The Chicago Cubs bullpen won’t be fixed through a trade for a big-name reliever

The thought of Mason Miller coming in from the doors set in the ivy-colored left field wall at Wrigley Field to slam the door and notch a save is certainly enticing. Seeing him blow a 103 MPH fastball past a guy for the last out of the game would send the Wrigley Field faithful into a tizzy on a sunny Friday afternoon, giving the Chicago Cubs a shutdown closer for the first time in years.

But it’s never going to happen.

Jed Hoyer has always been meticulous when assembling his bullpens, opting for reclamation projects and aging veterans instead of unloading cash or prospects to land high-profile ninth-inning arms. The lone exception came back in 2016, when the Cubs traded Gleyber Torres for Aroldis Chapman en route to a 108-year drought-snapping World Series title.

Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney at The Athletic (subscription required) pointed out in a recent piece that the Cubs are notoriously active for in-season additions, especially in the bullpen. But they rarely, if ever, over-extend themselves or go all-in on one major piece. Just look at the names the team has brought in over the years: Justin Wilson, Andrew Chafin, Brandon Kintzler, Jesse Chavez, Trevor Cahill – these are hardly household names.

Yes, the Craig Kimbrel signing bucked the trend. But, again, that was solely because the Cubs were able to wait him out and avoid any sort of draft pick compensation.