Porter Hodge's latest outing emphasizes the Cubs' continued need for bullpen help

After another blow-up outing from Porter Hodge on Tuesday, an already apparent need for the 2025 Chicago Cubs just became much clearer.

Until recently, Hodge had been one of Chicago's bright spots in terms of homegrown pitching development. After making his MLB debut last year, the young right-hander became the team's de facto closer before the end of the season. He also collected nine saves, struck out batters at a 31.7 percent clip, and posted a 1.88 ERA over 43 innings. Not bad at all for a rookie.

But this year has been a reminder that relief pitchers are the most volatile players in MLB. Hodge looked poised to again claim the ninth innning when Ryan Pressly was demoted from the closer role at the beginning of the season, but Hodge only got three save opportunities before hitting the IL with an oblique injury on May 24. Even before hitting the shelf, Hodge was overshadowed by Daniel Palencia's emergence as a reliable ninth-inning option, finally utilizing his triple-digit fastball to consistently get outs at the big-league level.

And the hopes that Hodge would return to his 2024 self suffered a major setback on Tuesday. Hodge's outing against the Twins saw him fail to induce more than one out while surrendering six earned runs, five hits, and three home runs. Hodge has also struggled with his command this year, with a walk rate of 11.4 percent.

It could be a fluke, and Hodge pointed to a mechanical issue instead of injury for his poor performance during his postgame interview. Whichever is the case, it's hard to justify giving Hodge high-leverage innings right now, which is a problem considering Palencia and Brad Keller can't pitch in those spots every time.

The Cubs need another closer, even with Daniel Palencia's emergence

Simply put, the Cubs need to trade for another high-leverage arm to bolster the back of the bullpen. This would be an all-in move for the 2025 postseason, which is warranted given the Cubs have been in first place for virtually the entire season. This is the hottest offense the team has cooked up since the 2019 season, and it's time to make the moves necessary to put the team in the best position for a playoff run.

Good teams have multiple pitchers in their bullpen capable of handling closing duties, and the Cubs need to make that a reality for themselves. Don't get me wrong, there is still time for Hodge to turn things around and by no means should he be considered a bust. The team jsut needs to bring in an experienced, and more conssitent option to give Manager Craig Counsell more flexiblitiy in tight ballgames.

Closers are definitely not cheap at the trade deadline, but the Cubs have multiple top 100 prospects to dangle and there should be arms available. Kenley Jansen from the Angels, Kyle Finnegan from the Nationals, and Felix Bautista from the Orioles could all be on the block this year.

Editor's Note: Prior to publishing, Porter Hodge hit the injured list. He will be replaced by Ethan Roberts on the active roster.