The Chicago Cubs had a noticeable hole in their bullpen going into the offseason after it broke late in the previous campaign.

Due to injury-related lack of depth, the coaching staff was obliged to utilise the players who were available, which ultimately led to their exhaustion.

In order to add additional depth and be prepared to step into leading roles should those same concerns resurface in 2024, the front office needs to bring in some high-profile personnel.

With two transactions—acquiring Yency Almonte from the Los Angeles Dodgers and signing Hector Neris, a former star reliever for the Houston Astros, to a one-year contract—they were able to achieve that goal.

Following the signing of Neris, the Cubs had to designate their young reliever, Michael Rucker, for assignment, according to Bruce Levine of 670 the Score.

Chicago first chose Rucker in the eleventh round of the 2016 MLB Draft. The right-hander alternated between the minor league bullpen and a starting role. He was only utilised as a starter in 2018 and finished with a 3.73 ERA in 26 Double-A starts.

After that, the Cubs returned to using him as a full-time reliever until 2021, when he made his Major League debut.

Rucker participated in 41 games in 2022, pitching 54 2/3 innings with an ERA+ of 106 and a career-best 3.95 ERA, but he still had to spend time