The incredible season Adbert Alzolay turned in |
So far in the offseason, which has been uncharacteristically slow, the Cubs have been linked in numerous rumors that would have them acquiring back end of the bullpen talent. Whether it be a player like Josh Hader in free agency, who is expected to ink the largest free agent contract in closer’s history, or the talented Emmanuel Clase, who the Cleveland Guardians could package with a starting pitcher like Shane Beiber or a young position player like Josh Naylor to stockpile on prospects — the thought around the industry is that some uber talented relief pitchers could be wearing brand new uniforms come opening day 2024.
During the Cubs’ unfortunate collapse to end the 2023 campaign, it was apparent that more bullpen depth was a necessity for the future. While Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather ate up high leverage innings, they were relied on too heavily that they didn’t have enough in the tank late in the season. Add on Adbert Alzolay and Michael Fulmer’s injuries, and the Cubs bullpen was counting on Jose Cuas, Daniel Palencia, and the likes of Hayden Wesneski and Javier Assad (whoever was not needed in the rotation) to secure high leverage, playoff chance changing outs. The easiest way to improve the bullpen is by acquiring a high-end closer. It shifts every other bullpen arm down an inning and essentially gives a manager an eight-inning game to worry about — and Craig Counsell has had that luxury in Milwaukee with Hader and Devin Williams handling the late innings for the majority of his tenure. If you are able to get five or six, or even seven innings from your starter — only having to fill three or six outs from your bullpen is a lot easier than having to piece together an unsteady 15. However, acquiring a closer should not be something the Cubs are panicking to do. You can shorten the game just as easily by acquiring durable starting pitchers and reliable bullpen arms, even if they are not ninth-inning guys. The reason is, you have one of the best 9th-inning guys already in Adbert Alzolay. While Alzolay would likely be just as effective and electric setting up for a closer like Hader, for example, there is no denying the incredible season Alzolay turned in. Alzolay was once the Cubs highest-touted pitching prospect and carried with him some pretty lofty expectations. The Venezuela native made his debut in 2019 as a starter and also got a cup of coffee in the big leagues in 2020 before fully becoming a part of the Cubs pitching staff in 2021. He appeared both out of the bullpen and as a starter in 2021 and was solid, despite a few stats that say otherwise. His career has been plagued by injuries, especially an arm injury that sidelined him for the majority of the 2022 season. It was in late 2021 that the Cubs took a look at Alzolay as a multi-inning reliever, and in 2022 after he returned from injury in late September, that was also the role he played. So when the 2023 season began, he was once again pegged as a long-inning reliever. The late innings were a mess for the Cubs early in the season, but Alzolay had made 12 appearances before even appearing in a save situation on May 6. It was not until mid-way through June that the Cubs officially began to give the ball to the 28-year-old to close games — and boy, was he fantastic. He finished the season with 22 saves, good for 10th in the National League, despite not becoming the closer until June and missing most of September with an injury. He converted 18 straight saves from July 5 to August 29th — and he had 10 saves in the month of August alone. Alzolay really turned heads in the league and cemented himself as the Cubs closer. When he was first returning from injury in 2022, he said that he was willing to help the team in any way. But after seeing the way he performed in 2023 and the way his energy filled Wrigley Field, you can tell that he was meant to pitch high-leverage innings out of the bullpen — something that fans can not wait to see on display again in 2024. It is apparent the Cubs are looking to improve in many ways ahead of 2024, but closer may not be one of any dire need.
