Cubs aren’t waiting until the trade deadline to make more moves for pitching

Drew Pomeranz already had Craig Counsell’s contact information stored in his phone when the Chicago Cubs manager reached out to welcome the 36-year-old left-handed pitcher to his new team. Pomeranz had just used the upward mobility clause in his minor-league contract with the Seattle Mariners, leveraging an April transfer from Triple-A Tacoma and appreciating an unexpected opportunity.

“It’s always good when (the manager) calls and the name pops up on your caller ID,” Pomeranz said. “This is my 11th organization in 15 years, so there’s a lot of those names that keep popping up. I’m just glad they’re still calling, to be honest.”

The sudden emergence of Pomeranz (0.00 ERA) as a key member of the pitching staff explains why the Cubs are continuing to monitor pitchers who have June opt-out clauses in their minor-league contracts, as well as relievers such as Jorge López, who was recently designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals. The small moves can add up throughout a 162-game season, and those types of transactions would not preclude Jed Hoyer’s front office from making a big summer splash.

If the first two months of a Major League Baseball season are figuring out what you have, the Cubs already know they possess the talent, depth and experience to compete with anybody. With two months to go until the July 31 trade deadline, what this first-place team needs is clear.

“To quote our manager, ‘We just need to get outs,’” Hoyer said when asked whether the rotation or the bullpen would be a higher priority at the trade deadline.

Counsell managed the Milwaukee Brewers when they acquired Pomeranz at the 2019 trade deadline. Though the baseball industry primarily viewed Pomeranz as a struggling starter at that time — he was 2-9 with a 5.68 ERA for the San Francisco Giants — the Brewers used the lefty almost exclusively out of the bullpen and watched him dominate (45 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings) in shorter bursts.

“I loved playing for Counsell,” Pomeranz said. “I was with him for 2 1/2 months. And probably the best 2 1/2 months I’ve ever pitched, to be honest. That’s what I told him: ‘I was pretty good for you last time, so hopefully I can give you something like that again.’”

That history factored into the decision to bring Pomeranz to Chicago. Though far from an unknown — Pomeranz was a first-round pick in 2010 and an All-Star in 2016 — he also had not pitched in a major-league game since 2021. In his debut as a Cub, Pomeranz struck out Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, beginning this run of 15 consecutive scoreless appearances.

The Cubs have also successfully incorporated Brad Keller (2.22 ERA in 26 appearances) and Chris Flexen (0.00 ERA in 14 1/3 innings), two pitchers who were signed to minor-league deals after being part of the historically bad Chicago White Sox team that lost 121 games last year.

Internally, the Cubs stuck with Daniel Palencia, who did not make the Opening Day roster but continues to earn Counsell’s trust. Since getting promoted from Triple-A Iowa in the middle of April, Palencia has notched five holds and five saves and taken over as the closer.

“It’s almost hard to keep up with,” Counsell said of the bullpen turnover. “But it just highlights the difficulty of the job, as much as anything. So you try to just embrace that it’s a harder job. And how you find the answers is to say, ‘I don’t know the answers.’

“Always be on the lookout. It’s a 365-day job, trying to get bullpen help. Some areas of the team, you can’t go get a third baseman on April 1, right? But with relievers, that’s how it works.”

López, for example, was released by the New York Mets last June after he threw his glove into the Citi Field stands. López, a one-time All-Star who previously worked with Counsell in Milwaukee, latched on with the Cubs and became one of their better relievers after that change of scenery.

López, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Nationals, is expected to clear waivers. The Cubs would not be in a position to offer López a guaranteed major-league spot or automatically put him at the top of a Triple-A depth chart that includes Nate Pearson, Gavin Hollowell, Tom Cosgrove and Riley Martin. But all that roster churn represents a chance to be opportunistic.

“You got to take shots,” Counsell said. “You never get satisfied. You never stop looking for those opportunities, and that’s something else that the organization is doing well. The quest for opportunities in pitching, it’s 365 days (a year). It doesn’t matter if it’s the offseason, May 28, June 28, August 28 — you’re trying to add pitching and develop pitching.”

Right now, that focus is particularly heightened. Between Justin Steele (season-ending elbow surgery) and Shota Imanaga (strained hamstring), the Cubs have two All-Star starters on the injured list, and their pitching depth is about to get tested even further. Beginning Tuesday night at Nationals Park, the Cubs are scheduled to play 26 games in 27 days.

Imanaga was scheduled to travel to Arizona this week and begin the next phase of his rehab program, which will progress from live batting practice to multiple outings in controlled game situations. Counsell said it doesn’t really matter if Imanaga got those reps at the Mesa complex or a minor-league affiliate. If there are no setbacks, Imanaga would rejoin the rotation later in June.

By that point, the Cubs might have clarity on whether disappointing clubs such as the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks will become sellers at the trade deadline. Though the Cubs are still dependent on the health of their own players, many of their preseason needs have been crossed off the list.

After years of wondering where the star power would come from, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki are performing at that level. Third base, the one big question mark among an established group of position players, appears to be resolved after Matt Shaw’s mental reset and mechanical adjustments at Triple A. The bench is also noticeably improved.

It is, and always will be, about pitching. When a team is already 15 games above .500, the goal becomes maximizing a tight-knit group and adding someone who can start a playoff game at Wrigley Field and help seize a World Series trophy

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