Decimated Cubs bullpen leaves Craig Counsell with one closer option now

The concern over the Chicago Cubs' lack of pitching depth due to injuries reached a new panic level on Friday with the news that Daniel Palencia had been placed on the IL with an oblique strain. The news broke less than an hour before Friday's game, leaving the team with no time to make a corresponding roster move. There will be a pitcher added to the roster before Saturday's game, but Craig Counsell is suddenly faced with a much larger question.

The Cubs don't have an obvious candidate on the roster to replace Palencia as the team's closer. Porter Hodge is out for the season, Phil Maton is on the IL, and Hunter Harvey is still weeks away from returning.

Hodge has closing experience for the Cubs likey wouldn't have been an option to replace Palencia at this point in the season had he been healthy. That responsibility likey would have fell with one of Maton or Harvey.

It's a shocking answer, considering how polarizing his development has been, but Ben Brown may be the clear choice to take over as the Cubs' closer while Palencia is out.

Ben Brown may suddenly be the Cubs' closer

With the help of an added sinker to his pitch mix this season, Brown has been an early success story for the Cubs' bullpen. His fastball is averaging over 96 MPH through his first six outings this season, and he's striking out over 24% of the hitters he's faced. Brown entered Friday's game with just a tick under 15 innings pitched to his name this season, and he's only allowed one home run. Brown's ground-ball rate is also up two percent from last season, likely tied to the inclusion of the sinker in his arsenal.

From strictly a performance and stuff perspective, Brown is the clear option. The only real concern is that Bullpen has been pitching in a bulk role out of the bullpen, and there's no telling if he would have the same success pitching as a high-leverage relief pitcher at the end of games.

If not Brown, chances are Counsell will revert to the strategy he had at the end of the 2025 season. The Cubs didn't have a defined closer at the end of last year and into the playoffs, and Counsell may play the matchup game for the ninth innings this season while Palencia is sidelined. Not an ideal set of circumstances, but one the Cubs may be forced into given the rash of pitching injuries they have.

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