Chicago Cubs Season Report Card: Relief Pitchers

Matt Marton - USA Today Sports

by Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Sat Oct 12 08:51:01 GMT-04:00 2024

We have finally reached the end of our Season Report Card series and saved the best for last: the bullpen. Let me rephrase it from the best, but the bullpen was interesting, to say the least, this season.

From the 27 blown saves to having one of the best ERAs in baseball in the final three months of the season, the 2024 roller coaster of a season for the Cubs can best be summed up by their bullpen as that, too, was a roller coaster. Unlike the other positions where each individual received their own grade, we will break this down into categories where each letter grade will get certain guys.

Given how many options the Cubs had to consider this season, this is the best approach. The Cubs will have some major decisions to make when it comes to reconstructing the pen next season. On a side note, the Cubs have several options who stepped up late and who the fans would love to see next season.

A Grades: Tyson Miller, Jorge Lopez, and Porter Hodge

A big reason for the Cubs bullpen resurgence in the second half of the season was the addition of these three men. Miller was the first acquisition as the Cubs traded Jake Slaughter to the Mariners for Miller, while Lopez was a midseason acquisition off the waiver market.

You also had Hodge getting called up in June from AAA, as he emerged as the team's closer for the final month plus. All these guys did when they joined the Cubs was provide them with quality outing after quality outing, as the three combined for a 2.29 ERA. Hodge is guaranteed a look at the opening-day roster next season, but if Miller and Lopez aren't brought back, it wouldn't be an intelligent decision for the Cubs.

B Grades: Keegan Thompson, Ethan Roberts, and Nate Pearson

Like the pitchers listed in the A-grade category, all of these guys were midseason additions, with two hailing from the Cubs minor league system. The odd one in that statement is Pearson, who was picked up via a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Once viewed as a top-100 overall prospect, Pearson couldn't cut it as a starter but started to save his career as a reliever. He came into his own with the Cubs and should be able to contribute immediately next season. Thompson and Roberts, on the other hand, went through more of a comeback season after a rough go of things in 2022 and 2023.

C Grades: Drew Smyly, Yency Almonte, and Mark Leiter Jr

After playing a massive role in 2023 for the Cubs pen, both Smyly and Leiter Jr took steps backward this season. For Leiter, he was ultimately traded to the Yankees for Ben Cowels and Jack Neely and, at one point, had the best ERA among the Cubs relievers.

Then came a three-week stretch where he couldn't get anyone out, leading to an IL stint before bouncing back. For the most part, Smyly put up decent numbers throughout the season, but his final two months ended his season as he lost countless games for them. Given the contract the Cubs gave him last season, there is a slight chance he will return to the Cubs, but most fans hope his days in Chicago are over.

D Grade: Julian Merryweather, Luke Little, and Daniel Palencia

Like Leiter and Smyly, Merryweather, and Little were supposed to be two names anchoring the Cubs bullpen this season. Not only did both of them struggle from the jump, but both dealt with injuries that eventually put an end to their season.

Merryweather was never right this season. He was injured two weeks into the year and returned in August only to go down again. Little got off to a great start, hit a wall before being demoted, and then came back up to post a few good outings before his shoulder gave out, ending his season.

He is one of the biggest X-Factors in their pen for next year, as is Palencia. Both of them have proven too good for AAA, given their stuff, but they haven't been able to figure it out at the MLB level yet. Next spring, it will be crucial for both men to prove they belong.

F Grade: Adbert Alzolay and Hector Neris

This was by far the easiest of all the bullpen grades to give out. They were the biggest reason the Cubs pen struggled as much as it did early on. Sure, Alzolay got hurt and ended up having season-ending Tommy John, but with five blown saves on his end and another eight from Neris, the Cubs closer situation was atrocious early on.

Although the Cubs did manage to fix that as the season went on, this team had 27 blown saves this season, and 18 of those resulted in losses. You can't get those games back, and for a team that missed the playoffs by six games, you have to wonder what could've been if they had a reliable closer all year.