Daniel Palencia WBC dominance changing Cubs Opening Day outlook

The biggest question facing the Chicago Cubs at the end of the offseason was whether they should have added an established closer at the backend of the bullpen. The Cubs flirted with the idea, expressing interest in Ryan Helsley and Pete Fairbanks at one point, but ultimately settled for a quantitative approach to reconstructing their bullpen. It's why Craig Counsell wasted little time in anointing Daniel Palencia as the team's closer.

Short of Hunter Harvey staying healthy, Palencia was the obvious choice. Still, after he lost the closer's role toward the end of the 2025 season, the impression was that the Cubs may use the trade deadline this season to look for their next version of what Aroldis Chapman was to the 2016 team.

After Team Venezuela took home the 2026 World Baseball Classic with a 3-2 victory over Team USA on Tuesday night, Palencia might have shut down the idea that the Cubs need to add a closer at the deadline.

After closing out the game for Venezuela in the semi-final game against Italy, the Cubs requested that the 26-year-old only be used in the championship game if it was in the ninth inning and a save situation. That was the case on Tuesday night, and Palencia was electric. The Cubs closer was flawless, striking out two of the three batters he faced and securing the save.

It was a dominant run for Palencia during the World Baseball Classic. He tossed five scoreless innings and struck out multiple hitters in four of his five appearances. Beyond that, Palencia was routinely touching triple digits with his fastball.

Palencia was flawless during the World Baseball Classic, and if anything, may have removed the doubt some Cubs fans had when Counsell wasted no time by revealing him to be the closer during the first week of spring training.

If the World Baseball Classic is any indicator, the Chicago Cubs will soon have one of the best closers in all of baseball.

There certainly were signs last season that Palencia could ascend toward being one of the best closers in all of baseball. He posted a 2.91 ERA in 54 appearances while striking out over 28% of the hitters he faced.

The problem is that things took a turn in August and September when Palencia may have been pitching through an injury. His ERA ballooned to 5.40 during the second half of the season.

That being said, while not serving as the Cubs' closer in the playoffs, Palencia was dominant and often the first reliever that Counsell turned to. That may have been the first sign that, despite the rough patch last year, Palencia is the anchor of the bullpen moving forward.