Starting the season without Jameson Taillon and then immediately losing Justin Steele on Opening Day really set back the Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff. The domino effect is already hurting the Cubs and we’re barely into the second week of the regular season. The Cubs aren’t getting good length from their starting pitching, leading to a taxed bullpen and on Monday night everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

Following their historic meltdown against the San Diego Padres Monday night, the Cubs need to make a move or two to help address their bullpen woes. Right-hander Jose Cuas has been awful and at this point should probably be DFA’d or land on the injured list to make room for another reliever. It’s not out of the question that the Cubs explore the trade market, but it’s rare to see a substantial deal being made before June let alone before May.

So, where do the Cubs explore for answers? Well, right now the Cubs have to look within their own organization to get some help and hopefully the bullpen can survive until Taillon and Steele return, which would then allow Craig Counsell to utilize Ben Brown and Javier Assad out of the bullpen. Until then, here are some pitchers who can help the Cubs’ bullpen woes.

Keegan Thompson

Remember when Keegan Thomson was that dude? The 29-year-old had a rough 2023 season after everyone thought he was going to be a cornerstone out of the bullpen. The right-handed pitcher just could not rebound quickly enough to give the team quality innings last year, but he does have some resemblance of success at the major league level.

So far at Triple-A in 2024, Thompson has put his first outing in the rear-view window and has now thrown five scoreless innings in his last three appearances for the Iowa Cubs. In those three bullpen appearances, Thompson has struck out six, while allowing just one hit and two walks.

Thompson is already on the Cubs’ 40-man roster, so if the Cubs do opt to call him up, then they don’t have to let anyone loose to make room. That being said, the Cubs may ultimately place veteran reliever Julian Merryweather on the 60-day injured list to make room anyway.

Carl Edwards Jr.

The Cubs had Carl Edwards Jr. in camp during spring training, but despite a solid run in the Cactus League the righty did not make the team’s Opening Day roster. The Cubs were able to retain Edwards Jr., re-signing him to a minor league deal in early April and assigned him to Triple-A.

From 2022-23, Edwards Jr. pitched for the Washington Nationals and he was pretty good. He made 89 bullpen appearances in those two seasons and recorded a 3.07 ERA in 93.2 innings. Quality results that definitely went under the radar this past season because he had to settle for a non-roster invite to spring training with the Cubs. One thing that did set Edwards Jr. back in 2023, is that he missed nearly half the season because of a shoulder injury.

Fast forward to today, Edwards Jr. made his season debut with the Iowa Cubs. He had not pitched in a game since March 20, in spring training, so he probably needs a few more innings to settle back in. The righty walked three batters and was only able to record two outs on Tuesday.

The Unknowns

You’re probably thinking why Hayden Wesneski isn’t listed and yes he could be an option. However, it does seem like the Cubs are committed to keeping him stretched out as a starting pitcher. So, here are a few more potential call-up options who may not be as known.

Sam McWilliams, Richard Lovelady, Cam Sanders, Riley Thompson and Colton Brewer are other guys down at Triple-A who could get a look.

For the most part, the guys I’ve brought up would simply serve as a band-aid in the bullpen until the Cubs get healthy in the rotation. That won’t completely happen until early May, when the team is hopeful that Steele will return. By then, you’d also hope that Taillon has settled back into the rotation and then Craig Counsell can have more options in the bullpen.

Looking ahead in the season, aside from trades to improve the bullpen, the Cubs may also give Kohl Franklin a chance if he has a good run in Iowa. Franklin, who was drafted in the sixth round back in 2018, was officially promoted to Triple-A on Tuesday.

Another guy who is rising through the system is 22-year-old Michael Arias. The right-hander was a starter in Low-A and High-A Ball in 2023, but he’s been moved to the bullpen this year at Double-A. Like Luke Little and Daniel Palencia, Arias may make his way to the majors soon after transitioning to a reliever role in the minor leagues. Keep an eye on Arias’ progress this year.