The Cubs have some important decisions to make in the next few weeks. Should they pick up Shota Imanaga’s three-year, $57 million club option? Should they go all in on Kyle Tucker and offer him what he wants in free agency? How do they attack this offseason to help them reach the World Series next year? 

Another decision that looms for Chicago is whether to pick up Andrew Kittredge’s one-year, $9 million option for the 2026 season. 

The Cubs traded for Kittredge at the 2025 deadline in hopes of strengthening their bullpen. Chicago sent 17-year-old infielder Wilfri De La Cruz to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for the 35-year-old reliever. That deal turned out to be a solid one for the North Siders. 

Kittredge emerged as a reliable backend bullpen arm amid a playoff race, and he was dominant toward the end of the year. He had a 1.54 ERA, three saves, and 18 strikeouts over his last 12 regular season appearances. 

As a matter of fact, Kittredge had the best stuff on the team. His 41.6% chase rate ranked in the 100th percentile, and both his strikeout rate (30.8%) and whiff rate (29.8%) ranked in the top 18% of the league. 

His untouchable slider backed those numbers. Kittredge had a 40.3% whiff rate on that pitch alone, and he relied on his slider when he needed to get punchouts. His slider had a 30.3% putaway rate -- by far the most of any of his pitches. 

Despite his success in the regular season, Kittredge was a bit inconsistent in the postseason. He allowed a run in three of his five appearances, which included allowing one run while serving as an opener in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Padres. The veteran also allowed one run in both Game 3 and Game 5 of the NLDS against the Brewers. 

All in all, though, it was a successful season for Kittredge in a Cubs uniform. He had a 3.32 ERA across 21 ⅔ innings pitched and didn’t allow a run in 19 of his 23 regular season games with the team. 

Now, the big question is whether Jed Hoyer will bring him back for the 2026 season. Although Kittredge was a solid bullpen addition at the Trade Deadline, giving $9 million to a reliever is not the Hoyer way. 

Only one reliever was paid more than $8 million by the Cubs last year, and that was Ryan Pressly. Pressly was acquired from the Astros via trade, and Chicago agreed to pay $8.5 million of his salary for the 2025 season. 

Outside of him, the Cubs paid Caleb Thielbar only $2.5 million, Brad Keller $1.5 million, Drew Pomeranz $1.28 million, Julian Merryweather $1.22 million, and Chris Flexen $1.25 million. The front office just doesn’t like to invest a lot of money in relievers. 

Given that the Cubs have to decide on Kittredge's $9 million option by the beginning of November, it’s hard to imagine Hoyer wanting to invest that much money in a reliever at the start of the offseason.