3 players the Cubs will wish they had acquired this offseason

3 players the cubs will regret not signing - 1. Matt Moore

Matt Moore was the perfect compliment to signing Hector Neris, given that Neris is a righty, Moore is a lefty, and both slot in at the back of the bullpen. The Cubs may not be done adding relievers yet, but given that Moore's one-year, 9.0M deal was the same as Neris, it would have been nice to have two more surefire relievers late in ballgames that Craig Counsell could utilize for matchup purposes. Envisioning a bullpen of Julian Merryweather, Mark Leiter Jr., Adbert Alzolay, Moore, and Neris is exceptionally solid. Still, the opportunity fell through the cracks as he signed with the Los Angeles Angels instead.

Moore is coming off back-to-back strong campaigns, notching a 1.95 ERA in 2022 and 2.56 in 2023. He was not used as a closer in 2023, but his five saves in '22 at least gave him some experience in the role, if necessary. His ZiPS and overall projections for 2024 are not good, and his FIP has elevated two years in a row. These numbers may have made the Cubs look elsewhere, but even if Moore regresses closer to the league average, he is still a solid addition to any bullpen. Baseball Reference has slightly kinder projections, giving him a 3.75 ERA for 2024.

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