3 former Chicago Cubs who could come back this offseason

Cubs rumors: Could Aroldis Chapman return?

The Cubs bullpen ranked 22nd in all of baseball last season in reliever ERA, so it’s safe to say they need some upgrades. While the youngsters absolutely need to step up, signing a few established veterans will only help matters in the long run.

Cubbies Crib’s Jake Misener reflected upon this in a recent article outlining the Cubs offseason needs:

"“The organizational pitching depth is dramatically improved over year’s past, but introducing some guys who’ve been in those big spots and know what it’s like to grind out an entire 162-game season while competing for a postseason spot will only help those young guys develop and take the next step.”"

Chicago traded some top prospect capital — including Gleyber Torres — to aid their 2016 World Series run. It was worth the asking price, in part because Chapman pitched extremely well with the Cubs. In 28 regular-season appearances, Chapman had a 1.01 ERA.

A lot has happened since then, and Chapman is not the same pitcher. Just last season he fell apart for the Yankees and lost his closer role. Assuming the Cubs don’t ask him to take on that sort of role regularly, though, there’s little reason he can’t still contribute to a top-tier bullpen. This is especially true if Chicago’s coaching staff can help him restore his top-notch velocity to go along with what, at times, can be some lethal breaking stuff.

Signing Chapman is worth a shot. At best, he earns a spot in the back end of the bullpen.