Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has given his vote of confidence for manager David Ross whenever asked this season. On Tuesday, Hoyer took it a step further.
Fans have voiced plenty of frustrations with Ross this season – so it goes for any manager of a slumping team with high expectations – but the most consistent complaints have revolved around bullpen management.
“I’ve put Rossy in a tough spot, to a certain extent” Hoyer said.
When Hoyer and his front office went about supplementing the bullpen this offseason, they followed a similar script to recent years. Going into 2021 and 2022, the Cubs signed veteran relievers like Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera, Chris Martin, Mychal Givens and David Robertson, helped them to first-half success, and then traded them.
“We’ve, candidly, done a really good job of finding relievers that could come in and throw high leverage innings at a relatively low cost on one-year deals,” Hoyer said. “And we’ve been building bullpens that way for a while. And this year that hasn’t worked yet.
“And that’s on me.”
The Cubs brought in Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger this season as their veteran relievers on one-year deals. But Fulmer has had an up-and-down season and run into some bad luck. Boxberger is on the 15-day IL with a strained right forearm. Ross has adjusted his strategy accordingly, with mixed results. Entering Tuesday, the Cubs bullpen’s 4.50 ERA ranked No. 24 in MLB.
“I love working with him every day. We’ve got a great rapport,” Hoyer said, adding that he, general manager Carter Hawkins and senior vice president of pitching Craig Breslow are in contact with Ross, bench coach Andy Green and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy every day. “And the goal is always to get better. The goal is to make sure that we’re maximizing our personnel. And it’s still May 23. We’ll get there.”
Hoyer’s words won’t stop disgruntled fans from channeling their frustrations toward Ross.
Winning would.
On Tuesday, the Cubs took the first step to dragging themselves out of a rut, beating the Mets 7-2. Christopher Morel extended his home run streak to five games, making him the first Cub to do so since Sammy Sosa in 1998. Seiya Suzuki and Matt Mervis added long balls of their own, Mervis recording the first Wrigley Field homer of his career.
Starter Drew Smyly was charged with two runs in five-plus innings, and relievers Jeremiah Estrada, Julian Merryweather, Mark Leiter Jr. and Fulmer kept Mets’ bats at bay.
Keep in mind, the bullpen could still evolve throughout the season.
“We have a lot of power arms in the minors and in the organization,” Hoyer said. “And we’re going to get there.”
The Cubs continue adding to that depth. They sent right-hander Daniel Palencia to their Arizona complex to transition from a starter to a reliever. And on Tuesday, they assigned him to Triple-A Iowa.
“He’s a guy that fits that bill,” Hoyer said. “He’s up to 102 [mph], he’s got offspeed pitches. … It’s nice to have those kinds of arms. And we’ll be transitioning some of those guys into the bullpen for weeks and months to come.”
Then there’s right-hander Codi Heuer (Tommy John surgery), who is on a rehab assignment in Iowa. Hoyer said he couldn’t pinpoint when Heuer will return from the 60-day IL, citing some inconsistency. But when Heuer is activated, he’s expected to provide a mid-season boost.
If the Cubs turn around their first half, the team could also decide to add at the trade deadline.
“Every team is thinking about it,” Hoyer said of the deadline, “in one direction or the other.”