Cubs should bring back familiar face to build bullpen depth

The Cubs bullpen has not performed well this season and could use some help. Maybe an old friend is just what they need to turn things around in the pen. 

The Chicago Cubs are one of the best teams in Major League Baseball this year, but they have one glaring weakness — their bullpen is the second worst in the entire league, sitting with a combined ERA of 5.79.

Hope isn’t lost for the Cubs, however.

For one, the trade deadline is next week and Chicago is surely going to add a reliever or two to their pen for the rest of this shortened season and expanded postseason.

Chicago should also look into bringing back former Cub Pedro Strop to help stop the bleeding in the bullpen. Strop was designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds after just 2.1 innings of work and posting an ERA of 3.86.

Strop looked decent for the Reds and could provide a legitimate option for the Cubs bullpen.

Fortunately, Chicago has a good enough starting rotation that they haven’t fully had to panic over their iffy reliever situation just yet, but that won’t be the case in the postseason. They’ll need at least an average bullpen against tougher teams.

Strop spent seven years with the Cubs, serving as a reliever for them from 2013-2019 and averaging a 2.90 ERA during that time. He was tremendous for the Cubs during their 2016 World Series run, holding a perfect 0.00 ERA in both the NLDS and the World Series that year.

This season seems promising for the Chicago Cubs and adding an old friend to their biggest area of weakness is a no brainer. Strop might not be the same pitcher he once was, but he’d immediately be one of their best relievers available and one they could trust in high-leverage situations.