Chicago Cubs bullpen hopes: 4 long-shot fixes ahead of playoffs

The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen struggles have been well-documented, especially over the last batch of games where the relief corps seems to be in full-on collapse mode.

More News: Chicago Cubs: A team of extremes with some pressing issues to address

Jacob Webb and Daniel Palencia, who were thought to be a solid closer platoon heading into the late regular season and playoffs, have been horrible since the end of August and don’t appear to be anywhere near getting back on track.

Below the late-inning duo, the rest of the bullpen has looked inconsistent at best and painfully porous at worst.

According to analyst Mike Petriello, the Cubs rank dead last in FanGraphs’ bullpen Wins Above Replacement (WAR) assessment. They’re also posting a collective ERA close to 4.00. As we’ve seen over the last stretch of games, this is a recipe for disaster in high-pressure games against teams competing doggedly for a playoff spot.

And while there’s nothing resembling a guaranteed cavalry riding in to save the day, Chicago is not without hope when it comes to turning this mess of a pen around.

Hope springs internal

More News: Chicago Cubs may need unlikely bullpen crutch as playoff spot is threatened

Right now, Iowa holds all of the pieces to a Cubs bullpen rebound.

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib has focused on the rehabbing Shelby Miller and opining that the Cubs should bring him up and immediately install him as the team’s closer.

The 35-year-old Miller returned from his 2025 elbow surgery more quickly than anticipated and has already pitched in 12 games in the minors. Although his scary 9.35 ERA is a potential red flag, he’s struck out 17 batters in 9.2 total innings and would give the Cubs that swing-and-miss guy they need so desperately for the back-end of the bullpen.

Per Campbell:

“There’s no simple fix to what has plagued the Cubs’ bullpen this month. It’s reached the point where Craig Counsell should step out of his comfort zone, and that means immediately inserting Shelby Miller as the team’s closer, assuming he returns before the end of the regular season. He thrived as a closer for Arizona last season, and during his rehab assignment, he’s been missing bats frequently with a fastball in the upper-90s. No need to wait and see with Miller’s return, make him the closer.”

Another late-inning bat-misser is Gavin Hollowell, who’s also deep into a rehab assignment. The hard-throwing righty has looked sharp and, when his control is on-point, has closer-level stuff. This season with the big league Cubs, he’s posted a 2.51 ERA over 14.1 innings.

Steele, Cabrera

Then, there’s Justin Steele. The former rotation ace has made three rehab appearances in Iowa and has looked decent, considering that he hadn’t pitched competitively since early April of 2025 after elbow surgery and then a subsequent setback in his recovery this season.

Could a comeback-ready Steele slide into the bullpen and knock the chronically ineffective Caleb Thielbar off the roster as the team’s second lefty relief option? In an absolute best case scenario, that’s exactly what would happen—just in time for the playoffs.

And what about Edward Cabrera, whose disappointing 2026 as a starter could end in redemption if he can make a successful conversion to bullpen asset for the remainder of this season? Cabrera has the power stuff to make a big impact out of the pen, and the Cubs are working with him during his current Iowa rehab assignment. But two stints on the IL and widespread inconsistency when healthy cast some serious doubt.

So, the Cubs are not without bullpen turnaround options. Although, admittedly, those options are long shots at this point.

The post Chicago Cubs bullpen hopes: 4 long-shot fixes ahead of playoffs appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-bullpen-4-fixes-playoffs-steele-cabrera-miller/