What the Cubs bullpen could look like after trade deadline moves

The Chicago Cubs have won this season in spite of their bullpen but after a productive trade deadline, the group thinks they may have solved a key issue in their bullpen.

On paper, the Cubs bullpen was expected to be at the very least, average this season. With a future Hall of Famer in Craig Kimbrel as their closer, good setup arms in Rowan Wick and veteran Jeremy Jeffress, along with a starting rotation that currently ranks third in WAR at 3.9 this season. This group didn’t need to be excellent, just good enough to get the ball to Kimbrel.

However, through the midway point of this 60-game season, the Cubs bullpen has been worth exactly 0.0 WAR. And that’s after an improved effort in August helped reduce the Cubs dreadful 9.55 ERA in July to a 5.23 ERA at the moment.

Of course, the focus has been primarily on Kimbrel, who lost his closing job after two subpar outings to start the season. Luckily, thanks to first-year manager David Ross and his quick decision making with the bullpen, he was able to right the ship — so to speak, and plugged Jeffress Wick into the closer spot and found success.

What did the Cubs need to fix in the bullpen?

But the group was still struggling against left-handed hitters, with a 5.40 ERA and an HR/FB rate of 20 percent, mainly due to the Cubs’ lack of left-handed relievers. Until the trade deadline, the Cubs were operating with just one lefty reliever in Kyle Ryan, who hasn’t quite produced as he had in 2019 for the Cubs (3.54 ERA with .283 SLG last season).

With a 5.56 ERA and a .875 SLG against LHH in 11.1 innings of work, it was clear the Cubs needed to add another lefty reliever to their bullpen to aid Ryan. The front office targetted two left-handed arms in veteran Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks and Josh Osich from the Red Sox.

Chafin was in the midst of a down season with Arizona (8.10 ERA), but historically has been excellent against left-handed hitters, with a career 2.85 ERA and .616 OPS against LHH. And while Chafin will have to wait another week or so while dealing with a finger injury that landed him the 10-day IL, he’s an excellent piece to have for a team that should find themselves in the postseason.

Until Chafin is ready to contribute though, the Cubs have Osich, who already pitched Monday night for the Cubs. The 27-year-old had one bad outing against the Orioles where he allowed five runs, but before that poor outing, Osich had a 3.00 ERA to go along with 12 SO and just two walks on the year.

For the Cubs, they’ve been keeping an eye on Osich for the last two seasons when he started to throw his cutter more, which is excellent against lefties (.125 BA and .313 SLG in 2020). Since increasing his cutter usage, Osich has struck out 27.3 percent of lefties he’s faced and walked just 3.5 percent, making him a welcome addition to this Cubs bullpen.

This is all great news for a Cubs team that has had serious bullpen issues since last season, but despite the poor results from their bullpen, the Cubs still hold one of the best records in the National League. And it’s also important to note that the Cubs have only four losses credited to their bullpen this year and just a single blown save from Kimbrel.

The Cubs bullpen has also been much better since Aug. 1, ranking 12th in WAR since that date with 4.91 ERA, a drastic improvement from their 9.55 ERA after July. Much of that has to do with David Ross and his quick hand with the bullpen, showing even as a rookie manager he’s not afraid to pull guys who don’t have it that night — a quality that seemed to elude former manager Joe Maddon.

Hopefully, with improved options from the left side of the mound, Ross can continue to push the right buttons and pull the right levers. But ultimately, the Cubs will need someone like Kimbrel to step up, after paying him nearly $33 million last season to be their closer. Kimbrel going to have to take the ball in high-pressure situations, but in a strange 2020 season, the Cubs are hoping the improved play from their bullpen continues and their new lefty arms can help curtail their struggles against lefty hitters.