Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs have been busy throughout the MLB offseason. However, there are still some areas that they’re looking to improve even more.
Obviously, the biggest move of the offseason so far has been the blockbuster trade for superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker. The Cubs also traded star first baseman and outfielder Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees.
Outside of those two moves, Chicago has made a flurry of other roster additions.
Matthew Boyd was signed to bolster the rotation and the Cubs have added some relief pitchers as well.
Eli Morgan was acquired in a trade and they have signed Ben Heller, Caleb Thielbar, Brooks Kriske, Phil Bickford, Christopher Aranguren, Luis Mata, Anhuar Garcia, Anthony Feliz, Darlin Ventura, Jose Urena, Jubrayker Salaya, and Geovanny Villarroel all to minor league contracts.
Most of those signings won’t end up working out, but they’re worth taking a look at.
Now, Chicago is showing interest in another intriguing left-handed relief pitcher.
According to a report from The Athletic, the Cubs and Yankees have both shown interest in 36-year-old reliever Brooks Raley.
Raley is coming off of Tommy John surgery that he had back in May of last year. He’s hoping to get back on the mound by the start of July.
During the 2023 season with the New York Mets, Raley ended up appearing in 66 games. He compiled a 1-2 record to go along with a 2.80 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, a 2.4 K/BB ratio, 25 holds, three saves, and three blown saves.
When he is healthy, Raley is capable of being a quality bullpen option. Whoever ends up signing him will have to wait until the middle of the season to potentially get him back, but he could be a sleeper addition.
Chicago could not make a mistake by bringing in more bullpen arms. The team struggled with consistency out of the bullpen last season and cannot afford to have the same issues in 2025.
All of that being said, Raley could be a name to keep an eye on. If he can bounce back strong from his Tommy John surgery, he could end up being an impact piece in the second half of the year.
