The Chicago Cubs traded away a Hall of Fame closer (Craig Kimbrel), an elite set-up man (Ryan Tepera), and a guy with one of the longest scoreless streaks in my recent memory (Andrew Chafin) at the trade deadline. The result? More dominance from their major league bullpen.

The Cubs pitching development staff led by Craig Breslow, Tommy Hottovy, and Casey Jacobson have continued to churn out prospects and veteran reclamation projects alike en route to building a dominating bullpen. And while guys like Rowan Wick, Scott Effross, Trevor Megill, Tommy Nance, and Manny Rodriguez are currently on the MLB roster and impressing fans, there are still more relievers posted up in minor league bullpens that aren’t far off from showing what they’ve got in Chicago.

Ethan Roberts | RHP, Iowa

I’ll start off with the guy that still has an outside shot at getting the call up to Chicago this year. Roberts has thrown only 14 innings since his recent promotion to Iowa and hasn’t had a lot of success at that level (7.07 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) but he was downright dominant in Double-A (32 innings, 1.97 ERA, 36.3% strikeout rate, .139 AVG).

Roberts also becomes eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason and seems like a lock for the 40-man roster so my thought is: why not call him up? While he does sport a fastball up in the mid-90s, the reason I’m so excited about Ethan is his quirkiness. He’s a shorter guy with what should amount to an impressive VAA and he is also the spin rate god, throwing multiple pitches with spin rates that would amount to numbers atop the major leagues.

Ben Leeper | RHP, Iowa

Like Roberts, Ben Leeper is just about ready for Chicago. But among the many differences between the two righties, Leeper isn’t Rule 5 eligible this offseason, so there’s no real shot we see him up in the bigs this year. Add in the fact that he hasn’t pitched in quite some time due to some workload management, and you are looking at a guy that will more than likely end this year now and start off the 2022 campaign as the closer for the Iowa Cubs.

You’ve heard his story. From undrafted free agent all the way up to Triple-A. A deadly fastball/slider combination. The best stats of any pitcher in the Cubs system this year, bar none. 35 innings, 1.29 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, .122 AVG, 39% strikeout rate.

Scott Kobos | LHP, Tennessee

Hold on, I’m already regretting my “best stats in the system” comment on Leeper. The innings aren’t there for Kobos, but the story is just about the same. Undrafted dude, forces his way up three levels of baseball, records stupid numbers. 27.2 innings, 0.33 ERA (that’s ONE earned run, lol), 42.6% K-rate.

Kobos is up to Double-A now after his return from the IL and is continuing to rack up the numbers. He’s a lefty with a damn good pitch mix and a heater that runs into the mid-90s. I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see him trotted out there in Double-A again next year… as a starter.

Danis Correa | RHP, South Bend

I’m gonna go a little off-script here with a guy you might not be as familiar with. Correa just turned 22 a couple weeks ago and has spent the entire year in the lower minors putting up stupid numbers. He features some cheddar with decent arm-side run and some dynamic offspeed to boot. His 40.3% strikeout rate is elite, especially alongside a 2.12 ERA. He has given up zero home runs in 34 innings.

The stuff is good enough to be featured in a Major League bullpen, despite his slight frame. I think he could even start the year in Double-A next season in his age-22 year, which would be impressive from a guy who wasn’t on many radar entering this season.

Jeremiah Estrada | RHP, Myrtle Beach

I’ll wrap up with a fan favorite, and one that has been straight filthy when he’s been healthy. Estrada has logged just 23 innings this year thanks to a late start and an early end to his season. He’s dealt with Tommy John in the past, but I’d argue that if he can get past the injury issues, he’s actually the most talented of this entire bunch.

His fastball gets up on batters even faster than it’s mid-90s velocity would indicate, reminding me a bit of the get-up on Justin Steele’s heater. His 1.57 ERA is supplemented by a top five strikeout rate in the system (40.9%) and a top ten walk rate (6.5%). I know I shouldn’t have to remind you, but do NOT sleep on Jeremiah Estrada.