The Chicago Cubs entered spring training with one glaring hole on their roster: Third base. Alex Bregman felt like a perfect fit in Chicago, but the team lost a bidding war to the Boston Red Sox. The Cubs do have Matt Shaw, their top prospect, but how much trust should they have in a guy without any MLB experience?
Given their lack of alternatives, the Cubs clearly have a ton of trust in Shaw. It remains to be seen whether rolling with him is the right move, but with Bregman off the board, that's the direction they're undoubtedly headed in.
While it makes sense to have concerns about how the third base position will perform in 2024, Ryan Pressly's rough spring training debut with the team proved that third base is far from the only concerning position on this Cubs roster.
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Cubs bullpen is still a major concern even after offseason overhaul
A lot went wrong for the Cubs during their disappointing 2024 season, but perhaps no area on their roster was more frustrating than the bullpen. Chicago's 3.81 bullpen ERA was actually good for 12th in the majors, but their 26 blown saves were tied for the eighth most in the sport.
In an effort to change that this season, Jed Hoyer revamped the team's bullpen, acquiring Pressly, Ryan Brasier, and Eli Morgan in separate trades while also signing Caleb Thielbar and Colin Rea to one-year deals. While the 'pen is undoubtedly better on paper than it was in 2024, is this unit still good enough?
The biggest addition was Pressly, who, as mentioned above, struggled in his spring training debut with the team. Tasked with pitching the third inning in Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers, the right-hander allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach base, surrendering two singles and a walk. He limited the damage, allowing just one run, but that still wasn't the outing Cubs fans wanted to see.
Does this mean much of anything? Of course not, it was his first outing of the spring. With that being said, though, Pressly is coming off a relatively disappointing season with the Houston Astros, which saw him post a 3.49 ERA in 59 appearances and 56.2 innings pitched. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't the lockdown reliever he once was. There's a reason that the Astros essentially salary dumped him in their deal with the Cubs.
Perhaps operating out of the closer role will get Pressly to bounce back, but this first outing doesn't inspire confidence. While their other additions were solid, those relievers are far from lockdown closers. If Pressly struggles, Chicago's Tanner Scott whiff will sting even more.