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As the Cubs look to strengthen the back end of their bullpen, theyve considered a lengthy list of names via both the trade market and free agency. that Chicago has some interest in Astros righty and that theyve looked into a long list of free agents , , , and among them. The Cubs recently to the Dodgers in their quest to sign , putting forth a reported four-year, $66MM offer that broke all recent precedent for Chicagos approach to bullpen acquisitions. The Cubs havent given out a multi-year guarantee or even an eight-figure salary to any individual reliever since signing in 2019. Signing Scott wouldve marked a major paradigm shift for president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. Thats also true of free agent Carlos Estevez, to whom the Cubs have also . Conversely, the list of considerations highlighted by Mooney and Sharma are more in line with the teams prior approach to bullpen building. Pre sly stands as the most interesting name in many regards. A trade involving the longtime Houston stopper would have major ramifications for two clubs and ripple effects throughout the rest of the free-agent market. Hes owed $14MM this season in the final year of his contract but also wields a no-trade clause, allowing him to control his own fate. If Pre sly were amenable to a trade thatd send him to Wrigley Field, the Cubs would immediately have Pau Gasol Jersey a new closer, while the Astros would dip back under the luxury tax threshold. Houston currently sits just $3MM over the line, . Trading Pre sly would put them $11MM under the threshold, perhaps giving the Stros the financial leeway to pursue an outfielder. Theyre reportedly interested in , for instance. The 36-year-old Pre sly was the primary closer in Houston for four seasons, from 2020-23, before giving way to free-agent signee in 2024. Pre sly moved into a setup role this past season and tallied 25 holds in addition to four saves. He pitched 56 2/3 innings with a solid 3.49 ERA, a 23.8% strikeout rate, a 7.4% walk rate, a 48.8% ground-ball rate and just 0.64 homers per nine innings. All of those rate stats were better than league-average, but many still represent a step in the wrong direction for Pre sly. Beginning with his 2018 breakout in Minnesota and stretching through the 2023 season, for instance, Pre sly punched out a whopping 32.6% of his opponents with just a 6.4% walk rate. The uptick in walks this past season wasnt nece sarily glaring, but its fair to say Pre sly isnt mi sing bats anywhere close to where he did at his peak. A four-seamer that average 95.3 mph from 18-23 checked in at a 93.8 mph average in 24, and his swinging-strike rate dipped from 16.6% (again, 18-23) to a strong but far le s remarkable 12.6%. League-average this past season was 11.1%. Payroll-wise, adding Pre sly would bump the Cubs to around $194MM in 2025 payroll with about $212MM worth of luxury considerations. Thatd leave them $29MM shy of this years $241MM tax threshold. The Cubs and Astros already got together on one blockbuster, sending from Houston to Chicago in exchange for infielder , righty and top prospect . One would presume that Pre slys name at least came up in those talks, but a larger and more complex package shipping both Tucker and Pre sly to Wrigley Field was obviously never reached. The free agent candidates laid out by The Athletic all fit the Cubs typical preference for short-term acquisitions in the bullpen, but genuine pursuits of Jansen and/or Robertson would still mark a change of note. From 2020-24, the largest guarantee the Cubs gave to a reliever was $9MM deal last offseason. Either Jansen or Robertson would likely command an eight-figure guarantee. Jansen saved 27 games and posted a 3.29 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate in 54 2/3 innings with the Red Sox this past season. Robertson notched a 3.00 earned run average in 72 innings with Texas, punching out one-third of opponents against a 9.1% walk rate. The Cubs are plenty familiar with Robertson, of course. He signed a small one-year deal there prior to the 2022 season and largely revived his career at Wrigley Field. This time around, however, the circumstances would be different. Robertson inked an incentive-laden $3.5MM deal for one year in the 2021-22 offseason, as hed yet to fully reestablish himself following Tommy John surgery while playing for the Phillies. Hes now coming off a trio of dominant seasons. With recent $10MM guarantees for both (As) and (Os), Robertson could well command a salary north of that sum. The Cubs offer to Scott and reported interest in Estevez show a willingne s to spend that type of money on a reliever, though. As for the others, theyre likely to come at a le ser rate. The Mets declined a net $7.5MM decision on Maton, opting for a $250K buyout over a $7.75MM option. Hes still coming off a nice year, however, having posted a 3.66 ERA, 22.6% strikeout rate, 9.1% walk rate and 46.8% grounder rate in 64 frames. He finished particularly well after being traded from the Rays to the Mets in July. Stanek was another summer trade acquisition for the Mets; he posted a combined 4.88 ERA in 55 1/3 innings between Seattle and Queens. He whiffed 27.8% of opponents but i sued walks at a 10.4% clip and was tagged for an average of 1.30 homers per nine innings. Raley is on the mend from Tommy John surgery that was performed on May 29 of this past season. As such, the 36-year-old southpaw (37 in June) will be a midseason reinforcement wherever he signs be it in Chicago or elsewhere. Raley was excellent from 2022-24 when healthy, tallying 115 1/3 frames of 2.58 ERA ball with a 27.3% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. Brook Lopez Jersey