Former All-Star Relief Pitcher Could Fill Void for Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs could bolster their bullpen some more with this move.

Sep 25, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Carlos Estevez (53) reacts after pitching in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

It has been a busy offseason for the Chicago Cubs, who are looking to snap a playoff drought and be a contender in 2025.

There are a lot of reasons to like what the Cubs have done so far this winter.

While they might not have spent a ton of money in free agency, they did in the trade market by acquiring one of the true stars of the game in Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros.

While he will certainly improve the offense, that wasn’t the only need for Chicago coming into the winter.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently stated the Cubs still need to upgrade their bullpen. He highlighted Carlos Estevez as a perfect option to help provide some veteran leadership and potentially to be a closer if need be.

“Porter Hodge, Nate Pearson and Tyson Miller are the top in-house candidates for the closer job, but they have a combined 13 career saves. Carlos Estévez and Tanner Scott are the top relievers on the market, while Kenley Jansen is also an option.”

While an 83-win season is good, it could have been much better for Chicago in 2024. Their bullpen was one of the worst in baseball early on, but the rise of Porter Hodge and others allowed them to finish with some modest numbers.

The young right-hander looked good as the closer to the end of the season and could very well be in that role come Opening Day.

Having some insurance is never a bad thing, though.

If the Cubs were to sign Estevez, they would be getting a relief pitcher who has experience closing games and was an All-Star in 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels.

With both the Angels and the Philadelphia Phillies last year, the right-hander had a 2.45 ERA and had 26 saves.

Since Chicago doesn’t have much experience in their bullpen currently in terms of closing out games, a pitcher like Estevez makes a lot of sense.

With the National League having a lot of strong teams and a powerhouse in the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs still feel like they are a bit behind when it comes to being ready to compete for a World Series.

While winning the division seems likely, adding a player like Estevez will help them get closer to being a true title contender.