What Should Chicago Cubs Do This Offseason to Fix the Franchise?

What do the Chicago Cubs need to do this offseason?

Aug 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (30) makes a call to the bullpen in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / David Richard-Imagn Images

It was a disappointing season for the Chicago Cubs in 2024, as they failed to make the playoffs once again. 

Despite finishing the season with a record over .500, the Cubs certainly felt like this season was a disappointment. Chicago got off to a really hot start this campaign, but fell off after that for a few months. 

The Cubs came back and rallied after a couple of bad months, but it was a very inconsistent year overall. While the season might have been a bit of a letdown considering the expectations, Chicago does have some positive things to build around. 

One of the big bright spots for the Cubs in 2024 was the starting rotation. Aside from Kyle Hendricks, the starting rotation was excellent during the campaign, as they had multiple young arms who had solid years. 

While having a strong rotation to lean on is important, Chicago clearly needs more to get over the hump. Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com recently spoke about how to fix the Cubs. 

“The Cubs need more and better relievers, but in particular they need a true bullpen ace. For all his skill in running a pen, one thing Counsell always had in Milwaukee was a high-leverage hammer at the back of it. He did not have that in Chicago this season. It's not the only reason just two teams suffered more one-run defeats than Chicago, but it sure didn't help. The prescription: Get a closer who can bring it all into focus.”

Upgrading the bullpen should be a priority for Chicago, as the unit was lackluster at times. Counsell has a reputation for being very good at managing the bullpen, but he didn’t have a true weapon to finish off games. 

This offseason, finding a star closer would help improve things immensely for the Cubs. Arguably, the top option that will be available for Chicago in free agency will be Tanner Scott, who is the best closer available. 

Scott had a breakout season in 2024, and could be looking at a substantial pay day as the best closer available. In addition to Scott, Clay Holmes could also be an option for Chicago, but he was inconsistent for the New York Yankees at times this year. 

If the Cubs are able to land a relief pitcher like Scott to help anchor the back end of the bullpen, it should help a lot with their consistency issues. Considering Chicago will have a good pitching staff next season, a closer could be the piece that helps catch them up to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.