Former MLB Executive Believes Cubs Will Make Major Bullpen Change Sooner Than Later

One area of the team that the Chicago Cubs focused on upgrading during the offseason was their bullpen.

Several additions were made to the relief staff for manager Craig Counsell.

Julian Merryweather was the only player who was in the Opening Day bullpen in 2024 that was in the mix to begin the 2025 campaign.

Some of them were added last year, such as Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge. But a majority of the new-look bullpen were brought in this past winter, mostly via trades.

Ryan Brasier, Ryan Pressly and Eli Morgan were landed from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and Cleveland Guardians. Caleb Thielbar and Brad Keller were both signed as free agents.

Through the first 13 games of the season, the bullpen has provided a mixed bag of results, more good than bad.

Pressly, Pearson, Thielbar and Morgan all have negative WAR totals currently. Brasier and Keller both have a 0.0 WAR.

It is far from an ideal start for a positional group that struggled so much in 2024, which is partly why Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) believes that a shake-up could be on the horizon.

In a recent mailbag, a reader asked the former MLB executive if Hodge would take over for Pressly as the team’s closer at some point this season. And he believes that is a move Counsell will eventually make.

“My guess is yes. With the way closers historically turn over and the fact that Hodge is better right now, in my opinion, I think it’ll eventually happen. But not in the short term,” Bowden wrote.

That will be something to keep an eye on, especially if the veteran continues to struggle as the season moves along.

A chance to be a closer again is the main reason why Pressly waived the no-trade clause he had to be moved from the Astros to Cubs. 

But, he is going to have to improve his performance if he wants to hold onto that job for the entirety of the year.

Through his first six appearances, he has a 4.50 ERA across six innings. He has struggled with his control, walking six batters compared to only two strikeouts. Nine hits have been allowed as well, which is a large part of why Pressly’s FIP is a sky-high 7.57.

It has been nice that he has converted all three of his save chances, but he has allowed multiple base runners in all but one of his appearances thus far.

Hodge, on the other hand, has been excellent when his number has been called.

He has thrown 5.2 innings, allowing only one earned run on three walks and five hits to go along with six strikeouts.

Counsell already knows that he can handle a high-leverage, late-game role since he closed out nine games in a stellar rookie campaign in 2024.

Hodge's future with the team is as a closer; it is just a matter of when, not if, the change is made.