Latest Cubs' DFA decision makes a lot more sense than you might initially think

Jed Hoyer has a formula to building a bullpen and is constantly looking for potential additions over the course of a season. Last summer, pick-ups of guys like former All-Star Jorge Lopez and Nate Pearson proved critical - but perhaps no move meant more to stabilizing the Chicago Cubs' bullpen than the early-season addition of Tyson Miller.

The Cubs reunited with Miller last May, bringing the side-arming right-hander they initially drafted in the fourth round in 2016 back into the fold, and the move immediately paid dividends. He made 49 appearances, bested only by Drew Smyly, working to a 2.15 ERA and 0.815 WHIP for manager Craig Counsell.

Tyson Miller went from go-to-guy in 2024 to the latest Cubs' castoff

Heading into the offseason, Miller was at or near the top of the Cubs' bullpen depth chart. After all, he was affordable and under long-term control. After the success he had with the team in 2024, there was no reason to think he wouldn't at least open the year in Counsell's circle of trust.

But that's not how things played out, and this week, Chicago designated Miller for assignment rather than add him to the 26-man roster - an ending that seems somewhat surprising, but makes more sense when you take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

After pitching in the Tokyo Series, a hip impingement sidelined the 29-year-old hurler. He had been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa and was largely effective, working to a 2.77 ERA across 13 innings. But shaky strikeout and walk rates (19 percent K rate, 15.5 percent walk rate) and a further drop in his fastball velocity painted a picture far less rosy.

The bigger factor at play here, though, is probably the lack of roster flexibility the Cubs have at the big-league level, especially in the bullpen. Only one of the currently rostered relievers has minor league options remaining - and that's Daniel Palencia, who has recently emerged as the team's best ninth-inning answer.

Given the success the pen has had over the last six weeks, the Cubs are in no hurry to shake things up at this point and Miller wound up being an unfortunate victim of those circumstances. But with low-cost additions like Brad Keller and Chris Flexen pitching well, Cubs fans shouldn't lose much sleep about this loss, regardless of how good Miller was for the team last summer.