Chicago Cubs swap out Edward Cabrera as bullpen hits a stride

The Chicago Cubs finally clinched their playoff spot. They’re now jockeying for position in the National League Wild Card standings to see where and against whom they begin their postseason run.

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As things stand right now, they are in the No. 2 seed of the NL Wild Card race, one game behind the San Diego Padres and one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies, with just one three-game series left in the season.

And while the settling of their opponent and location will affect their chances in the postseason, the biggest bits of uncertainty remain within the team itself.

One of their biggest issues continues to be a bullpen that has been inconsistent at best and horrible at worst.

Cabrera out, Hollowell in

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On Friday, one piece of that questionable relief corps was switched out. The Cubs placed Edward Cabrera on the Family Medical Emergency List and then recalled Gavin Hollowell from Triple-A Iowa for the final series of the season.

Cabrera has been pitching out of the bullpen since making his return from the IL in mid-September, but things have not been going well at all. In 3 relief appearances, the righty is posting an 11.25 ERA and has allowed 5 hits and 4 walks in 4 total innings.

Hollowell, meanwhile, had a 2.51 ERA through 14.1 innings pitched with the big league Cubs before being put on the shelf with right shoulder inflammation.

So, despite the Cubs’ plans for Cabrera as a long-relief option in the pen, the Hollowell-for-Cabrera swap in the roster might be considered a positive

Another potential positive is the possible return of Justin Steele, who could see some work in the bullpen before closing the curtain on a frustrating 2026 spent recovering from 2025 elbow surgery and then a flexor strain. In a perfect world, Steele would prove himself capable of taking a bullpen spot as a left-handed short relief option, possibly as a replacement for the struggling Caleb Thielbar.

Hollowell and Steele over Cabrera and Thielbar would be potential positives, although there are a lot of “buts” and “what ifs” tied into the swaps.

More bullpen positives

However, the good news for the Cubs is that there are actually some “for real” positives popping up when it comes to the beleaguered bullpen.

Daniel Palencia, for example, has now gone 6 outings without allowing a run and 8 outings without allowing an earned run. In his last eight appearances, he’s only allowed 5 base runners (4 via walk and 1 via hit).

Ryan Zeferjahn, who struggled when first coming to the Cubs from the Angels at the trade deadline, has now gone 6 outings without allowing a run. Waiver wire acquisition Ryan Rolison has been a surprise asset since coming to the team. Colin Rea, Javier Assad, and Aaron Civale have also looked good down the stretch as multi-inning relief options.

So, it’s not all doom and gloom when talking about the Cubs’ bullpen. But there’s significant weakness and insecurity there to be concerned about what may happen when this group hits high-pressure postseason play.

Whatever the case, though, this is the bullpen the Cubs have and everyone will just have to cross fingers and hold on tight to see how everything plays out.

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