Cubs set Craig Counsell up for fate David Ross knows all too well

The Chicago Cubs entered the season with grand aspirations after prying Craig Counsell away from the Milwaukee Brewers, but that enthusiasm was quickly dashed. The Brewers were the better team front to back, as Chicago dealt with many of its most familiar bugaboos.

Jed Hoyer is a complicated front office figure to evaluate. He has undeniable wins — that Shota Imanaga contract, or Cody Bellinger's the season prior. He also has committed chronic mismanagement of the roster margins, missed opportunities and big whiffs — like Dansby Swanson and Isaac Paredes.

Chicago has the talent, on paper, to crack the postseason on a yearly basis. And yet, their offense comes up small at almost every critical juncture and, worst of all, the bullpen is an ongoing conundrum. Hoyer hung David Ross out to dry with an ineffective 'pen and now he's threatening to do the same with Counsell.

In a recent discussion with Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Hoyer at least acknowledged his shortcomings on the pitching front.

"Being self-critical, I feel like that’s something I didn’t do a good job of last offseason."

And yet, in the same breath, Hoyer praised the development of Chicago's bullpen late in the season and set the stage for a rehash of the same core.

"Looking at our bullpen, I’m really proud of the work our whole staff did during the season," he said, "whether it was Tyson Miller, Jorge López, Nate Pearson, player development bringing up guys like Porter Hodge and Luke Little. I thought in-season we did a really good job of that."

It's a nice sentiment, and there is truth to it. But Hoyer cannot live or die by this group. He needs to add more than depth — he needs to add bankable, top-line relievers to elevate this team to the next level.

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Jed Hoyer needs to commit to strengthening Cubs bullpen this offseason

Porter Hodge was electric down the stretch when the Cubs needed a closer to replace the outgoing Hector Neris. The 23-year-old rookie finished his campaign with nine saves and 43.0 innings pitched across 39 appearances, posting a 1.88 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.

That is elite, but Hodge has 39 MLB appearances under his belt. Inexperience is a real concern if he is propped up as the Cubs' bullpen leader for an entire season. Hoyer's vets, Adbert Alzolary and Hector Neris, were either unavailable or ineffective for the majority of last season. He has shown a willingness to spend on quality relievers, but he needs to be better about picking which relievers soak up Chicago's cap space.

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib has the right read on the situation:

"There is no question that the success that Hodge had in the bullpen this season was an important takeaway from the 2024 season. Hodge finished the season with a 1.88 ERA and nine saves. The ceiling, in terms of Hodge being a Major League closer, was definitely present. But, it can't be stressed enough that Hodge only has 39 appearances at the Major League level. In a 2025 season where the Cubs have to contend or even reach the postseason to stave off front office changes, entrusting Hodge fully to be the closer seems like an unnecessary risk."

The rubber is about to meet the road for Hoyer and this Cubs front office. At some point, if this team can't put together a wholly successful season, change is a-comin'. And it will involve Hoyer's job. Counsell is the most expensive manager in MLB history. That contract insulates him for a while — not to mention his well-documented success with a division rival. The pressure is on Hoyer to build a roster that Counsell can lead to the mountaintop before it's too late.