Cubs' bullpen surges to top of MLB as unsung arms step up

Palencia has the talent to be a top closer (Katie Stratman - USA Today Sports)

Anthony Pasquale - Staff Writer - 11 hours ago

As the Cubs enter June, a bullpen that was once a weakness for this team has developed into a strength. In fact, the Cubs had the best bullpen ERA for the entire month of May and have had MLB’s best bullpen ERA since April 16th, with the lowest batting average against of any bullpen during that span.

That isn’t to say the Cubs’ depth hasn’t been tested. First off, both of the Cubs’ top two starting pitchers have been sidelined with injury. 2023 All-Star Justin Steele had elbow surgery and is out for the season. Shota Imanaga was off to another strong start in 2025 after his All-Star season a year ago, and has been sidelined for over a month with an injury.

Javier Assad was expected to be a big aid either in the rotation or the pen, and has yet to make his season debut due to injury. Jordan Wicks has made 17 starts over the past two seasons but has been limited to just two professional appearances in 2025 due to injuries and ineffectiveness.

In the bullpen, the backend was expected to include Julian Merryweather, Tyson Miller, and both Porter Hodge and Ryan Pressly. Merryweather was designated for assignment after posting a 5.79 ERA in less than 20 innings. Miller has yet to make his 2025 debut and has since been transferred to the 60-day injured list as he battles injury. Meanwhile, Pressly made four saves before getting yanked from the closer’s role when he allowed eight earned runs against the Giants on May 6th. Hodge was then inserted into the closer’s role, making a pair of saves prior to landing on the injured list in the middle of May.

By now, you must be wondering how the Cubs have built such a strong bullpen despite all the obstacles in their way. This would be the time when you start to give Jed Hoyer some credit for some of the low-risk, high-reward moves that have paid off in a big way thus far in 2025.

Let’s start with Daniel Palencia. The stuff has always been there with Palencia, but he has struggled with command in his young career. He is just 25 years old, but has pitched in parts of three seasons with the Cubs. With a fastball that sits in the triple digits regularly, it makes sense why the Cubs have been so committed to his development. With Hodge on the injured list and Pressly out of the closer’s role, the Cubs have gone with Palencia since.

The Venezuela native has converted five of six save chances and has seven strikeouts in his six save appearances — even better, just one free pass issued by the right-hander. He carries himself with a charisma that many have compared to the swagger that Adbert Alzolay had when he was closing games for the 2023 Cubs.

But it’s not just Palencia’s 1.74 ERA in 19 games that deserves praise.

Brad Keller was a name that many were surprised to hear he made the major league roster out of Spring Training. Originally signing a minor league deal, Keller earned a spot on the big league team after an impressive spring. Keller is enjoying a resurgence out of the Cubs’ bullpen, with a fastball that now touches triple digits. In 27 appearances, Keller has pitched to a strong 2.15 ERA.

There are also a pair of aging former starters that have combined to sport an ERA of 0.00 on the year: Chris Flexen and Drew Pomeranz. Flexen made 30 starts last season for the White Sox and turned in an ERA of almost 5.00. But in 14.1 innings in 2025, he has only allowed seven hits and has yet to surrender an earned run. Pomeranz has battled numerous injuries that have kept him out of baseball since 2021 with the Padres. In his return to regular big league action, the 36-year-old has thrown almost 15 scoreless frames to open up 2025. He has finished three games, started two, and has turned into a reliable Swiss Army knife in Craig Counsell’s bullpen.

In 26 appearances, left-hander Caleb Thielbar has posted a solid 1.99 ERA as well. In only six outings due to injury, Ryan Brasier has been strong as well for the Cubs.

Even Pressly, who has been yanked from the closer’s role, has not surrendered an earned run in 21 of his last 22 outings, including a stretch of 11 straight scoreless frames. The blemish on Pressly’s game log is an outing vs San Fran where he allowed a whopping eight earned runs.

While the season continues, I’m sure the Cubs would like to get more out of Luke Little, Jordan Wicks, and Nate Pearson, who have struggled at the major league level this year, as well as reintroduce Porter Hodge in the backend of the bullpen once he is healthy.

Plus, adding Tyson Miller back into the mix if he clears waivers and recovers from injury, as well as Javier Assad and Eli Morgan, would be a welcome sight for a Cubs team that knows you can never have enough pitching.

But either way, it feels as if the Cubs have worked their magic again. A unit that did not appear to be a strength of the team in April seems to be a strong suit as the Cubs are off to their best start in a season since 2016.