Injuries and Inconsistency Cost Alzolay, Trading Bellinger Seems Counterproductive

The Cubs’ path of least resistance to the 2025 postseason is through its bullpen, and Jed Hoyer made two significant moves on Wednesday. The president of baseball operations designated Adbert Alzolay for assignment, then acquired reliever Eli Morgan from the Guardians to strengthen the bullpen. The executive also acquired catcher Matt Thaiss from the Angels while saying “Thanks, but no thanks” to Patrick Wisdom, Brennen Davis, and Trey Wingenter. Low-A outfield prospect Alfonsin Rosario will join Cleveland as the return for Morgan.

Many Cubs fans were sad to see Alzolay go, but injuries and inconsistency forced Hoyer’s hand. The reliever is a genuinely nice kid who gained more notoriety with a social media catchphrase and subsequent t-shirt than he did with results. Davis and Wisdom are reportedly nice guys as well, but baseball is a results business and it’s enjoyable (for a change) to see Hoyer reveal his inner Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross.

• “Put that coffee down. That coffee is for closers. Hit the bricks pal, and beat it.”
• “Nice guy? I don’t give a shit. Good father? Go home and play with your kids. You wanna work here? Close!”

That’s a little extreme, and the Cubs aren’t blameless either. Injuries follow Chicago’s players like a wayward puppy pawing up a seven-year-old. The organization also didn’t do Alzolay any favors by failing to give him a role commensurate with his abilities. He lacked the stamina of a starter and the fortitude to close or pitch in high-leverage situations. Alzolay is better suited for a team like the Rays, who might see the 29-year-old as a middle reliever and sometimes opener. If that’s the case, we can all wish him well.

Alzolay had five blown saves and three losses over 18 appearances in 2024 before an elbow injury ended his season. His problems started at the end of 2023 when he blew leads in two of five appearances to close the season. The righty had Tommy John surgery a few months ago and will miss at least most of the 2025 season.

Morgan is an excellent acquisition who flew under the radar in Cleveland because of Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, and Cade Smith. He has options, too, something the Cubs love because they tend to shuttle relievers back and forth to Iowa. He’s also controlled for another three seasons with an expected post-arb salary of about $1 million this season. Barring injury, Morgan should have a multiyear spot at the back end of Chicago’s bullpen.

A Note on Thaiss

The 29-year-old catcher was considered an elite prospect when he was a 2016 first-round draft pick by the Angels. Scouts said he was one of the purest hitters of his draft class and he displayed patience and good pitch selection as a minor league prospect. Thaiss never tapped into his power potential and lost his plate discipline with a more aggressive approach. His odds of staying with the Cubs seem remote at this point unless he passes through waivers.

Ball Four

I want somebody to explain something like I’m a five-year-old because I don’t follow. Many Cubs fans want to trade Cody Bellinger simply because he chose not to opt out. Chicago has several fringe 20-home-run players, and Bellinger is one, but Craig Counsell doesn’t have a masher who strikes fear in the eyes of opposing pitchers. In two seasons, the former MVP and Rookie of the Year has 44 big flies with 52 doubles, 175 RBI, and 29 stolen bases. Bellinger has been worth 6.6 WAR as a Cub, and that’s some decent production.

The obvious move is to trade Bellinger and sign someone like Juan Soto or Anthony Santander, but Hoyer isn’t going to pay market value for either slugger. So if you trade Bellinger, how does Hoyer replace that production and still add power to his lineup?

The Cubs could trade Nico Hoerner, promote Matt Shaw, make Seiya Suzuki the full-time DH, and then sign or trade for a right fielder. Santander (2.9 WAR) and someone like Tyler O’Neill (2.6) are only marginal upgrades and Chicago would lose a lot of speed without Hoerner and Bellinger (103 combined stolen bases in 2023-24). Soto checks all the boxes except speed, but that isn’t going to happen. That’s also a lot of moves to make for a potential uptick, the downside being a higher risk of failure because you are shuffling too many parts.

Hoyer’s best option is to keep Bellinger and perhaps trade him at the deadline or hope he opts out next winter. Owen Caissie will be the team’s starting right fielder in 2026 unless something has gone wrong, so there is no need to block him with a veteran on a big free-agent contract. Even if it feels like moving the goalposts a bit, Shaw, Caissie, Kevin Alcántara, and Cam Smith being regulars in ’26 is the more prudent option for the team’s future.