Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made several strong offseason moves. The Kyle Tucker trade, even with his contract drama, looks like a huge win. Matthew Boyd has proven to be a rotation lynchpin. Even under-the-radar pickups like Carson Kelly and Colin Rea have thrived. Despite an offseason full of solid moves, their roster is far from complete. A big reason for that has to do with their Tanner Scott whiff.
Chicago's lineup is outstanding. Its rotation, even with injuries to Justin Steele and Javier Assad, has been rock solid. The bullpen is what's holding this team back from being seen as true World Series contenders.
Tanner Scott, while expensive and not a total solution on his own, would've made the Cubs much scarier.
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Tanner Scott whiff continues to sting as Cubs bullpen struggles
Losing out on a free agent to the Los Angeles Dodgers is nothing to be ashamed of given their prowess on the open market. Still, whiffing on the best reliever available with a bullpen in dire need of help really hurt.
To be fair, Ryan Pressly, the reliever Chicago eventually settled on to be the closer, has been good after a rough start. He has not allowed an earned run in any of his last 10 outings and has completed all four of his save opportunities. While he's been good, most of this Cubs bullpen leaves a lot to be desired.
Chicago's bullpen ranks 23rd in the majors with a 4.64 ERA and tied for 28th with the 5-25 Colorado Rockies with a 7.0 percent strikeout-to-walk ratio. Scott has allowed just four runs in 15 innings of work this season (2.40 ERA) and has struck out 14 batters without issuing a single walk this season. He has also converted eight of his 10 save opportunities.
The Cubs have a really good roster as constructed, but it does feel like their bullpen is what's holding them back. Had they signed a guy like Scott and added him to Pressly and dynamic right-hander Porter Hodge late in games, this team might be viewed as the biggest threat to the Dodgers in the National League. While Scott isn't a reliever that the Cubs will be able to acquire at the trade deadline, hopefully, Hoyer can acquire a big-time arm to lock down games.