Chicago Cubs Should Target Star Closer Immediately To Fix Bullpen

The Chicago Cubs need to fix their bullpen, and acquiring one of the best relievers on the market would go a long way in doing so.

Sep 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Tanner Scott (66) reacts after the final out to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Miami won 4-3 / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Things are not going great for the Chicago Cubs right now.

They are getting hit on all fronts with poor offensive outputs, blown leads whenever they are able to score runs, and injuries to impact players, most recently star rookie Ben Brown and now Jordan Wicks after his departure from Friday's game.

The main issue the Cubs are dealing with is their poor bullpen.

Entering Friday, they ranked 25th in the MLB with an ERA of 4.50 and have blown the second-most games at 15, trailing only the Chicago White Sox.

If even seven of those were able to be converted into wins, then Chicago would be entering their series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 40-29 record, putting them just a half-game out of first place in the NL Central and at the top of the Wild Card standings.

That's painful to think about, especially with all the negative discourse surrounding this team.

But the reality is, the Cubs can't get those games back and are fighting for their playoff lives because of it.

This also points to the fact that Chicago's front office did not do enough in the offseason to upgrade this unit even after their late struggles cost them a spot in the playoffs last year.

With that in mind, if the Cubs are going to be buyers before the trade deadline, they have to target relief help.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported there are teams who are interested in acquiring Miami Marlins star closer Tanner Scott, and he should be a real option for this team.

With Adbert Alzolay sidelined with an injury and Julian Merryweather on the 60-day IL, they have had to put their offseason signing Hector Neris into that role which has been anything but smooth despite his numbers looking good on paper.

Scott's 1.93 ERA and opponent's batting average sitting at .147 would bring a legitimate backend arm to this team and help Chicago's bullpen have reliable options manager Craig Counsell can call upon.