Despite significant injuries, the Chicago Cubs are currently tied for first place in the National League Central. Chicago Cubs are in need of a closer for their bullpen, and the president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, is on the lookout, according to The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney. The Cubs bullpen has the sixth-worst ERA in the MLB and has allowed the fourth most walks. As a result, the team may consider moving a starter to the bullpen, with the return of Justin Steele and pending return of Kyle Hendricks and Jordan Wicks..
Hoyer mentioned the desire to return to the comfort of having reliable closing pitchers like Jonathan Papelbon and Aroldis Chapman, and expressed the need to either trade for, sign, or develop such a player.
The Cubs bullpen currently has the sixth-worst ERA in the majors and has allowed the fourth most walks. The team is considering moving a starter to the bullpen following Justin Steele's return and the expected returns of Kyle Hendricks and Jordan Wicks. The sixth-worst ERA in the majors belongs to the Cubs bullpen, which has also allowed the fourth most walks. The Cubs have the sixth-worst ERA in the MLB, and their bullpen has allowed the fourth most walks. The team might make a move by sending a starter to the bullpen as Justin Steele returns, while Kyle Hendricks and Jordan Wicks are also set to return soon.
The Cubs are aware that external options to address their bullpen issues may not be readily available in May.
Jed Hoyer mentioned the difficulty of finding external solutions for the bullpen issues at this time of year, stating that the focus is currently on the team's health and improving struggling players.
Hoyer acknowledged the lack of availability of external solutions for the bullpen issues in May, emphasizing the current focus on player health and improvement.
The returns of Steele, Hendricks, and Wicks should enable the Cubs to make changes to their bullpen, possibly involving Hayden Wesneski or Ben Brown. In his last start against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wesneski performed admirably, pitching 6 1/3 innings and conceding only three hits and no runs.In his recent matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wesneski impressed by pitching 6 1/3 innings and not allowing any runs.
The Cubs have replaced Adbert Alzolay as the closer after he failed to convert five save opportunities in 2024, despite securing 22 of 25 saves in 2023. Héctor Neris currently holds the unofficial closing role but is at risk of losing it due to his performance.
Mooney highlighted that Neris is at risk of losing his closing position due to his high walk rate this season. He has walked around 20 percent of the batters he has faced so far.
Hoyer has experience with acquiring top closers in the past, as demonstrated by the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman and Wade Davis and the later signing of Craig Kimbrel during the last World Series window in Wrigleyville.
During the last World Series window in Wrigleyville, Hoyer was involved in acquiring prominent closers including Aroldis Chapman, Wade Davis, and later, Craig Kimbrel.
Miami Open for Business
According to Patrick Mooney, the Miami Marlins are considering trading closer Tanner Scott, who has a 2.77 ERA in 13.0 innings pitched and has successfully saved four out of five opportunities.
Tanner Scott, despite not being a well-known name, has substantial major-league experience with 37 career saves and 300-plus innings pitched. However, his high walk rate this year, along with his impending free agency and salary, make him potentially available for trade, as per Mooney.
The Marlins have indicated their intentions for the trade deadline. exchanged a player who has been selected for the All-Star Game twice and has won a batting title Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres. The head of baseball operations for the Marlins, Peter Bendix, admitted that the team is not likely to reach the playoffs this year, reported by the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson. They want to maximize the value of experienced players for the future.
When summarizing the Cubs' series-clinching victory on his show, REKAP, ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan mentioned that the Cubs may be in discussions to acquire a relief pitcher from the Marlins.
Hoyer does not anticipate that the Arraez trade will trigger a series of transactions from the team.
“I don’t anticipate that to initiate a large number of early transactions,” stated Hoyer. “It might be earlier than usual, but it’s not going to suddenly be that in mid-May everyone is making a bunch of trades.”
