Chicago Cubs Forgotten Veteran Trade Acquisition Could Save Bullpen

The Chicago Cubs are off to a huge start this season in which they look capable of making a real postseason run for the first time in years.

Powered by an offense which has put up historic numbers en route to a 17-11 record in the first month of the season, the Cubs seem to have a chance in every game with this lineup.

Whether or not it can be sustained for a full season remains to be seen, but Chicago's offensive turnaround is absolutely very real.

With every great team generally comes a flaw however, and to this point the Cubs has been the bullpen.

Though there are depth issues with the pitching staff as a whole after injuries to starters to begin the season, the bullpen in particular has struggled.

Collectively as a unit, Chicago's 5.05 bullpen ERA currently ranks No. 27 in all of baseball as well as No. 23 in WHIP with a mark of 1.48.

There have been some bright spots, but overall the group is significantly below average and greatly limits the ceiling on what looks to be a special group in Wrigley Field.

Last week, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made a move that did not make major waves in circles when he traded for veteran left-hander Drew Pomeranz from the Seattle Mariners.

Pomeranz had not pitched in the Major Leagues since 2021 with the San Diego Padres, but he has made two appearances over Chicago and looked dominant in both.

Against the Philadelphia Phillies across Friday and Saturday, Pomeranz threw a total of 2.1 innings and did not give up a hit, walking one and striking out two.

Drew Pomeranz has been solid in his last 2 starts:

🎯2.1 IP
🎯0 earned runs
🎯2 K
🎯1 BB
🎯0.43 WHIP

This was a good pickup by Jed!!!

pic.twitter.com/mF3Rn7tj5X
— SleeperCubs (@SleeperCubs) April 26, 2025

Though it's understandable that the expectations were low for a 36-year-old who had not pitched in the Major Leagues in four years, there were encouraging signs from Pomeranz prior to the trade.

Dominating in Triple-A to begin the season, Hoyer clearly saw enough to be convinced that Pomeranz was capable of helping the team.

Nobody is saying he is going to instantly go from years of the minor leagues into an All-Star caliber reliever, but the Cubs are desperate for relievers they can reliably throw out there and know they will get at least a decent inning from.

Chicago does not need to have the best bullpen in baseball in order to be able to win a ton of games this season, but if they want to be a real player in a deep and dangerous National League, it needs to not be a complete liability.

Pomeranz getting off to the kind of start he has with the Cubs could be a great first step towards making that happen.

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