Jed Hoyer destined to repeat egregious Chicago Cubs' offseason failure

The definition of doing the same thing over again but expecting a different result is insanity.

One of the biggest takeaways after the 2023 season was Jed Hoyer admitting to David Ross that he did not do enough to stabilize the Chicago Cubs' bullpen, a leading reason for why the team missed the postseason by one game.

Fast forward this offseason, Ross has been replaced with Craig Counsell but Hoyer once again confessed to not fully addressing the bullpen. The instability of the bullpen at the beginning of the season is large part of the reason why the Cubs didn't sniff a postseason spot by the time the 2024 season was over.

Despite the awareness from Hoyer in knowing that he fell short in constructing the team's bullpen, the latest from Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic (Subscription Required) reads as the Cubs won't be making any drastic changes to how they construct their bullpen.

To the Cubs' credit, the in-season additions they made to the bullpen worked. Jorge Lopez, Tyson Miller, and Nate Pearson all became trusted relievers by the end of the season. Lopez is a free agent, so one would hope that the Cubs are able to bring him back given the success he had.

The Cubs don't seem inclined to change their bullpen approach.

The concerning part is that Sharma's piece reads as if Porter Hodge will be trusted with being the team's closer in 2025. To which, the Cubs better be right.

There is no question that the success that Hodge had in the bullpen this season was an important takeaway from the 2024 season. Hodge finished the season with a 1.88 ERA and 9 saves. The ceiling, in terms of Hodge being a Major League closer, was definitely present. But, it can't be stressed enough that Hodge only has 39 appearances at the Major League level. In a 2025 season where the Cubs have to contend or even reach the postseason to stave off front office changes, entrusting Hodge fully to be the closer seems like an unnecessary risk.

It was a risk that the Cubs took in 2024 with Adbert Alzolay and it failed miserably. A repeat of that mistake for the third consecutive season is an offense that Hoyer simply can't be allowed to make another excuse for.