Chicago Cubs Are Pefect Fit for Former All-Star Relief Pitcher in Free Agency

The Chicago Cubs have had a very busy offseason, but there is still work to do if they truly want to compete in the National League.

After winning 83 games the last two seasons, the Cubs came into the winter on a mission. Even though they haven’t spent much this offseason on free agents, they have made some notable trades to improve the team.

Their biggest move easily was to acquire Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The left-handed slugger is one of the best outfielders in baseball and gives Chicago a true star. With a desire to get back into the postseason and win the NL Central this year, acquiring a player of that caliber is a significant step in the right direction.

Now, while Tucker was a great addition, more work still needs to be done. Last campaign, one of the biggest issues for the Cubs was their bullpen. The team struggled to close out games, and so far they have been trying to improve the unit.

Trading for Eli Morgan was a good start, but more work should be done. Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com recently spoke about Chicago being a perfect fit for relief pitcher Carlos Estevez. He highlighted the failures in the past and spoke about the right-hander being someone to pursue.

“The Cubs have tried filling out their relief corps with inexperienced youngsters and veteran stopgaps in recent years, but that strategy hasn’t yielded much success.”

With Tanner Scott recently signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Estevez is arguably the best relief pitcher available in free agency.

The Cubs were certainly interested in Scott this winter, but ultimately never got a deal done. With the best relief pitcher off the board, Chicago must act quickly in order to make sure they can bolster their bullpen.

Estevez makes sense to pursue with his ability to either close games or pitch in high leverage situations. The right-hander was an All-Star in 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels, and was an important part of the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen in 2024 after being acquired at the trade deadline.

In 2024, the 32-year-old totaled a (4-5) record, 2.45 ERA, and saved 26 games. Having the ability to close games will provide Craig Counsell with some added insurance and flexibility at the back end of their bullpen.

Even though Chicago has seemingly been hesitant to spend big this winter, adding a top-end arm should be their priority now.

With the addition of Tucker this offseason, the Cubs should be in a win-now mindset in 2025. Bringing in a pitcher like Estevez will certainly help them achieve that.