Cubs lose another key pitching voice as Ryan Otero departs for Red Sox

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 5 hours ago

Ever since Craig Counsell took over as Cubs manager, this team has been no stranger to coaching changes. You saw it last season when the Cubs brought in countless new faces, and you are starting to see more changes happening this offseason with Corey Ray leaving the Cubs organization to become the Washington Nationals' Bench coach.

Perhaps the single most significant organizational change happened last season when Craig Breslow left the Cubs organization to become the President of the Boston Red Sox. Breslow was one of the men in charge of the Cubs' pitching infrastructure for a while, but given his respect around the league, it was only a matter of time until he got a front office gig.

Once he took the Red Sox position, you knew there had to be stipulations about whether Breslow could take any of those coaches with him. Whatever those stipulations were may no longer apply, as Breslow has plucked Ryan Otero from the Cubs to join his new organization in Boston.

For those unfamiliar with Otero and what he did for the Cubs organization, he was their director of pitching after Breslow left, basically taking over for Breslow last season. In his new role, Otero will no longer be the director of pitching but will instead be the Special Assistant to the CBO.

While he won't be taking on the same role, Tyler Zombro, who the Cubs brought into their organization last season, is set to take on an even larger role within the organization this year, including overseeing the entire Minor League Pitching department. Given his track record with arms and finding talent across the board, that may not be a bad idea, as the Cubs could have gone in a completely different direction if they felt he wasn't the guy.

Anytime you step into the role that Breslow had with this team, you know you have big shoes to fill. Not only did Breslow fill those shoes, but it was such an easy transition that no one would've guessed Breslow even left unless you follow the organization's coaching transactions. Given the job that Otero did, you knew it was only a matter of time until someone grabbed him from the Cubs staff, and that time is now, as he will once again join his buddy Breslow, but this time in Boston.

This is a loss that will be felt for quite a while, as the Cubs are down another coach and once again looking to replace their top pitcher development coach within the organization. There is some good news that comes with this, and Zombro is the good news as he has been with the organization for a year now and has a reputation of climbing fast within the coaching ranks.

Even though that may not have been the case last season, he does plenty of behind-the-scenes work with the Cubs' pitching staff that, from all accounts, worked out in their favor. Now the Cubs are hoping his approach can translate into a more hands-on role, as he is set to take on an even bigger one, which could lead him to assume the same role that Breslow and Otero previously occupied.

Zombro was helping at all levels in the organization last season, including the majors, where the Cubs continue to get outstanding pitching across the board. Even if he is chosen to work more directly with the Minor League arms, don't expect him to completely go away from the big league roster, as he is someone who will be more than willing to help from the top down once again.

Hopefully, this isn't a sign of what is to come, as the Cubs can't afford to lose too many coaches heading into next season. That is what made last season such a success, as most of the staff was handpicked by Counsell, and the results showed both on and off the field.