces the current Spring Training roster down to 44, and makes the team's plans for Thursday's Opening Day roster a bit clearer.

Hollowell is a 28-year-old who the Cubs picked up on waivers in 2024 after he had stints with the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. He made seven appearances at the major league level for the Cubs last year, with an inflated 4.82 ERA.

However, the 6'7 right-hander is a major strikeout producer who logged 47 K's in just 32 1/3 minor league innings last year. And this Spring Training, he's only allowed two earned runs in seven innings of work, with two holds, a save, and a 12/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He'll likely be one of the main depth options if/when the Cubs sustain a bullpen injury.

It's a similar story for Roberts, who has struggled with injuries and poor performance since the team named him to the 2022 Opening Day roster. With just one earned run in his six Spring Training outings, we will likely see Roberts in the bullpen mix at Wrigley Field at some point this year.

With latest spring training roster cuts, Cubs' Opening Day bullpen might be taking shape

Hollowell or Roberts would have made sense for the Opening Day roster, but Chicago seems to be heading in a different direction. We already know that Daniel Palencia will have the ninth inning, which Craig Counsell confirmed even before his electric World Baseball performance.

New additions like Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton seem destined for setup roles, while Jacob Webb and lefties Hoby Milner and Caleb Thielbar are also locks. Since Colin Rea is on a major league contract, he will almost certainly take on the swingman/long reliever job, while Javier Assad, who still has two minor league options remaining on his deal, could begin the season in Triple-A's starting rotation as depth.

That leaves one spot, and it looks like it might go to Ben Brown. Brown has struggled to carve out a role as a starter with his limited arsenal, which consists of a fastball and knuckle curveball. However, this year Brown has also been utilizing a sinker to devastating effect. The 26-year-old owns a solid 3.09 ERA over 11 2/3 innings, and he's been striking out over 33% of the batters he's faced.

On Wednesday, Counsell also used Brown out of the bullpen for the first time, marking the only time this Spring that he's logged just a single inning. It appears the Cubs are positioning him for a full-time relief role rather than as a starter or multi-inning guy as they did in the past.