It was all doom and gloom when Pedro Strop suffered a hamstring injury back on September 13th, and things got even worse when Brandon Morrow was officially shut down for the season, but Strop told Carrie Muskat of MLB.com he's confident he'll be back before season's end.
"Everything is pain-free. We're not trying to do too much," Strop said. "We're letting that thing heal. We're going to do whatever is possible to do."
A pain-free Pedro Strop is just the cherry on top of the Cubs first day off in 30 days, as the Cubs get set to finish the rest of the season sleeping in their own beds. But if the Cubs are able to add Strop before the postseason that would be a massive lift to a bullpen that is currently working without a designated closer. Maddon did admit Wednesday he is leaning towards Justin Wilson at the moment.
"I still believe it's Justin," Maddon said. "But look at the acquisitions, [Jesse] Chavez and [Jorge] De La Rosa, look what they've done for us down there."
While Wilson has been solid this season with the Cubs, his 2017 postseason was something many Cubs fans would like to forget as he ended up being left off the roster entirely for the NLDS against the Dodgers. Clearly, Wilson has bounced back well in 2018, but the entire bullpen has plenty of firepower to still be considered a strength. And the Cubs starters have been excellent as of late, allowing the bullpen to rest some after heavy usage earlier in the season.
The Cubs should have enough to win without Strop, but Cubs wouldn't be upset if the excitable righty found his way onto the postseason roster.