Chicago Cubs finally do something about the bullpen

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It’s been a quiet offseason on the North Side of Chicago. The Chicago Cubs finally did something with a slew of reliever signings that are more important than you realize.

The 2019 Chicago Cubs were a colossal disappointment, missing the playoffs and watching the Cardinals and Brewers make the playoffs. There was plenty of blame to go around for the total collapse that left the Cubs seven games behind the Cardinals and five behind the Brewers. One key area of implosion that struggled throughout the entire season was the bullpen.

This past season, the Cubs ranked fifth in blown saves at 27. SPIN ZONE, blowing saves means you have a lead to give away. Actually, 4/5 of the teams that blew the most were in the playoffs, including the champion Nationals. Looking at it a different way, the Cubs were ranked in the back third of the league in Win Probability Added (WPA). Rowan Wick led the Cubs in WPA despite not getting a prevalent role in the bullpen until the end of the season.

The Cubs have also had some structural problems in their relief corps. As velocity has increased through the league, the Cubs bullpen has lagged behind. That’s backed up by the numbers because the Cubs were 26th in average reliever fastball at 93.1. Most teams have a stable pipeline of pitchers with 100 MPH fastballs, nasty breaking balls and no clue where it’s going. Outside of Dillon Maples, the Cubs haven’t had any guys like that to give an opportunity to.

The Cubs have now taken steps to address these bullpen issues, opting for the throw any reliever with a pulse at the wall and see what sticks. The Cubs acquired Travis Lakins from the Red Sox and gave minor league deals with Spring Training invites to Danny Hultzen and Rex Brothers. The Cubs also signed Dan Winkler to an MLB deal back in December and got C.D. Pelham off waivers from Texas. Many of these guys won’t stick with the team but some could.

Each of these pitchers have something unique about them that could turn them into a solid bridge to Craig Kimbrel. So without further delay, the most interesting statistics for the Chicago Cubs motley crew of relievers.

The Chicago Cubs bullpen hopefuls

RHP Travis Lakins

A year ago Lakins was ranked as the Red Sox tenth best prospect and made it to the MLB this year. He has a deep pitch repertoire for a reliever, with a fastball, cutter, slider, and curveball. His curve is a high spin offering and his fastball averaged 93.7 MPH, which is higher than the Chicago Cubs reliever average last year. Lakins also had a 47% ground ball rate.

RHP Dan Winkler

Winkler may only average 92 on his heater, but his fastball spin rate is top 25 in the league. Looking at his heat map, Winkler would be better served locating his fastball higher in the zone. In 2018, he racked up 1.2 WAR and also held batters to a below average exit velocity. In 2019, Winkler had one of the lowest Contact% and Out of Zone Contact% of his career at 69% and 54%.

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LHP Danny Hultzen

Hultzen finally ascended to the majors eight years after being the number two overall pick in 2011. Hultzen averaged 93 on his fastball and struck out 28 hitters in 18 innings between AAA and the Majors. He could be a lefty out of the bullpen who could still get righties out if he can bury sliders on their back foot.

LHP Rex Brothers

New York probably not the best place for someone trying to get back to the bigs as a reliever since that was a Yankee Strength. Brothers is 32 and brings the heat having averaged 96.5 on his fastball. He’s averaged around 40 innings the past few years so the cubs are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.

LHP C.D Pelham

Pelham hasn’t gotten much exposure to the MLB yet but in 2018 he averaged an explosive 96.3 MPH on his fastball which was accompanied by a slider. Both offerings are low spin that can generate a ton of ground balls. In AAA last year, he had a 48% GB rate. Pelham is only 24 so he’ll get every opportunity to figure it out and be a fixture in the Cubs bullpen moving forward.

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Some of these guys will work out, some won’t make it past Spring Training in Arizona. The Chicago Cubs have a ton of innings available. Rowan Wick proved last season what can happen when you take a flyer on guys with great stuff. If even two of these guys can provide that sort of value, the Cubs bullpen will be headed in the right direction.

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