Cubs Week In Review: With Sasaki Decision Looming, Cubs Pick Up Bullpen Help

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Whether or not you've eradicated the stench of stale pilsner left over from your New Year's Eve party, we are now just one calendar page away from seeing ballplayers in uniform again. The Cubs are in the final stretch of the offseason, with one paramount question remaining: Will the North Siders get the game-changing starting pitcher they desire?

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Former Twins lefthander Caleb Thielbar switched from the American League Central to the National League Central this week. Both divisions were surprisingly crowded at the top, so it's possible that the 37-year-old veteran and newest Cub is capable of helping Craig Counsell's squad to once again become division champions. 

Thielbar's 5.37 ERA from his 2024 campaign kept the price tag low, but he could provide mentorship to some young hurlers and solid middle relief work. I'll level with you: if this seems boring, that's because it is. The Cubs are still without a fearsome ace hurler either in the starting rotation or in the bullpen, and that needs to change before pitchers and catchers report if this club is serious about contention in 2025. Thielbar probably doesn't take them further from that objective, but nor does he move them closer to it.

There is legitimate cause for hope that that guy will turn out to be Roki Sasaki. Don't hold your breath for that one, though, unless you have very strong lungs. Per Sasaki's agent Joel Wolfe, the wait for the 23-year-old Japanese sensation's decision will not even end right on Jan. 15, when he'd be eligible. The process is likely to last almost all the way to the deadline for him to sign, on Jan. 23. The Cubs have a 1-in-6 chance of landing this exciting young talent—if one report, which names them, the Mets, the Yankees, the Rangers, the Dodgers and the Padres as remaining suitors, is to be believed. Given the serious thump on the offensive side of the ball, landing Sasaki could launch the Cubs into the top tier for postseason success—if he turns out to be everything the bidding teams are hoping he is.

While brutal, arctic cold envelopes the city of Chicago and the rest of the Midwest, thoughts of what this team could be heat things up just enough to keep it livable. Only some good hot stove action can really make it warm and cozy around here.

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