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Cubs looking for someone to seize the closer’s role early in the year
After the Craig Kimbrel trade, the Chicago Cubs used the second half of last year as a development period with no set go-to guy in the ninth inning. This year figures to be different, however, with the front office making multiple free agent signings of players with previous late-inning experience.
Pair the Cubs free agent haul with the club’s crop of developing young arms, and there’s reason to believe the Cubs bullpen could be a decent surprise this season, but one question remains, who will be David Ross’ go-to guy in the ninth inning?
Cubs: The battle-tested favorites include a pair of new faces
As it stands, the Cubs have two relievers with a good amount of closing experience in David Robertson and Mychal Givens. Both could see time in the role and are a good place to start if you’re Ross early in the season.
Givens was once a popular trade target and a longtime late-inning reliever with the Orioles, always posting good strikeout and walk numbers in Baltimore. He briefly held the closer role in Baltimore before being traded to Colorado where his numbers dipped significantly. He’s coming off a topsy-turvy 2021, but with a career SO/9 of 10.6 and SO/W ratio of 2.91 to go along with 29 career saves, he has one of the best cases to slide into the closer role.
The man who would certainly be the betting favorite right now is Robertson. With 137 career saves and a 78.7 percent career save rate, no one in the Cubs bullpen is more accustomed to the role. The only thing that keeps Robertson from being a slam dunk is the fact that he hasn’t been primarily a closer since 2017 – nor has he handled a full season’s work load in several years.
Robertson pitched in just 19 games in the last three seasons, but his numbers with the Rays last season certainly indicate that he has something left in the tank. With a career SO/9 of 11.9, HR/9 of 0.8, and BB/9 of 3.6 along with his previous closing experience, Robertson could be a safe bet for the job.
Cubs: Don’t count out these two big right-handed options
Two other names that may not necessarily be favorites but could find themselves in contention for the closer spot are Chris Martin and Rowan Wick. Both relievers have the stuff to make for good late-inning relievers.
Martin has long been acclimated to late-inning roles throughout his time in Atlanta and Texas but has never been given a shot at closing. Martin has a fastball that averages 95 MPH, a welcome sight in a staff that traditionally throws a bit softer.
The right-hander keeps walks to a minimum, doesn’t give up a lot of home runs, and had a SO/9 north of 10 in 2019 and 2020 before a sudden drop to 6.9 in 2021. If the Cubs can help him get his strikeout numbers back up, Martin could become a valuable member of the bullpen.
As for Wick, he seems to be a very intriguing candidate for the role. Wick got the most looks as the closer down the stretch in 2021 and is still very much in contention for the role now. Wick has been a key contributor to the bullpen every year he’s been in Chicago, and that is likely to continue this upcoming season.
Wick is possibly the best reliever on the team at keeping the ball in the yard (0.2 HR/9 in his time with the Cubs), and has seen his strikeout rate climb higher with each passing season. If Wick doesn’t win the closing job, he is still likely to have a big role in the bullpen.
Cubs: Longshots with intrigue feature guys who may be future closers
One reliever that has the stuff to be a closer in the future but almost certainly won’t win the job out of the gate is Manuel Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who pitched in the 2021 Futures Game, throws a fastball that can touch 100, a sinker that sits upper-90s, and an upper-80s slider to cap things off. Rodriguez went through an up-and-down major league stint last year, but he has some of the best stuff in the Cubs system and should be a name to keep an eye on in the future.
Another name to watch out for is Scott Effross. Effross doesn’t have stuff that will blow people away, but he works well with what he has. The right-hander had a very solid first stint in the majors, sporting a 3.68 ERA, 11.0 SO/9, and most impressively, walked just one batter in his first 14 2/3 innings pitched. Effross likely projects as more of a high-end middle reliever, but he could get some late-inning looks with a strong spring.
The final name to keep track of is Ben Leeper, who has yet to appear in a major league game. Leeper, who signed as an undrafted free agent after the five-round 2020 MLB Draft, put up absolutely eye-popping numbers in his first minor league season in 2021.
Leeper started the season in Double-A Tennessee and had ascended to become Triple-A Iowa’s closer by season’s end. Leeper finished the season with a 1.29 ERA with an H/9 of just 3.9, HR/9 of 0.5, BB/9 of 3.3, and a SO/9 of 13.6 between his minor league levels. Leeper is someone that likely won’t be the closer at the major league level to start the season, but could very easily wind up in that role at some point this year.
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While 2022 may not be the year for the Cubs to break back into contention, there are a lot of things to like about the way the bullpen has been constructed. There’s a good mix of young, developing arms, mixed with low-risk fliers on free agents that could create a solid bullpen in the upcoming season, and David Ross will have plenty of options on who to go with for the ninth.