A sometimes bi-weekly assessment of how confident I’m feeling when the Cubs call on each member of their bullpen. These assessments are often not completely rational. The ratings are based around how much each reliever causes my hair to turn grey or even fall out.
The Cubs bullpen just keeps leaking runs, game after game. Going into the playoffs, a team needs dominant starters or a solid bullpen, and the Cubs have neither. While the starters have been pretty good most of the time, the bullpen has just not been good enough for a playoff team.
There are 8 games left to make an impression, and this will be big to see who Counsell will trust – although trust might be too strong a term – to come in during the playoffs. It really is a shame that they could not get 3 or 4 guys to step up to make a solid group, as I’d have a lot more hope for a playoff run if that were the case.
Red means a player has dropped
Green a player has moved up
Blue a player stayed the same
Orange the player is new
No gray hair (extremely high confidence):
No one
Specks of gray hair (high confidence):
No one – which is a huge issue
Some gray hair (medium confidence)
–Ryan Rolison– Right now, he appears to be the best of the bunch. Is he the closer right now?
–Aaron Civale– He’s been great, but just how much can he be trusted?
–Javier Assad– He threw an 0-2, 94 mph fastball neck high, which a light-hitting catcher was able to tomahawk into right field, driving in the winning runs. That’s just an indicator that the bullpen does not have players who can finish off hitters when needed.
–Caleb Thielbar– He been one of the better relievers lately, but the home runs he allowed earlier in the season have made it difficult to build back up a lot of trust.
Lots of gray hair (low confidence)
–Ryan Zeferjahn– He’s showed some signs, but still has been allowing baserunners with some shaky control.
–Daniel Palencia– He’s looked a little bit better lately, with missing bats and getting a few strikeouts. But the trust is not yet there, and he appears to be a mid-innings guys and not a closer in 2026.
–Jacob Webb– Webb has been awful lately, allowing home runs in almost every appearance. He’s from the most reliable reliever to a guy who is almost not usable. He needs to be able to locate his fastball to make his changeup effective, but that has just not been the case. Can he recapture something in the next few weeks?
–Colin Rea– Maybe he should be higher in this list, but he’s become a bit of a forgotten man in the bullpen, primarily appearing in games that are out of hand in one direction or the other.
–Edward Cabrera– An “injury” to Trent Thornton opened the door for an audition of sorts for Cabrera as a reliever. He looked good in his first appearance before giving up a 2-run home run that took the game out of reach. I’d need to see at least two good performances to think he has a chance to make the playoff roster.
No hair left (no confidence)
Take your pick…Cabrera, Webb, Palencia…one of those guys could land here with a few bad performances to end the regular season.
Moved to the Rotation:
No one
Not Applicable (minors or injured):
–Trent Thornton– Thornton struggled a little bit before being out on the IL in a “cautionary move”, as he was having some discomfort in the ankle where he suffered an Achilles injury last season. I would not be surprised at all if he takes a playoff spot from one of the current relievers. Cabrera and Rea would be the guys that I would believe would be left off the playoff roster right now. But in a Wild Card series, we might see another pitcher left off.
–Shelby Miller – 60-day IL – Hopes for an unlikely return for Miller in 2026 were finally dashed, as he was shut down.
–Gavin Hollowell– 15-day-IL (rehab assignment) – He is on a rehab assignment, and has a slight chance to be on the playoff roster if soemone ese gets injured or falters.
–Andrew Wantz– AAA – In Iowa
–Ethan Roberts– AAA – In Iowa
–Hunter Harvey– 60-day IL – Shut down, and turned out to be an expensive mistake. Maybe he signs a smaller deal with the Cubs for 2027, but he can’t be trusted to stay healthy.
–Riley Martin– 60-day IL – Had heard he was shut down for the season, but it looks like he’s getting a couple of rehab appearances. But he will not be brought up.
–Phil Maton– 60-day IL – Had surgery on his troubled knee, and could be a factor in 2027? Maybe?
–Jordan Wicks– AAA – I would not be surprised to see the CUbs part ways with Wicks this off-season.
–Jayden Murray– AAA
–Ty Blach– AAA
–Corbin Martin– AAA
–Porter Hodge – 60-day IL – Out for 2026
Released:
Cubs in 7 
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