Cubs need to land one of these five relievers |
Fewer relief options are becoming available for the Cubs every passing day. Not only did the Cubs lose out on Tanner Scott, who wound up signing with the Dodgers, but another Cubs target in Kirby Yates as a preliminary deal in place with guess who? THE DODGERS.
At this point, it has become a joke what the Dodgers have become this offseason, as they have been able to land virtually every player they have targeted, thus watering down the market for everyone else. Even the targets the Cubs and a lot of other teams have been in on have elected to forgo any offers presented to them and wind up taking whatever the Dodgers offer them. That makes it very tough to compete in free agency, let alone compete with them during the season or in the playoffs. Despite the struggles to find relief and help and watching players go off the board, all is not lost, as there is hope for the Cubs. With three weeks remaining until pitchers and catchers report, Chicago needs bullpen help, and five of the top relievers remain on the market.
As has been the case for a while now, Estevez is not only one of the best relievers on the market but has also been linked to the Cubs for the better part of a month. The 32-year-old right-hander bounced around a lot throughout his career, but it has been the past few seasons with the Angels and Phillies that he has come into his own. Armed with an average fastball of around 97 MPH, Estevez has quietly been one of the more consistent relievers in baseball in the past few seasons, having converted 57 saves since the start of 2023. Last season saw him post the best ERA of his career at 2.45 across 55 games, which is all you can ask for in a high-leverage guy. Expected to land a one or two-year deal with an AAV of 12 million, the Cubs remain the favorites, but they need to act now.Carlos Estevez
Kyle Finnegan
Another reliever linked to the Cubs is 33-year-old Kyle Finnegan, a free agent. Unlike Estevez, who has been one of their targets since the start, Finnegan to the Cubs had tons of momentum at the winter meetings but has since died down. That doesn't mean the two sides haven't been talking or have shown interest.
Coming off another 30-plus save season to record 66 saves in the past two years with the Nationals, Finnegan remains one of the more overlooked relievers on the market, which is very strange. This guy has improved with age and has put up 88 saves in his career. His 38 saves this past season ranked third in baseball, only behind Ryan Helsley and Emmanuel Clase. Another guy expected to land a multi-year deal, Finnegan, may come cheaper than Estevez but will anchor the Cubs pen in the back end.
David Robertson
The least likely of the top remaining five free agents is former Cub David Robertson, but it doesn't hurt to kick the tires. The 39-year-old righty has battled through several arm issues throughout his career but has emerged as one of the better relievers since the start of the 2021 season.
Armed with a fastball in the 94 MPH range, Robertson continues to rely on his curveball as his true strikeout pitch, which has been his go-to pitch for years. Chicago is very familiar with Robertson as he posted a 2.23 ERA in 41 innings with the team before being traded for Ben Brown, and he has consistently been at the top of his game since. His 177 career saves gives him the second most on this list, but he can fill various late-inning roles.
Ageless David Robertson has talked to the Cubs about returning as a backend bullpen man. Robertson is one of the few players who does not use an agent.Cubs had interest in Paul Seward before he signed with Cleveland.Robby pitched for Cubs in 2022.99 K in 72 innings in 24.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) January 24, 2025
Tommy Kahnle
While adding a closer, which continues to be at the top of Jed Hoyer's list, he didn't rule out addressing the bullpen help in any way possible. That is where Tommy Kahnle comes into play, as he may not be closer, but he would be a nice seventh and eighth-inning guy to have. Not only does he not have the closer experience as the rest of the options, but he has also dealt with some injuries as he has logged just 83 innings over the past two seasons.
However, those 83 innings were perfect, resulting in a 2.66 ERA, 29.1 K%, and 11.5 BB% in 2023 and a 2.11 ERA, 25.7 K%, and 10.6 BB% in 2024. Kahnle also manages contact extremely well, inducing a 32.1 hard % and a 6.3 barrel % (86.2 MPH average exit velocity). Considering his fastball is only around 93 and 94 MPH, it shows how good he has been consistently.
Kenley Jansen
As strange of a fit/idea as this may be, Kenley Jansen is still available and could be an option for this team. Chicago is no stranger to Jansen and his overall success as he dominated the Cubs as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, including the 2016 and 2017 playoffs. Also, with 447 career saves, he is undoubtedly the most experienced closer available and could be a first-ballot hall-of-famer when his career is over.
During his time with the Dodgers, Jansen was not only a lockdown closer but also near unhittable, as his ERA sat around the 1.6 range every season. Although his numbers haven't been as strong since leaving the Dodgers for Atlanta and Boston, he is still locking down games as expected.
Jansen is coming off a season where he posted a 3.29 ERA, 27 saves, 28.4 K%, 9.2 BB% after posting a 3.63 ERA, 29 saves, 27.7 K%, 9.0 BB% in 2023. 2022 was one of his best seasons since his time with the Dodgers when he posted a 3.38 ERA, 41 saves, 32.7 K%, and 8.5 BB%. His velocity may no longer be in the 96-97 MPH range, but Jansen can still get things up at 94 while that cutter remains his best pitch.
Any of these five options would be a massive boost for the Cubs. With all of them expected to land a one—or two-year deal, Chicago wouldn't be tied to them long-term if things didn't work. With time running out in the offseason, the Cubs must act fast before it's too late.
