3 relievers the Chicago Cubs should consider calling up for the bullpen

#3: Carl Edwards Jr.

Old friend Carl Edwards Jr. appeared to be heading for greener pastures after a brief reunion with the Cubs in Spring Training. Initially seen as a potential non-roster option to make the Opening Day bullpen, he instead opted to search for a major league job when it became clear he wasn't going to beat out the competition. It wasn't for a lack of trying, however, as he posted a 1.35 ERA in 6 2/3 innings in the Cactus League while only giving up two hits and three walks.

However, no team appeared to be interested and he's landed back in Iowa as extra depth for a Cubs team that could use him sooner rather than later. The reasoning behind inviting him to camp in the first place was obvious - before he went down with a stress fracture in his shoulder last year, Edwards was a bright spot in the Nationals bullpen. In 31 2/3 innings, he dialed up a respectable 3.69 ERA which itself came on the heels of a fantastic 2.76 ERA performance in 62 innings in 2022. Statcast didn't quite believe he was that good, but his xERA of 3.31 and 4.21 in 2022 and 2023 respectively indicated that he was, at the very least, a solid reliever who could still provide quality innings.

His first appearance at Iowa was shaky with three walks in only 2/3 of an inning, but that comes after spending three weeks off of a mound. For the Cubs, there's reason to hope that, now that he's healthy, he can get back to his 2022-2023 form. Since he's not on the 40-man roster, however, a spot would need to be cleared to make room. I believe they'd rather take Thompson or Wesneski first and let Edwards continue to ramp up, but if there's enough belief in his ability, they might prefer to simply figure it out on the fly to bring the Stringbean Slinger back to Wrigley.

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