The Cubs Bullpen Boost! Chicago Cubs Set to Land Padres Star Reliever In Blockbuster Trade

With the start of the regular season quickly approaching for the Chicago Cubs, the team will be anxious to see if the moves made this offseason are enough to make them a true contender.

Last year, the Cubs were a pretty solid team with 83 wins. However, in the competitive National League, that resulted in them really not even being close to contending for a playoff spot.

This winter, the team made a plethora of moves to improve the roster. Most notably, of course, was the addition of Kyle Tucker. The talented outfielder gives them a true superstar in the middle of the batting order.

However, while that addition was a significant one, they did have a glaring need in their bullpen. Chicago has seemingly done a good job addressing it with, most notably, Ryan Pressly coming over from the Houston Astros to be the new closer.

While the unit is certainly stronger than last year, having a great bullpen is key to success in the postseason. With that being said, adding another arm or two along the way wouldn’t hurt the Cubs.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Cubs being a team who should be interested in San Diego Padres relief pitcher Robert Suarez to help bolster their bullpen.

“The Red Sox ought to be interested, and ditto for fellow relief-needy contenders like the Cubs and maybe the Mets,” Rymer wrote.

Due to a desire to shed salary, the Padres will likely be willing to entertain offers on any of their players.

Suarez was a significant part of their success last year, totaling a 9-3 record and 2.77 ERA on his way to his first All-Star appearance.

While he has been an important part of the bullpen, he is also an expensive piece. This season, he is set to make $10 million, followed by $8 million the following two years. However, he does have an opt-out in his contract after 2025, which could be exercised with a strong campaign.

Due to the potential to have a lot of remaining salary on the contract, Suarez’s trade value is certainly impacted. However, there is no doubt that he would be an upgrade to the bullpen.

For Chicago, they do have to tread a little carefully when it comes to adding pieces to the bullpen. Pressly was very clear that he wanted to be the closer after waiving his no-trade clause to join the Cubs.

Suarez certainly has the ability to close games as well, totaling 36 last year.

If San Diego does end up moving pieces, they have multiple pitchers, including Suarez, who would make sense for Chicago.