During this offseason, the Chicago Cubs are looking to strengthen their pitching staff. As it turns out, it is not just on the mound.
On Saturday, the Cubs announced they had hired former pitcher Tyler Zombro as their vice president of pitching, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. This comes after the Washington Nationals were pursuing Zombro, per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.
Even though he was signed to the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers, Zombro had never pitched in an MLB game. He spent his entire time in the minor leagues. In 2024, the Cubs hired Zombro as a special assistant for the organization.
Essentially, Zombro was instrumental in adding Brad Keller. He would go on to become an effective reliever during the playoffs. Ultimately, the Cubs finished the year at 92-70 and made it to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
They defeated the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card Series. However, they would go on to lose to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS. A significant reason for the Cubs promoting Zombro is his broad understanding of pitching development.
The current needs of the Cubs' pitching staff
A significant focus for the Cubs is strengthening their bullpen. Keller, Caleb Thielbar, and Drew Pomeranz have all become free agents, and the bullpen is significantly depleted. The Cubs need to go all out to secure those late-inning arms that can handle the pressure.
Plus, Chicago needs to look at getting more left-handed pitchers. Currently, they have plenty of right-handers and need to strike a balance. The Cubs recently signed left-hander Hoby Milner.
Also, Chicago needs a top starting pitcher. They still have Justin Steele, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, and Cade Horton, but need that staff ace.
Safe to say that Zombro will have his work cut out for him.
