The Chicago Cubs have already started to add relievers to their bullpen.<\/p>\n
Last week, the Cubs made a shocking move to sign veteran right-hander Phil Maton to a multi-year deal. What\u2019s surprising about that deal is that Maton\u2019s multi-year contract is the first time the front office has given out more than a one-year contract due to a reliever since Craig Kimbrel in 2019.<\/p>\n
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Getting a pitcher of Maton\u2019s caliber this early in the offseason is a win for the Cubs. He struck out batters at a high level last season and figures to have a key role in high-leverage situations throughout the 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n
But according to Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma, they expect the Cubs to add another veteran bullpen arm this offseason. Mooney and Sharma then went on to name drop former Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Evan Phillips as a potential target for the Cubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile far from the only reliever on Chicago\u2019s radar, Phillips profiles as the type of pitcher the Cubs have successfully identified and incorporated into the bullpen,\u201d they wrote in a piece at The Athletic. \u201cAmong pitchers, Cubs manager Craig Counsell has an excellent reputation for keeping their health at the forefront of his decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phillips emerged as one of the top relievers in baseball in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He finished with a 1.14 ERA across 63 innings pitched in 2022 and then transitioned into more of a closer role the following year. The right-hander converted 24 of 27 save opportunities in 2023 while maintaining a 2.05 ERA.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s obvious that Phillips has shown some consistency on the mound in his career, but the last two seasons haven\u2019t been ideal for the 31-year-old. His numbers regressed in 2024 (3.62 ERA across 54 \u2154 innings), and he then missed most of the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery.<\/p>\n
With Phillips undergoing Tommy John surgery in early June, the expectation is that he will miss most, if not all, of the first half of the 2026 season. For that reason, it might be hard for Cubs fans to get excited about the team\u2019s potential interest in him.<\/p>\n
But if the front office can sign him to a cheap contract, this would be a nice addition for the Cubs for the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
Although his numbers regressed during that 2024 campaign, Phillips did get a little bit unlucky on the mound. His expected ERA (3.29) was 33 points lower than his actual ERA (3.62), and his hard-hit rate (32.7%), expected batting average (.225), and strikeout rate (27.6%) all ranked in the upper half of the league.<\/p>\n
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The Cubs would be getting another relief pitcher who could strike out batters at an elite level. He has finished with a strikeout rate of over 27% in four straight seasons, including finishing with a career-high 33% strikeout rate in 2022.<\/p>\n
Not having him for the majority of the first half of the season would hurt a bit. However, his return later in the season would boost the Cubs\u2019 bullpen. Additionally, signing Phillips might not be too expensive, considering he is recovering from Tommy John surgery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Cubs are eyeing elite reliever Evan Phillips. Can he bolster their bullpen down the stretch despite coming off Tommy John surgery?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":124791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[282,1263,2082,39,3288,2528,4657,3361,2067],"class_list":["post-124790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-kimbrel","tag-evan-phillips","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-patrick-mooney","tag-phil-maton","tag-relievers","tag-the-cubs","tag-tommy-john-surgery"],"yoast_head":"\n