Despite not ever really getting involved with the likes of Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, the Chicago Cubs still had some major areas of focus this offseason – namely, a bullpen that lost several key pieces, including Justin Wilson, Jesse Chavez and Jorge De La Rosa.
Chavez and De La Rosa came over via midseason acquisition. Wilson, meanwhile, rebounded from a lackluster 2017 showing and become more of a staple from the left side for manager Joe Maddon. But with Wilson departing to the New York Mets via free agency, Theo Epstein was tasked with replacing him and shoring up the depth in a bullpen that ranked fifth in baseball in innings pitched last year.