Chicago Cubs Need to Try to Bring Back Breakout Bullpen Star in Free Agency

The Chicago Cubs got some great innings from an unlikely source down the stretch this season.

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The Chicago Cubs are entering an offseason in which one of the critical goals will be upgrading the bullpen.

Finishing at 83-79, a more reliable bullpen realistically could have led to enough wins to push the team in the postseason after converting on just 38 of 64 save opportunities as a group. Having a true closer is, of course, the biggest need in the bullpen, but in order to give any potential closer options a chance to do their job, setup men will be needed as well.

One pleasant surprise down the stretch for Chicago was former New York Mets reliever Jorge López after the team brought him in on what was initially a minor league deal following a tumultuous ending to his tenure with the Mets. López was released by the team after an incident in which he was ejected from a game for arguing with an umpire and wound up throwing his glove into the crowd. López was signed by the Cubs on a 1-year deal and made 24 appearances with the team, putting up a 1-1 record with a 2.03 ERA and 31 strikeouts in nearly 27 innings thrown. If the Cubs want to upgrade the 2025 bullpen, Ryan O'Rourke of Cubbies Crib thinks that López is a great place to start.

"As a back-end setup guy with the ability to step in and close on occasion, he was exactly the remedy the team needed, adding a bit of power with a fastball that topped out this year at around 98 mph," O'Rourke wrote. "Since his conversion into a reliever with Baltimore in 2022, López has shown an extremely high upside that the Cubs desperately need. His performance in his brief stint in Cubbie blue and comfort with the team is more than enough reason to hand him another one-to-two-year contract to continue pitching on the North Side."

Through López's 9-year MLB career the 31-year-old has played for seven different teams. 2024 overall was arguably the best season of his career. Over the last couple of years, López has found his niche out of the bullpen and remains a quality option that likely can be had at a smaller number than his production might imply.

López also seemed to genuinely enjoy pitching in Chicago after the team took a chance on him following the ugly ending in New York. The Cubs would be wise to at the very least make a competitive offer to a guy who has demonstrated production with the team before looking to the open market.