Cubs late-season roster move looks like a giant white flag

One of the biggest reasons why it is almost certain that the Chicago Cubs will not be heading to the postseason in 2024 is because of their bullpen. Their 3.74 bullpen ERA isn't bad at all, and actually ranks 11th in the majors. Their bullpen problem, though, has been their inability to finish games.

It's gotten better as the year as gone on, but they've blown 23 saves this season. The only team that has blown more as of this writing, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have one of the most stacked rosters in the sport. Had the Cubs had a reliable closer, perhaps they'd still be in the race if not in a playoff spot.

To his credit, Jed Hoyer has made midseason moves to address the bullpen, and just made another one, claiming Jimmy Herget off of waivers. Mixing and matching when things aren't working is smart, but are we sure Jimmy Herget is much of a solution at all?

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Cubs Jimmy Herget claim feels like it won't accomplish much

On the surface, this isn't a horrible move. Herget has had MLB success in the past and is under team control through the 2027 season. There are some reasons why this was a bit of a head-scratcher, though.

First and foremost, Herget is out of options after this season, meaning that if the Cubs want him in their organization for the 2025 campaign, he'd have to be on their MLB team unless they want to DFA him and risk losing him for nothing. Second, while Herget is under club control, he'll be entering arbitration next season. He won't make much more than the league minimum, but do the Cubs want to be on the hook for a reliever like Herget for more than the minimum?

Lastly, again, is Herget worth rostering? He had a great year in 2022, but that was a couple of years ago. Since then, he hasn't stuck around in the majors and hasn't pitched all that well.

He had a 4.66 ERA in 29 appearances in 2023 for the Los Angeles Angels and he had a 4.38 ERA in eight appearances and 12.1 innings of work for the Atlanta Braves in 2024 before being DFA'd. He's intriguing because of his arm angle, and can go more than an inning if you need him to, but again, it's hard to see much value for a guy who has a 4.57 ERA in 37 appearances spanning the last two seasons, mostly all in low-leverage spots.

If the Cubs plan on competing in 2025, upgrading the bullpen will be a necessity. Do they really want Herget to be part of those plans? If not, why bother with the claim? They sent him down to Triple-A, signaling that they don't think he'd help them much now, and with the team all but out of postseason contention, it's more appealing to give younger relievers with more of a chance to stick around an opportunity rather than 31-year-old Herget who, again, hasn't been great at all in recent seasons and for much of his career.

Hoyer has done well with some mid-season additions like Tyson Miller, Nate Pearson, and even Porter Hodge, but nothing about the Herget addition suggests he'll join that group of solid adds. Unless the Cubs know something we don't, which is entirely possible, Herget's stay in Chicago with the Cubs organization will almost certainly be short-lived.