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With the Cubs trading for Ryan Brasier on Wednesday, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, and adding Caleb Thielbar, Eli Morgan and Ryan Pressly earlier in the offseason, Miller may see less high-leverage work in 2025.
Porter Hodge was closing games for the Cubs at the end of last season, but Miller was seeing important setup work ahead of him. The veteran Pressly now figures to get the first shot at the closer role, which would presumably push Hodge into eighth-inning work. Brasier, Morgan and Thielbar are also all experienced relievers with successful track records, giving manager Craig Counsell some options to choose from toward the end of games. Miller was effective for the Cubs in 2024, posting a 2.15 ERA across 50.1 innings of relief, so he figures to still have a key role even with the added competition, though he may get knocked down a few rungs in the bullpen.
