Cubs will stick with Craig Kimbrel as closer, come hell or high water

No matter if Craig Kimbrel struggles or not, he’s the Cubs closer this year.

We still have two weeks before the 2020 regular season gets underway. But knowing it’s an all-out 60-game sprint rather than the traditional 162 game marathon, it’s hard not to have a bit more anxiety than normal. After missing the postseason for the first time since 2015 last season, the Cubs are hoping the group can bounce back and get back to their winning ways.

The offense isn’t a huge concern for most people. You’re talking about a group that returns Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber. That’s a pretty fearsome group of bats. But when you shift your focus over to the pitching staff, there are far more questions and a great deal of uncertainty.

We won’t even get into the starting rotation. Chicago knew it faced depth concerns on that front even before Jose Quintana suffered an injury that has his return to the mound on a yet-to-be-determined timetable. It looks like Alec Mills will slot into the final spot in the staff for the time being. But the bullpen faces as many – if not more – questions as we near Opening Day.