Cubs suddenly have a difficult Jacob Webb decision looming beyond their playoff push

The Chicago Cubs are running out of time to get Jacob Webb fixed. Webb's recent struggles continued on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves, coughing up the lead in the seventh inning, registering his eighth blown save on the season.

Since August 22, Webb has a 14.85 ERA across eight appearances while giving up four home runs. Making matters worse, there's been a clear regression in the 33-year-old's ability to miss bats. During that stretch, Webb has an identical strikeout and walk rate, 11.4%. That isn't a recipe for success and should be sounding alarm bells for the Cubs ahead of the playoffs.

Under any other circumstance, there would be consideration to Webb being left off the playoff roster. That may not be a realistic outcome for the Cubs, considering they are already short of effective options in the bullpen.

In terms of what that means for Webb's specific role, it seems clear that he shouldn't be trusted with a high-leverage situation. Where that leaves the Cubs is that Daniel Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn would be the high-leverage arms with Craig Counsell mixing and matching his remaining options in the bullpen.

Jacob Webb's late-season struggles don't just complicate his playoff role, but future with the Cubs

For most of the season, it seemed like a no-brainer that the Cubs would pick up the $2.5 million club option that Webb has for the 2027 season. Even with his recent struggles, Webb still has an ERA of 3.29 through 64 appearances this season, striking out over 25% of the hitters he's faced.

Considering the option is only $2.5 million, and the other turnover that is expected for the pitching staff, it still feels like the Cubs will bring Webb back for the 2027 season. It's also worth noting that he struggled at the start of this season, considering he had an ERA of 5.06 through his first 13 appearances.

As much as Cubs fans may not want to hear it, his current struggles are tied to his last 6 and 2/3 innings pitched. In other words, today isn't the day for any drastic decisions. That said, if the Cubs reach the end of the regular season, and Webb's struggles haven't subsided, then that would be the time for the difficult choice of leaving him off the playoff roster and potentially moving on from the veteran during the offseason.

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