In the first half of the Cubs'2021 season, the bullpen was one of the one bright things about a team that had been very inconsistent. Led by set-up men like Tepera and Chafin, and locked down saves by All-Star close Craig Kimbrel, the bullpen was doing a phenomenal job, sometimes going 23+ innings combined without giving up a run. Sounds crazy, eh?
But then those lead guys were all traded, and between some internal options, prospects, and remaining bullpen, the Cubs struggled some for the rest of the season. So...what can we get from this?
1. The Cubs Need More Consistent Relievers
Dillon Maples, Rex Brothers, Manuel Rodriguez and others come to mind, who showed spurts of great success, then periods where they give up a bunch of runs and walks. There were some that were pretty consistent (more about them later), but overall...consistency is something to work on.
Here is a list of pitchers who REALLY need to work on consistency: Rex Brothers, Jason Adam, Adam Morgan, Michael Rucker, Manuel Rodriguez, and Cory Abbott. That is about 3/4 of the bullpen, so...that is a major issue that needs to be dealt with.
A lot of the Cubs' current bullpen does have minor league options, so that makes it easier to work around, but c'mon! These are minor leaguers who need to put it together in the big leagues.
2.Getting Relievers in the Offseason.
Needless to say, the Cubs need to add some good relievers (notice I didn't say top tier), over the offseason. Chafin is a FA, so...GET HIM BACK! He's a consistent reliever who loved playing with the Cubs and he's a low-cost option.
Kendall Graveman is a FA this offseason, so he might provide some good stability to the Cubs bullpen.
A couple Brewers options that are FAs: Brad Boxberger and Hunter Strickland. These were some reliable arms that made the Brewers' bullpen so good. Of course, Devin Williams and Josh Hader were the dominant guys, but these guys were sneaky good too.
But, we'll see what the Cubs end up doing. They have a knack for making good relievers out of mediocre relievers (like Tepera and Chafin).
3.One of the Cubs' Relievers Need to Claim the Closer Role.
After Kimbrel left, there wasn't a set closer, though Rowan Wick helped close some games, so I guess you could have kind of considered him a closer.
I think Rowan Wick has the best closer mentality, but durability has been a big issue. Once he hits about 25 pitches, his velocity drops, leading to more hits and more walks. If his inning goes well, then he's nasty.
Manuel Rodriguez has some good potential for that role too. His inflated numbers were due mostly to his last few appearances, but I've seen his potential.
Codi Heuer is a good pitcher, but I'm not sure if set-up or closing is his thing, I guess that remains to be seen. Personally, I think he would make a better set-up pitcher like Tepera.
4.What About Thompson, Steele and Alzolay?
Like I've said in previous articles, I think Alzolay is going to start in the rotation and Steele and Thompson in the bullpen. That means the bullpen gets two multi-inning relievers who have shown themselves to be dominant in the bullpen, so...watch out!
5.How Does the Rest of the Bullpen Pan Out?
Effross, the side-arm guy who is actually pretty good, will be a part of the bullpen, I believe. I think the Cubs will keep a couple of the struggling guys with minor league options, like Abbott and Megill, or something like that.
Of course Heuer, Wick, Steele, Thompson, Wieck (as long as he's fine), and probably Brothers will be back in 2022.
And as long as the Cubs get some durable starting pitchers, that will put less stress on the bullpen, so guys will be more rested and able to pitch well.
The rest the Cubs will probably get as free agents or trades, so...I see a pretty good bullpen in 2022, as long as the Cubs get some decent relievers.
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