How Cubs' biggest offseason gamble made them a playoff team in 2025

Little did we know that when the Chicago Cubs were snubbed by All-Star reliever Tanner Scott, it would open the door to Jed Hoyer doing some of his best work since taking over as president of baseball operations.

He quickly pivoted to his tried-and-true method of rounding out a roster, collecting a group of castoffs, reclamation projects and guys looking for a rebound and letting them duke it out for spots in the Cubs' bullpen. The end result? One of the league's most impressive relief corps with the season entering its final weeks.

Chicago relievers ranked fifth in the National League entering Monday with a 3.84 ERA, led by the likes of Caleb Thielbar (1.98 ERA), Brad Keller (2.20 ERA) and Drew Pomeranz (2.25 ERA). They squeezed all they could out of guys like Chris Flexen (3.09 ERA before being DFAd in early August) - riding this steady group of arms to the top spot in the NL Wild Card race.

Given the number of injuries the Cubs have weathered in the rotation (Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad have all spent time on the IL this year), the reliability of the bullpen has made all the difference as Craig Counsell navigated the ups and downs of a 162-game grind (not to mention the complete ineffectiveness of Ryan Pressly).

Cubs' massive offseason miss opened the door for Jed Hoyer

Meanwhile, two arms who opted to join the reigning World Series champion Dodgers, Scott and Kirby Yates, have been major disappointments for Los Angeles. Don't believe me? Just look at this quote after Scott blew yet another game last weekend against the rival Giants.

“It’s terrible. I’m having the worst year of my life. I gotta be better.”

A lot of credit for the Cubs' bullpen success goes to the revamped organizational infrastructure and the efforts of pitching coach Tommy Hottovy. The pen has been buoyed by a breakout performance from Daniel Palencia, as well, with the right-hander finally turning the corner and turning potential into results this year.

What felt like the same old story in regards to Hoyer's budget-friendly bullpen has turned into a huge reason why the Cubs are ticketed for postseason baseball for the first time since 2020 - and he deserves full credit for those efforts.