Chicago Cubs suddenly tied to a closer who had a 2.45 ERA last season

The Chicago Cubs were closely tied to reliever/closer Tanner Scott before he ended up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  His four year, $72 million deal, that includes a $20 million signing bonus and $21 million in deferrals, is a rich contract for a bullpen arm but as the top available remaining option he was expected to get a nice pay day.

With Scott gone, the Cubs must quickly pivot to other reliever/closer options.  Recently, Jon Morosi at MLB Network provided some insight as to what Chicago was offering Scott as well as who they are targeting afterwards.

Tanner Scott received a competitive multi year offer from the Chicago Cubs 

Ignoring the deferrals and large signing bonus, Scott’s contract with the Dodgers has an average annual value of $18 million.  The Cubs reportedly offered him $16.5 million per year as they had a four year, $66 million deal on the table.  Per Pat Ragazzo, Chicago was unwilling to go to four years until the closing minutes of Scott signing with Los Angeles.

Other teams rumored to be in the mix for Scott were the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles

Heard the Cubs offered Tanner Scott a 4-year contract at $66 million, prior to his agreement with the Dodgers. @MLBNetwork @670TheScore

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 20, 2025

The Chicago Cubs have been tied to Carlos Estevez 

With Scott off the free agent market, the Cubs were quickly tied to Carlos Estevez afterwards.  The 32 year old right-hander had a 2.45 ERA last year across tenures with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies.  All together he pitched 55.0 innings and collected 26 saves.  A season prior, with the Angels, he compiled 31 saves and was an All-Star.

Carlos Estévez’s free agent market is intensifying, following the Tanner Scott and A.J. Minter signings in recent days.

The Blue Jays and Cubs — both of whom had interest in Scott — are among several teams pursuing Estévez.@MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 19, 2025

What happens if the Cubs miss out on Estevez? 

Jed Hoyer relayed at Cubs Convention that they essentially will add a back end of the bullpen piece before the season begins.  He was aggressive in his pursuit towards Scott, but should they miss out on Estevez he would still have options like Kyle Finnegan, Kirby Yates, and Kenley Jansen to choose from.

It will be interesting to see who the Cubs end up adding, but it’s clear that they will be adding someone.