Chicago Cubs: 3 Reasons Why the Bullpen Will Succeed

One of the biggest reasons the Cubs bullpen will be better in 2025 is the additions made in the offseason. Heading into 2024, the Cubs were banking on Adbert Alzolay remaining healthy to lock down the ninth inning, with Julian Merryweather, Hector Neris, and Yency Almonte behind him as depth. Aside from Neris, all of those high-leverage relievers spent significant time on the injured list, with just 48 innings pitched between Alzolay, Merryweather, and Almonte last season. 

Neris also proved very incapable of handling the ninth inning with any consistency, leading to him being designated for assignment last September. Now Merryweather is the only one returning for the 2025 campaign, but there is less pressure on him to replicate in 2023 performance, when he struck out 99 batters with a 3.38 ERA. 

The Cubs roster has been infused by several late-inning options, with the chief addition being Ryan Pressly. The 36-year-old spent the last six seasons as a high-leverage reliever for the Houston Astros. In that time, Pressly notched two All-Star appearances, a World Series championship in 2022, and 111 saves. Given his experience and prowess, Pressly will likely serve as the team's primary closer in the early going. And there are several capable arms behind him in addition to Merryweather. 

Ryan Brasier is another solid veteran who posted a 1.89 ERA over his last two seasons with the Dodgers. Along with young buck Porter Hodge, who gives the Cubs some much-needed velocity (95.5 mph average fastball velo in 2024), the late innings should be much more stable. 

As for the middle innings, the Cubs' front office bolstered the unit by trading for Eli Morgan to pair with Tyson Miller. Both are pitch-to-contact guys who induce a lot of soft contact for the Cubs' elite defense to work with. 

When injuries hit the main roster, the Cubs will also have a pool of veterans signed to minor league contracts in 2025, including Ben Heller, Phil Bickford, and Chris Flexen. These additions should give the Cubs a much-improved unit heading into 2025, and Manager Craig Counsell will have more at his disposal to manage the workload. 

2. Internal growth candidates

In addition to Hodge, who figures to be the team's backup closer if Pressly is unavailable, the Cubs are looking for several young relievers to take steps forward. Daniel Palencia is a guy to keep an eye on, a 25-year-old who regularly touches triple-digits with his fastball. Palencia has floated between Triple-A and the Major League squad since 2023, but he is looking to establish himself in the majors this year. 

Palencia, along with Luke Little and Jack Neely, have massive strikeout potential but tend to suffer from command issues and high walk rates. But all three men are very close to being able to hold down spots in the bullpen. Neely's ceiling is particularly high, as he posted a strikeout percentage of 37.4% in Triple-A last year, with a 2.86 ERA. 

To help guys like this improve their skills, the Cubs upgraded their pitching development room by adding Tread Athletics coach Tyler Zombro last November. The former Rays pitcher is a savant when it comes to pitching development, and he specifically named Palencia as a guy he was eager to work with during an interview with the Setup Man earlier this offseason.

The Cubs have been focusing on investments to their pitching infrastructure since President Jed Hoyer took over in 2020, and Zombro's inclusion should give the team an edge when it comes to coaching up young pitchers. 

3. The lefty issue has been addressed

The Cubs have notably gone without adding a left-handed reliever for a couple of offseasons. Drew Smyly sort of became that guy last year after moving to the bullpen, but he reached free agency after 2024. Mark Leiter Jr. was utilized as a lefty-killer since he had great reverse-splits, but the team traded him for Neely last July. 

With an upgrade clearly needed, the Cubs signed Caleb Thielbar to a one-year contract. Since Thielbar is 38-years-old, and coming off a down year with the Twins, the team got him for just $1 million in 2025. With a career 3.38 ERA and 73 games finished, Thielbar is primed for a bounce-back season and an integral role in the bullpen.

Behind him, the Cubs have three great depth options from the left side. If Little can get his command issues under control, his high-octane fastball and slider could be incredible weapons out of the bullpen. The 24-year-old showed flashes of greatness in 30 appearances last season, but the Cubs will likely stash him in Triple-A to start the year with Thielbar in the fold. Little also has two minor league options left on his contract so there is no need to rush his development. 

It's a similar story for Riley Martin, a sixth-round draft pick in 2021. Like Little, Martin's command is his biggest detriment as he walked 16.2% of the batters he faced in 2024. On the flip side, he struck out 32.7%, with 91 punchouts in just 60.1 innings. 

The team also brought back soft-tossing lefty Brandon Hughes on a minor league deal, who was originally drafted as an outfielder by the Cubs in 2017. After debuting in 2022, Hughes posted a solid 3.12 ERA in 57 outings that year. But a knee injury derailed his 2023 season, and he elected free agency before 2024. 

These are three great options to have in the back pocket, and a testament to the complete overhaul the Cubs' relief corps has undergone in the last year. Depth is the key to getting through the 162-game grind and the Cubs seem to be in a great position to deal with bullpen injuries and setbacks in 2025.