Bullpen Boost: Chicago Cubs Add Depth to Relief Corps with Signing of Ex-First Rounder
Jed Hoyer knew he would have to truly upgrade the bullpen unit of the Chicago Cubs this offseason.
He admitted he made a mistake by not doing more last winter, something that caused them to miss the playoffs for two straight years by repeatedly blowing games where they held late leads.
So, the Cubs wasted little time this offseason.
Hoyer pulled off a trade to acquire Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians after he put together the best year of his career from an ERA standpoint.
The right-hander is also a cost controlled asset, giving them a solid reliever who will be in the mix at a reasonable price for the next few years.
Chicago knows they have to do more, though, evident by team insiders stating they will continue searching for upgrades throughout the rest of the winter whether that’s by trades or in free agency.
They accomplished that by making another move to bring in reliever Phil Bickford on a minor league deal according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
The right-hander was taken in the first round of the MLB draft twice during his career, the first time out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 10th overall selection in 2013 before he went to college and was taken 18th overall by the San Francisco Giants in 2015.
He began his career as a starting pitcher prospect, but was transitioned into a reliever after the Giants traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of the trade deadline in 2016.
Bickford made his Major League in the 2020 season, but after one appearance the following year, he was designated for assignment by the Brewers and claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That started the journeyman type of career for the former first-round pick, having played for four teams across his five MLB seasons.
The Cubs are hoping they can get the most out of the talented pitcher by getting him into their organization, and because he signed a minor league deal, this is a very low risk move that could pay huge dividends.
Bickford has a career 4.62 ERA and 91 ERA+ across his 187 appearances, but he was really able to showcase his talent with the Dodgers in 2021 when his ERA+ was 69 points above the league average during his 56 outings.
Chicago continues to look for pitching upgrades, and by making these savvy moves that don’t cost a whole lot of money, they are giving themselves the option of spending their available resources on a true gamechanger at some point.
