3 moves Cubs have to make if they want to save their season

3 critical moves the Cubs need to make right now: Turn the page on Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer, giving young arms a chance to shine

The Chicago Cubs bullpen is in shambles and it's only mid-May. The organization's oft-repeated approach to building a pen, centered around veterans looking to rebound and reclamation projects, which has largely worked for years, has not bore out that same success this year.

Chicago enters the weekend with the sixth-worst bullpen ERA in all of Major League Baseball. Wednesday night's meltdown against the Astros is just the latest example of things going sideways for the group, with last year's hero, Keegan Thompson, getting exposed yet again - to the point you have to totally re-evaluate his role moving forward.

The two guys who were supposed to be steady hands on the tiller, Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer, have been ineffective and inconsistent, with the former recently hitting the IL and the latter irritating Cubs fans to no end with his ups and downs.

At this point, I know we're just over a quarter of the way through the season, but you can't have either of these guys pitching meaningful innings. Look to Adbert Alzolay, arms like Nick Burdi and Jeremiah Estrada or Hayden Wesneski (whose stuff might play better as a reliever) or even down at Iowa to someone like Cam Sanders, who's limited opponents to a .140 average (although, admittedly, walks have been a big issue).

If losing is the end result, I'd rather do so seeing what we have for the future than lose trotting out guys who just don't seem to have it anymore.