Bernfield: Cubs' starters great, but bullpen needs some love
Cubs management deserves ample praise for their rebuilding effort thus far.
Their starting pitching rotation is the best in the game, with the league's lowest combined ERA by nearly three-quarters of a run. President Theo Epstein and company lured prized free agents Jon Lester and John Lackey to Chicago in consecutive seasons. They made a pair of brilliant trades, acquiring Jake Arrieta from Baltimore for Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger, and Kyle Hendricks in the deal that sent Ryan Dempster to Texas.
The Cubs have acquired big pitching elsewhere, too. They found closer Hector Rondon in the Rule-5 draft, picked up Pedro Strop in the Arrieta trade, and flipped Sean Marshall to get Travis Wood early in their tenure.
But there is one area that needs significant improvement: the bullpen.
The Cubs have failed to draft a single pitcher on their Major League roster. Four-and-a-half seasons into the Epstein era, none of the arms the Cubs drafted have pitched in the big leagues.
Not one.
It's stunning when you consider the success they've had drafting and developing position players in the same time frame. Despite a 97-win season last year and the best record in baseball this year, the bullpen remains a revolving door.
Effective bullpen arms are often the hardest to identify for a Major League team. They're typically pitchers who couldn't thrive as starters. They pitch in small sample sizes and often in high-stress situations. Finding relievers who are consistently successful is difficult and unpredictable.
Had the Cubs done a better job drafting pitchers, they would be able to fix their middle-inning struggles from within, just like they've done with position players.
While Albert Almora Jr., Willson Contreras and Javier Baez are not ready for full-time roles, they have proven useful while the Cubs deal with injuries to Dexter Fowler, Jorge Soler and Tommy La Stella. They're examples of the Cubs' organizational depth and proficiency drafting and developing enough talent to withstand injuries during a season. Don't forget, the Cubs have played all season without Kyle Schwarber and still have scored the third-most runs in baseball.
Lacking similar depth in the bullpen, the Cubs were forced to take a flier on 40-year-old Joel Peralta instead of calling up a promising young arm. They're hoping 41-year-old Joe Nathan recovers from Tommy John Surgery enough to contribute down the stretch. They'll be in the market for at least one bullpen arm before August 1 and may have to pay dearly to land an impact pitcher for the playoffs.
The Cubs' keen ability to draft and develop offensive talent has afforded them the luxury to have quality replacement players in times of need. But their lack of pitching depth leaves little margin for error in a season with championship aspirations.
• Jordan Bernfield is an anchor and co-host of "Inside The Clubhouse" on WSCR 670-AM The Score. He also works as a play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @JordanBernfield.