Jed Hoyer has made it known that the Cubs are trying to compete this year and in the future. They made a power move, pulling Craig Counsell away from the Brewers. Cody Bellinger was resigned, and a couple of bullpen arms were signed. The signature move this offseason was the acquisition of Shota Imanaga. The Cubs are a half game back in the NL Central, and the only thing holding them back is the bullpen.
From: John J. Kim (Chicago Tribune)
Stay Off The Shelf
The Cubs have battled plenty of injuries in the opening month of the season. Justin Steele, Cody Bellinger, Julian Merryweather, and Dansby Swanson have all missed games due to injury. Despite that, the North Side has been playing good baseball. The offense has stayed afloat while missing their two big bats, middle of the pack in most hitting stats. The starting pitching has been dominant to start the year.
Justin Steele has had two starts, and shut down both lineups. Javier Assad is turning into a legit rotation arm. Jameson Taillon has bounced back after a shaky 2023. Chicago has gotten spot starts from Hayden Wesneski and Ben Brown, and they have delivered big time. Not to mention the reigning NL Rookie of The Month Shota Imanaga has carved lineups up and down in his short time in MLB. Throughout all of the IL stints, the Cubbies have been able to stay in contention for the NL Central.
Closing Games is Hard
The story of the 2024 Cubs cannot be told without mentioning the struggles of the bullpen. The Cubs hold the 9th worst bullpen ERA in baseball, and the only teams above them are at or below .500. Adbert Alzolay has not been the shutdown closer he was in 2023. Alzolay posted a 2.67 ERA last year, and was a key piece in Chicago's late season surge towards the postseason. In just 15 innings, the People's Fist has allowed nearly half of his total runs from last year. Young arms like Luke Little and Daniel Palencia have gotten teed off on in their appearances. Yency Almonte, a reliever with big expectations, has a 3.45 ERA. Free Agent signing Jose Cuas has an ERA north of 10. Richard Lovelady, a prospect who was called up due to injuries, currently holds an ERA above 6.
Look, it's still early. Julian Merryweather is still on the shelf. Mark Leiter Jr. has been quite good. Hector Neris has bounced back after a shaky opening week. I believe the Cubbies' bats will be able to keep them afloat, but without additions via trade, or a bounce back from Adbert Alzolay, I don't know if Chicago can compete for a World Series like many around the team believe they can.
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