The Chicago Cubs know they have a lot of holes to fill after losing in the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Despite being one of three teams to make the playoffs from the NL Central division, the gap between the Cubs and Brewers is sizable. Chicago has a lot to do to close it going into next season.
One of those main areas that needs to be addressed is the bullpen, as the Cubs didn’t have much talent at the back end of their bullpen. However, Jim Bowden believes adding multiple relievers will push them out of the race to sign superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker.
“The Cubs will focus on restocking their bullpen since practically all of their high-leverage arms are free agents, with the exception of Daniel Palencia,” Bowden wrote for The Athletic. “They are expected to be active on relievers in both free agency and trades. … The Cubs are not expected to be heavy players for right fielder Kyle Tucker and seem comfortable going forward with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Owen Caissie in their outfield.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell got an extended look at Suzuki, who took over right field in the playoffs when Tucker was hurt, and he liked what he saw from him during that stretch of games. Granted, the sample size was very small, but Suzuki showed the team enough to trust in him moving forward. Had Tucker not been injured, the conversation could have been very different.
This means Tucker will likely be on his third team in as many seasons next year, with the Cubs likely to go in a different direction. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will be pushing for Tucker’s services as Chicago focuses on pitching.
The Cubs know walking away from Tucker could prove to be costly, but they also understand rebuilding the bullpen is a bigger priority. Unless Chicago challenges the Dodgers or Yankees for the title of highest payroll, it’s unlikely the Cubs will get the best of both worlds.
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