Cubs linked as option for standout closer in free agency |
Whenever you miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season, there is a lot of soul searching. It's easy to look at a second straight 83-win season and distribute blame evenly around this team, but the bottom line is the Cubs didn't do enough to improve their team.
As they prep for the offseason ahead, the Cubs need to address several of their needs, with one of those needs falling on the back end of the bullpen. Anytime you blow 43 games, including 28 saves, it's a problem, as that was the single biggest reason why the Cubs missed the postseason. Had they even won eight of those 28 games they blew, they would've snuck into the playoffs, and who knows what happens at that point. To Jed Hoyer's credit, he did a great job rebuilding the bullpen on the fly. Guys like Yency Almonte, Adbert Alzolay, and Hector Neris didn't pan out last season, as they were the bulk of the issue in the late innings. To fix those issues, Hoyer traded for Tyson Miller and Nate Pearson mid-season, signed Jorge Lopez to a minor league deal, and promoted Porter Hodge from AAA in June. The four of them not only stabilized the Cubs' pen but also combined for a 2.56 ERA across the final three months of the season. Apart from Lopez, the remaining three are expected to be back next season. Experts expect the Cubs and Lopez to reach a contract at some point in the offseason, as that will once again stabilize the back end of the pen. Even at that, one glaring weakness remains: the lack of a true closer. The Cubs thought they had one in Alzolay after he went 25-27 in saves in 2023, but they haven't had one since Craig Kimbrel was anchoring down the ninth inning. If the Cubs are looking to add a closer, there is one guy who has not only been linked to the Cubs before but could be the perfect fit for them: left-hander Tanner Scott. There are going to be a few top-tier closers on the market, but Scott could be the one the Cubs are targeting, and it does make a ton of sense for the Cubs to make a play for the 30-year-old. After starting the 2024 season with the Marlins, Scott was traded to the Padres mid-season and had a prolific season across the board. He appeared in 72 games throughout the season, and he combined to go 9-6 with a sparkling 1.74 ERA. Throw in his 22 saves on 24 chances, mixed with his 84 strikeouts, and you have yourself a lockdown late-inning reliever. Some may wonder why his low save totals are so low if he was such a good closer. Well, that is because he wasn't just a closer. He was also in the set-up roll at times, with the Padres, showing off his overall versatility. The idea of Scott putting on a Cubs jersey next season isn't just logical, but it's something fans have been begging for since last season as he offers the perfect blend of experience and is young enough to where they could invest a more long-term commitment in him. Securing him to a three or even four-year deal would instantly eliminate one of the most significant holes on this team, and that alone gets them one step closer to playoff contention next season. Although locking down the closer would eliminate one of this team's problems, it doesn't fix everything, as they still need to improve the offense and add more depth to the roster. What adding Scott does do, however, is allow the Cubs to use Hodge, Lopez, Miller, and Pearson in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings in a similar fashion to how the Royals used their bullpen in 2015. That shortens the game for not only the Cubs but also their opposition, as it would become more of a seven-inning game as opposed to a nine-inning game, where you may want to grab a lead in the first seven innings. Everyone knows what the Cubs should do to get better, but the ultimate decision still falls on the ownership and how much money they will let Hoyer spend this offseason.
