3 candidates to replace Yency Almonte in the Cubs bullpen

2. Carl Edwards Jr.

A stir of excitement hit the Cubs fandom this offseason when the team signed former World Series reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to a minor league deal. A deal that the 32-year-old opted out of just a few weeks later after a solid Spring Training of 1.35 ERA ball in 6.2 innings pitched. It's understandable that Edwards probably wanted a better deal after a good 2023 season and it appears the Cubs may have given it to him. Des Moines Register reporter Tommy Birch spotted Edwards throwing with the Iowa Cubs before Thursday night's game in Toledo so he may be back with the organization after all.

Edwards would be a great replacement for Almonte just on his past success with the organization alone. He came up in the Cubs' farm system, pitched well during their competitive years in the late 2010s and was a fan-favorite personality. His pitching profile is also well suited for the current Cubs' team as Edwards now induces more groundballs (46% GB rate in 2023) than he did earlier in his career. As long as those groundballs find anyone except for Christopher Morel over at third most of the time, he should be in good shape.