It’s been an eventful offseason for the Cubs, who have added Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrera, lost Kyle Tucker in free agency (to the Dodgers) and overhauled much of their bullpen.
Plenty has been written about the additions of Bregman and Cabrera, but Chicago’s complete overhaul of the bullpen could play a pivotal role for the 2026 Cubbies. Stunningly, only 201 of the Cubs’ 538 relief appearances (37.4 percent) from last season went to pitchers that are still in the organization. Perhaps more telling, of the 18 pitchers who made more than five relief appearances for the Cubs in 2025, only two (Daniel Palencia and Caleb Thielbar) are in Chicago’s projected Opening Day bullpen.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and company built one of the better bullpens in baseball last season (3.78 ERA, ranked 11th in baseball) and they’re attempting to do so again with a new group of pitchers. With that in mind, let’s take a look at which relievers the Cubs lost, who they brought in and which pitcher could take on a bigger role this season.
Who’s out?
Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Ryan Pressly, Andrew Kittredge, Chris Flexen, Taylor Rogers
While Pressly was acquired to become part of the late-inning equation for the 2025 Cubs, it was Keller and Pomeranz who shined brightest out of this group.
Keller, who signed a two-year deal with the Phillies this offseason, was a revelation for the ‘25 Cubs, leading Chicago’s bullpen with 69 2/3 innings and posting a sparkling 2.07 ERA, tied for 14th best among any pitcher with at least 50 innings. The underlying numbers supported his breakout, too, as evidenced by his 2.80 expected ERA and 2.93 FIP. Keller, who came up and succeeded as a starter early in his career, looks like a legitimate reliever and someone the Cubs could miss.
Pomeranz’s emergence might have been even more surprising. The veteran left-hander boasted a 2.17 ERA in 57 outings (49 2/3 innings) after debuting for the Cubs on April 25. Pomeranz, who signed a one-year deal with the Angels this offseason, hadn’t pitched in the Majors since 2021 due to various injuries.
Pressly struggled with a 4.35 ERA and 5.23 xERA in 41 1/3 innings and announced his retirement this offseason. Kittredge, who was acquired from Baltimore at last year’s Trade Deadline, was sent back to the Orioles in a November trade. Flexen was a pleasant surprise with a 3.09 ERA in 43 2/3 innings, while Rogers, who was acquired in a Deadline trade with the Reds, struggled to the tune of a 5.09 ERA in 17 2/3 innings with the Cubs.
Who’s in?
Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Jacob Webb, Hoby Milner
While the Cubs lost their share of quality 2025 relievers, the club also bolstered its ‘26 unit with plenty of help.
The biggest of the bunch is Maton, who the Cubs signed to a multiyear deal this offseason. The veteran right-hander has always been a quality reliever but Maton is coming off his best year yet, setting career-best marks in ERA (2.79), FIP (2.60) and WAR (1.5, per FanGraphs). Maton’s curveball is one of baseball’s best and is responsible for 203 strikeouts this decade, second most among all relievers.
Harvey is the biggest wild card of the bunch, as he missed most of last season due to injury and had middling results in 2024 (4.44 ERA and 5.10 xERA in 50 2/3 innings). Before that, Harvey was excellent with the Nationals, compiling a 2.70 ERA with 112 strikeouts in 100 innings from 2022-23. Injuries have frequently been part of Harvey’s journey -- he’s only cleared 50 innings twice in a season -- but a return to health could give the Cubs another good reliever.
Webb has quietly been one of baseball’s more reliable relievers, posting an ERA between 3.00 and 3.69 across at least 50 innings in each of the last three seasons. Milner, meanwhile, is a lefty specialist who has cleared 60 innings in four straight seasons and owns a career 3.82 ERA.
Who could play a bigger role in 2026?
Porter Hodge or one of the various starters
There’s a plethora of other potential contributors for this year’s bullpen, but the obvious pitcher to start with is Hodge. As well as things went for him in his 2024 rookie campaign, when Hodge had a 1.88 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 43 innings, they went just as poorly in 2025. Hodge was ineffective in the Majors (6.27 ERA and 5.89 FIP in 33 innings) and even had an inflated 6.61 ERA in 15 games at Triple-A Iowa. If he returns to 2024 form, it’d be a huge boon to the 'pen.
Then there are the various starters that could find time in the Cubs' bullpen. As things currently stand, Colin Rea, Javier Assad and Ben Brown could operate in potential swingman roles for the Cubs this season. If Justin Steele returns from injury to a fully healthy rotation, it could move another starter -- perhaps Jameson Taillon -- into a similar swingman role.