Chicago Cubs Should Avoid Desperate Moves After Losing Out on Key Reliever Target

The Chicago Cubs were bitterly disappointed this past weekend when they lost out on their top free agent target to the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Though the Cubs made an extremely competitive offer for Tanner Scott and there was even reporting stating his original top choice was Chicago, the Dodgers once again spent enough and had the allure of immediately stepping onto the best team in baseball.

The Cubs have missed out on a ton of the top names in the pitching market despite being expected entering the offseason to make a real run at adding to the pitching staff both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen.

While no one was particularly stung or shocked to see the top starters in the market choose elsewhere on massive nine-figure contracts without Chicago making an actual push, losing Scott to the Dodgers was different in that the Cubs pursuit of him was aggressive and very real.

Now, Chicago is rumored to be pursuing another name who is seen as one of the best available if not the top name standing in Philadelphia Phillies former All-Star Carlos Estévez.

Coming off a career season in 2024 which continued after the Phillies acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, Estévez finished the year with a 2.45 ERA and 26 saves over 54 appearances.

It's perfect timing for the 32-year-old who's almost certainly going to get paid handsomely by whoever ends up signing him, but the Cubs must tread lightly here and not just sign Estévez for the sake of signing him in a panic after losing out on Scott.

For one, 2024 was a relative outlier for Estévez based on the kind of pitcher he has been throughout his eight-year career. Even in his lone All-Star campaign in 2023 with the Angels, Estévez posted a 3.90 ERA and the best mark of his career prior to this past season came in 2022 with a 3.47 for the Colorado Rockies.

Another red flag is the fact that when Philadelphia needed him most in the playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning against the New York Mets in the NLDS with a chance to force a decisive fifth game, Estévez allowed the biggest home run of his career with a Francisco Lindor grand slam that ultimately was the final dagger of the Phillies season.

An aberration of a season that ended on the lowest note possible is a tough sell for someone certainly looking for an AAV of at least $10 million.

It's possible that Estévez has hit his stride and is a better player now than he has been than he has been over the better part of the last decade, but it's a big chance to take on a reliever and one Chicago must consider closely before handing him a big deal as consolation for Scott.