Cubs linked to Luke Weaver as bullpen overhaul begins

Dan Hamilton - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

With the GM Meetings about to come to a close, it's time to start prepping for the Winter Meetings, which are set to begin in early December. Although the MLB Offseason has officially been underway for a while, the Winter Meetings are when things start to get rolling, as that is when the first of all the free agent dominos begin to fall.

When it comes to the Cubs, they are one of the more intriguing teams of the offseason, coming off a 92-win season that saw them make the postseason only to fall to the Brewers in the Wild Card round. As disappointing as that was for them, they did force five games and win their first playoff series since 2017.

The next step for them is to build on this season and set the stage for them to become a consistent contender, rather than a one-year wonder that caught lightning in a bottle with a late surge of players. In a recent interview with Jed Hoyer at the GM Meetings, he discussed the team's status and his plans for free agency.

Sure, the roster will continue to be a topic of conversation, but with Kyle Tucker as the only regular player to hit the market, most of the Cubs' offense will be intact unless trades are made. Pitching, on the other hand, especially the bullpen, is another story as the Cubs currently have Porter Hodge and Daniel Palencia as the lone relievers under contract next season.

That alone is why Hoyer said the team's focus for the offseason will be on pitching, as you can never have too much starting pitching. The question becomes, what kind of pitching do the Cubs target, apart from just adding to their roster? Will it be more of the Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, and Brad Keller deals that are seen as one-year flyer deals, or do the Cubs finally go out and address some of their needs in an effort to lock things down for the foreseeable future?

Those questions are for another day as we look at another potential free agent target in right-hander Luke Weaver. Seen as the 41st best free agent on the market, the Cubs are not only linked to him but are also seen as the favorite to land him this offseason, which could be a massive win for them should they secure a deal.

Much older than many thought he was, Weaver is 32 and will be 33 next season. If his name sounds familiar, it is due mainly to him pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals back in the day, as he made his MLB debut with St. Louis way back in 2016. Since then, Weaver has bounced around the league, pitching for six different organizations, including the New York Yankees, which is where he has spent his past three seasons.

Since making his debut, Weaver has been an extremely busy arm, appearing in 270 career games (106), coming as a starter. That demonstrates his overall flexibility as a pitcher, though his days as a starter are likely over unless they use him more as an opener at this point in his career.

Across his career, Weaver has struggled at times, going 38-49 with a 4.74 ERA, but has started to round into form since joining the Yankees. While he may have only pitched three games with them in 2023, he has bounced back to appear in 126 games in the past two seasons in the Bronx, including 64 games this past season, which was a career high in appearances for him.

While there were some struggles at times, Weaver still managed to pitch well out of the pen, going 4-4 with a respectable 3.64 ERA across 64 innings. He did that while adding 11 holds and eight saves as he pitched in a variety of roles throughout the season. The 64 innings fell right in line with most of his relief-only seasons, as he has topped the 100-inning mark just twice in his career.

With overall flexibility comes dominating performances at times, as Weaver struck out 72 in his 64 innings, compared to just 20 walks. Looking for a multi-year contract around 16 million, Weaver would be a nice addition to any team, and the Cubs are no exception.

This is someone you could use anywhere in the pen, whether it be the later innings as a setup man or in the middle innings to get the ball to the back of the pen. You could all see Weaver be used as what you would call the swing man, filling in the role that Colin Rea had last season before he made the jump to the rotation. Either way, look for Weaver to be a hot commodity this offseason and someone the Cubs will kick the tires on.