The Next Big Thing in Chicago! Cubs Reliever Poised for Breakout Season

The Chicago Cubs bullpen was feast or famine last season.

In the first half of the 2024 campaign, the Cubs relief corps suffered through a full-on collapse with key bullpen pieces Adbert Alzolay and Hector Neris failing and 2023 relief asset Julian Merryweather falling to injury.

The poor beginning saw the Cubs unable to hold leads, putting additional strain on the rest of the team and, ultimately, putting them into a hole from which they were never able to completely emerge.

Under the guidance of manager Craig Counsell and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, the bullpen righted itself in the second half of the season, posting a 3.51 ERA that ranked eighth in the majors. The turnaround, however, proved to be too little, too late to help the team work its way back into postseason contention.

A Key Ingredient in the Chicago Cubs 2024 Bullpen Turnaround

One of the key pieces in that turnaround was hard-throwing right-hander Nate Pearson.

The 6-foot-6 mound presence came to the Cubs a few days before the trade deadline from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor-leaguers Yohendrick Pinango and Josh Rivera.

The one-time top prospect and former first round draft pick for the Blue Jays had struggled to find his major league footing up until that point, posting a 5.21 ERA in 93 total games over parts of four seasons. After some tweaking from Cubs coaching, though, Pearson appeared to be reborn and rejuvenated. In 19 games and 26.1 innings with his new team, he notched a 2.73 ERA with a .987 WHIP.

This eye-catching rebirth leads some to believe that the 28-year-old has finally hit his stride as a major league presence.

Nate Pearson, Due To Be A Breakout Star?

R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports believes that Pearson might turn out to be an under-the-radar breakout star for the Cubs this season.

Per Anderson:

“Pearson, who turned 28 last August, used to be a frontline starting pitcher prospect. It’s fair to conclude his career hasn’t gone according to plan in the years since: he’s compiled an ERA+ over 100 just once to date in the big leagues, and that was as part of a season in which he logged 15 innings. Prospects really will break your heart, man.

Nevertheless, I could see the upcoming season serving as a turnaround point in his career. Pearson has always had a lively arsenal, but he threw significantly more strikes last season upon joining the Cubs and changing his placement on the rubber. Will those gains stick? We’ll find out soon enough. If the answer is ‘yes,’ then Pearson could find himself working high-leverage innings before the summer rolls around.”

Lessons Learned, Role Fulfilled

Pearson has embraced his role in the bullpen, although the possibility of being transitioned back to a starter, per some front office buzz this offseason, also appears to be to his liking. In the meantime, he claims to have learned some lessons regarding focus and preparation.

“Be ready for anything, no matter what part of the game it is, whether it’s early or it’s late,” Pearson told Marquee Sports Network earlier in the season. “Just stay locked in and when your name gets called, just go out there and compete.”

He’s also blended in nicely with a bullpen that bonded over the second half of 2024 and looks to be fortified with some key additions this coming season.

“The guys are great down there,” Pearson added. “We keep it pretty loose early in the game and once the starter gets around 50-60 pitches, we all start to lock in on our routines and start our prep and everything…It’s just a great group of guys and I can’t wait for this year.”

A locked-in Pearson will be a great asset for the team and provide some insurance should the bullpen start to fail early in the season once again.