Inside The Cubs

Cubs Should Target Trade Reunion With Unorthodox Rockies Reliever

The Chicago Cubs' front office should consider a reunion with this wonky reliever.
Grant Young|
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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A lot of the focus regarding the Chicago Cubs' offseason is going to revolve around superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Tucker is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending the 2025 campaign in Chicago. And he's expected to make more money in free agency than anybody else this winter. The question is whether Chicago will try to be the ones who sign him or whether they're content to let him walk and look to fill the ensuing void in the middle of their lineup with a cheaper option.

However, the Tucker sweepstakes isn't the only point of interest for the Cubs in the coming months. They could also be players to sign another starting pitcher, and could certainly try to bolster their bullpen.

The Cubs bullpen's collective 3.78 ERA during the 2025 regular season puts them at a respectable No. 11 in MLB. However, a staggering number of Chicago's bullpen pieces last season (including Taylor Rogers, Aaron Civale, Michael Soroka, Ryan Brasier, Caleb Thielbar, and Drew Pomeranz) are all going to become unrestricted free agents, which means that Chicago's front office will need to address this.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Taylor Rogers (17) pitches on August 9, 2025
Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

While Jed Hoyer and Company will likely try to re-sign several of those aforementioned relievers, there will probably be other names the front office could target in free agency and via trade.

Why Jimmy Herget Makes Sense for Chicago Cubs to Pursue

One reliever the Cubs should consider trying to trade for is Colorado Rockies hurler Jimmy Herget. While Herget might not have a ton of name value for those who aren't Rockies fans, his impressive 2025 stat line that includes a 2.48 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 83.1 innings pitched (all while calling baseball's most hitter-friendly ballpark home) is more than enough proof that he would offer the Cubs a lot of value.

Herget has earned the nickname "The Human Glitch" because of his unorthodox pitching style and delivery, which has been baffling hitters ever since he made his MLB debut in 2019.

Herget is no stranger to the Cubs' organization, as they picked him up off waivers in September 2024 before designating him for assignment less than two months later without ever having pitched in a Cubs uniform.

The team might be kicking itself about this decision now, given that Herget proved during his time with the Rockies.

Chicago could set things right and pursue a trade for Herget this offseason. And they probably wouldn't have to part ways with a prized prospect in order to make a deal happen.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Boxing, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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