Chicago Cubs Rumored Bullpen Target Agrees to Deal With Mariners
The Chicago Cubs have put together a solid offseason, but nothing to write home about.
They were able to address some of their needs by landing a top-of-the-rotation starter, Major League bullpen pieces, and solid hitters to use in their lineup.
However, it wasn't quite the complete roster overhaul that was hinted at by ownership and the front office heading into the winter.
One aspect the Cubs definitely needed to upgrade was their bullpen after the collapse of that unit late in the year was a main reason why they missed out on the playoffs for the third straight season.
Their rumored interest in former World Series-winning reliever Ryne Stanek would have provided a major boost to their unit, but the likelihood that Chicago was going to hand out a contract to the right-hander seemed to diminish over the last few weeks.
Now, Stanek as agreed to a deal with the Seattle Mariners according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Since joining the Houston Astros ahead of 2021, he developed into one of the best bullpen pieces in the MLB with an ERA of 2.90 and ERA+ of 142 during his three-year tenure.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer hinted that there might not be more moves coming before the start of the season, and this seems to suggest they truly are done adding.
Chicago currently sits under the first level of the luxury tax threshold, so maybe they're waiting to see how the team performs to add players at the trade deadline if they're in contention.
They are viewed as the favorites in the NL Central, so there's a chance that their playoff drought comes to an end in 2024.
