Closer: Carlos Marmol, RHP
Marmol is really a one-of-a-kind pitcher. He is the definition of unhittable, allowing only a ridiculous 43 hits in 74 innings (or 5.23 H/9, the second-best rating among full season pitchers behind Jonathan Broxton). However, his problem is definitely the walks and sometimes lack of control. His slider is one of the best in baseball, but you see too many nights were it is consistently breaking too much into the dirt on every pitch. This will draw the strikeouts (93 in those 74 innings), but more and more hitters are figuring out to just not swing until they have two strikes on them. Marmol's walks rose from 41 to 65, causing a few red flags coming into this season for his first full season as closer, although he was perfect in opportunities after taking over for Kevin Gregg last year.
Setup 1: Esmailin Caridad, RHP
A little known reliever out of the Cubs system, Caridad wasn't billed up to be much. His velocity was good but not excellent, his breaking stuff was good but a little inconsistent, but overall he just seemed like a solid guy who could get outs. Caridad is already being given a shot at the setup spot after just one season with only 19.1 IP career in the major leagues. He did hold a handsome 1.40 ERA and struck out 17 in that time, so I can see why the Cubs made this move. I like this guy, but like all Cub fans, have not seen enough to really give a report yet. We'll see how he does in his second big trial.
Setup 2: John Grabow, LHP
A crucial left-handed part to the pen is filled by Grabow, who's durable, ground ball style of pitching kept opponents at bay for the last two years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which have easily been his best years. In limited action during the second half of 2009, he showed no signs of stopping. Grabow pitched in 75 games total and doesn't have much of an injury history, so he should be a lock for success out of the Wrigley left-field line.
Middle Relief: Sean Marshall, LHP*
Although he fit the bill better in 2008, Marshall continued to be a consistent, durable presence in 2009. His ERA rose a bit to 4.32, but cut down on home runs and actually threw one of just three complete games by a Cubs pitcher last year. Besides that, though, he was inconsistent and not dependable in rotation, which is why after nine starts he was moved back to the bullpen in favor of young Randy Wells. Although he aims for a spot in the rotation for 2010, I believe he was much better suited in the bullpen.
Middle Relief: Carlos Silva, RHP*
Not much should be expected from the big righty this season, but he could be somewhat effective in the right role. Silva was a huge disappointment to the Mariners after they gave him an overpaid $48 million contract to be a starter. Silva's best season has been just 14-8 with the Twins, so it was a bad idea to expect him to be an ace. Sure enough, here we are in Year 3 of the deal and Silva has been terrible. We'll see what he can give us in 2010.
Middle Relief (Injury Permitting): Angel Guzman, RHP
Guzman was a pleasant surprise in a bullpen with many question marks the first half of 2009. Keeping his ERA well below 3 most of the season and finishing at 2.95, he was the sturdy factor that anchored the Cubs and kept them in many games until things got figured out. He performed exceedingly well during his eventual transition from middle relief to setup, although his work went much unappreciated thanks to 8 blown saves by a certain Gregg. With Marmol coming in in the 9th now, however, Guzman should be setup to be the best setup man of the division in 2010, unless his injury bug catches back up to him. He could be out for the season.
Middle Relief: Justin Berg, RHP
Yet another product of the Cubs system, this guy appears to have won a shot at the pen. Like Caridad, Berg was impressive in his 12 inning debut year. Berg has the poise of a man beyond his age. Adjustments will need to be made for both guys as hitters catch up, but the new, surprisingly young Cubs bullpen has all kind of characters in it. Berg will certainly do better than the old Aaron Heilman of 2009, who I must say good riddance to. I don't have much on Berg either except for his minor league success, so watch this guy as well. Watch for him in the 5th, 6th, or 7th innings of ballgames.
Middle Relief: Jeff Gray, RHP
Acquired from Oakland for Aaron Miles and Jake Fox, I really like this guy. He can turn up the heat on the fastball or fool hitters with great breaking pitches. He walked only four in 26.2 innings last year which will make the Cubs an even more control-focused team, which they already are. He is relatively young at 29, yet has a lot of baseball under his belt which is a big key to the bullpen, where we have a few upcoming rookies and some veterans. Gray will be a nice bridge in between.
Others: Jeff Samardzija*, Justin Berg, Mike Parisi, and Mitch Atkins are the main other candidates. Samardzija, in case you haven't heard a million times, is a former WR at Notre Dame, but chose baseball instead. Jeff hasn't brought all of his game from the minors to the majors yet, but this could be the year. Given a crack at starting two games in 2009, he didn't perform as Cubs coaches would have liked. I think he deserves a shot over Marshall, Silva, and possibly Gorzelanny for the 5th spot in the rotation, but the depth there is good enough for nice protection. Berg was brought up for 12 innings in 2009, and although he pitched well, that wasn't a big enough sample to see how he will perform over an extended period of time. He needs some more seasoning to train his skills. Parisi was a Rule 5 pick from the Cardinals, which means he must stay on the major league roster for the whole season or else he must be sacrificed back to St. Louis. I don't know much about this guy, but he will probably be used in the low risk roles that David Patton was used in last year. Atkins is new to me as well, but pitched to an impressive 17-7 in 28 starts between AA and AAA.
The Pen looks to be in good shape for 2010, although a big hinge here is Guzman's health. He has been in the organization for over 10 years now, but because of injuries he didn't make an impact over a full season until last year. Marmol is an interesting choice as closer but needs to watch out for the walks. Also, there are a few variables like Gorzelanny, Berg, Atkins, Samardzija, and Silva. How they pitch could decide the Cubs' fate at the end of ballgames.
*in consideration to start also.
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