Despite breakout successes, the Cubs' bullpen will look very different in 2026

The Chicago Cubs are poised for a major bullpen overhaul, with six of the team's major relief pieces set to hit free agency this winter.

Of the Cubs' entire corps of relievers on the National League Division Series Roster, Daniel Palencia is the only man guaranteed to return for the 2026 season. Below is the list of Cubs relievers who will become free agents this offseason.

• Brad Keller
• Drew Pomeranz
• Caleb Thielbar
• Michael Soroka
• Taylor Rogers
• Ryan Brasier

The only exception is veteran Andrew Kittredge, who has a club option worth $9 million for the 2026 season. Even though the Cubs are usually hesitant to pay relievers that much money, especially those as old as Kittredge (who will be 36 in March), they may need to out of necessity. The Cubs will have to contend with the other 29 MLB teams if they want to keep any of the others.

The guy worth pursuing is clearly Keller, who resurrected his career in Chicago this year with a 2.07 ERA over 69 2/3 innings. At 30 years old, a reunion between Keller and the Cubs is a no-brainer, especially considering the team may not have even made the playoffs if it weren't for his 25 holds over the course of the year.

Aside from Keller and Kittredge, it's hard to make an argument for the team to keep any of the rest. Rogers and Soroka had minimal impact on the team after they were acquired at the trade deadline, while Pomeranz, Brasier, and Thielbar come with a lot of risk given their age. Brasier just turned 38, Pomeranz is heading into his age-37 season, and Thielbar will be 39 in January.

The Cubs need to figure out the bullpen

While it's way too early to try to map out the 2026 bullpen, we can look at some potential free agents and minor leaguers who could impact the team next year. On the open market, Devin Williams, Kyle Finnegan, and Ryan Helsley are a few guys with high-leverage experience that the Cubs could target. Williams and Helsely have both shown closing capabilities, but could be cheaper since they are coming off down years.

As far as internal options, Riley Martin and Jaxon Wiggins are two guys on the Iowa Cubs roster who have the tools to become impact relievers at the big-league level. Eli Morgan will be back next year after nursing an arm injury all year. Caleb Kilian and Luke Little have struggled in the Majors in the past, but both could also have breakout potential.