Assessing Cubs' Needs at 2025 Trade Deadline: Relief Pitching

[Andrew Wright]

Image courtesy of © Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Cubs are coming off a month of June in which the bullpen turned in a 2.44 ERA, the best in MLB. Their excellence was headlined by an unlikely trio of Brad Keller, Chris Flexen and Drew Pomeranz. It is no secret, though, that a bullpen can flip upside down in an extremely short amount of time, and even though Chicago's 3.27 bullpen ERA ranks second for the full season, upgrades can still be made. The ages and track records of key hurlers suggest a real risk of regression, and while there aren't many glaring holes on the roster, there are still a couple. 

We'll start with Ryan Pressly. He was acquired via trade from the Houston Astros and while things have been better of late, Pressly hasn't quite had the season he'd hoped for. He had an ERA of 9.00 in March and May but followed up those months with an ERA of 0.00 and 1.50 in the respective months following them. It's a bit of a tricky situation, as he is a veteran arm and provides great leadership in the clubhouse, but it's hard to trust him in high-leverage situations.

He's been out of the closer role for quite some time now, and with the success that current closer Daniel Palencia has had, what role does Pressly truly have on the team? Is he worth keeping around strictly because of his leadership and veteran presence? For now, that seems to be the case, but the front office may feel differently if he gets off to a bad start in his first few outings of the month.

Porter Hodge is the other current reliever who probably has a bit of a question mark surrounding his status on the roster. Injuries have held him to just 23 appearances this season, and his 5.06 ERA is a bit worrisome, even after he put up a 1.88 ERA in 39 appearances last season in his rookie year. Hodge has already allowed more runs this season than he did all of last year, and that could make him a prime target to be traded or optioned to Triple-A Iowa should the Cubs have the opportunity to acquire a top-of-the-line relief pitcher at the trade deadline. As far as internal options to replace those two players are concerned, there really aren't many who could perform better than Hodge and Pressly have.

Brandon Birdsell looked like a solid prospect until he showed up this spring with shoulder trouble, and he could be a likely candidate to be called up to the major leagues during September call-ups—but only if he can get and stay healthy. Will Sanders and Jack Neely are two more pitching prospects currently pitching in Triple-A, but Sanders is a starter by trade and Neely's been a volatile arm. If Chicago wants to improve its bullpen, the answers may come externally, rather than internally.

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