Four relief arms mentioned as potential fits for Cubs |
With less than three weeks until pitchers and catchers report, we are getting to the point of free agency where teams will be linked to nearly every remaining free agent. That is no different for the Cubs, who have not only been linked to a plethora of players throughout the offseason but will continue to be linked until the start of the Regular Season.
Being linked to a player is one thing, but getting some of these players to sign is another. The Carson Kelly deal and Kyle Tucker trade were the only players linked to the Cubs that worked out in their favor. To put it lightly, everything else has been a big waste of time as the Cubs continue to watch tons of high-quality free agents go by the wayside. That includes their most recent targets, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, who signed up with the Dodgers. For an organization that prioritized adding relief help, watching them go to the Dodgers even after making a very competitive offer is incredibly frustrating. Knowing that this team still needed some bullpen help, several names continued to be linked to the Cubs, with Carlos Estevez and Kyle Finnegan as the big two. Any of those guys would be a solid addition to this club, but not getting either would sting. Take those names out of the mix, and several other names continue to pop up as potential fits for the Cubs, and despite neither of them being a late-inning guy per se, they would all bring some value to this team.
One of the names that many fans forgot about was 31-year-old righty Phil Maton. No stranger to the Cubs, Maton has been viewed as a Cubs target for the past three offseasons and is once again hearing his name linked to the Cubs. After several strong seasons with the Astros, Maton signed with the Rays for 2024 and looked to be falling off a cliff. That was until he landed with the Mets midseason and posted a 3.66 ERA over 64.0 IP, 4.26 FIP, 46.8% GB, and 7.0% barrel for the season. Those aren't great numbers, but you can live with certain numbers for a middle reliever. He is not much of a strikeout guy, but Maton lives off soft contact as his 91 MPH heater induces some of the lowest exit velocities in the game.Phil Maton
Ryne Stanek
Another relief target of the past also happens to be a former Houston Astros reliever, hard-throwing righty Ryne Stanek. The 33-year-old righty played a massive role during the Astros World Series run, where he burst onto the scene with his 99 MPH riding fastball. That alone was a big reason he posted a 28% strikeout rate with the Astros, as he was one of the game's best that no one talked about.
Although Stanek has not been the same pitcher he was in the past, and his results have been inconsistent over the past two seasons, his projections for 2025 are promising. For a team that relies on projections to try to get ahead of the margins, this could be something the Cubs consider, as strong projections are music to Jed Hoyer's ears.
With the addition of Scott and Yates to the Dodgers pen, not only will they be one of the best, if not the best, bullpen in baseball, but now you have three bonafide closers to lean on. That alone will make it challenging for anyone, but it could also force the Dodgers into an addition-by-subtraction situation.
Ryan Brasier
The Dodgers will undoubtedly face some tough decisions, as they don't have enough roster space for all these players. That could benefit the Cubs, as 37-year-old righty Ryan Brasier could become one of those casualties, becoming a free agent. Another one of the Cubs' targets from last season, Brasier ultimately chose the Dodgers over anyone hoping to return to his 2023 self.
Even if his season wasn't what he expected, Brasier is still one of those guys who can make every team better if he is used in the proper spots. That could be a seventh-inning guy for the Cubs, as they are looking to replace Mark Leiter Jr and Yency Almonte.
Dustin May
A pitcher who could become a casualty for the Dodgers is one with tons of promise and could serve as either a starter or a reliever. According to Bob Nightengale, in a world where the Dodgers could have Shohei Otani, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, and potentially Tony Gonsolin, the Dodgers may look to unload the often-injured Dustin May.
Once seen as one of the Dodgers' top prospects, the hard-throwing May has proven to be a force on the mound as long as he can stay healthy. You started to see that last season as May posted a 4-1 mark across nine games while posting a 2.63 ERA. Had it not been for some command issues, those numbers could've been even better, but his season was cut short due to injury.
That has been the theme for most of May's career. He has not started over 10 games in a season but has logged 34 career starts since breaking into the league in 2019. For the most part, May has lived up to the hype, going 12-9 with a 3.10 ERA while showcasing one of the best heaters in the game.
