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3 Cubs pitchers who could close games with Alzolay out

The Chicago Cubs will likely be without their closer Adbert Alzolay for the remainder of the season, meaning one of these 3 relievers will have to step up in his absence

By Rich Eberwein |
Milwaukee Brewers v Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers v Chicago Cubs / Michael Reaves/GettyImages
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Recent reports from Chicago Cubs beat writers suggest that closer Adbert Alzolay is not close to a return after landing on the 15-day IL on September 11th with a right forearm strain.

With Alzolay likely done for the regular season, there is now a massive hole at the back end of the bullpen. This means the Cubs need someone to step up and shut down close contests for the remaining 10 games. Here are the three most likely candidates to fill that role.

1. Julian Merryweather

Few were expecting much when the Chicago Cubs took a flier on Julian Merryweather and claimed him off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays in January. But by the halfway point in the season, it was clear that Merryweather had become one of the most trustworthy arms at Manager David Ross's disposal along with Alzolay and Mark Leiter Jr. In 67 innings pitched this year, Merryweather's ERA currently sits at 3.09 with 91 strikeouts compared to 30 walks.

Although he's only collected one save out of two opportunities this year (and just 3 saves in his career), Merryweather has the stuff and track record this year to step into the closer role. Merryweather's fastball usually sits in the high 90s and occasionally touches 100 mph with an excellent slider. His whiff rate (34.9%) and strikeout percentage (32.6%) are some of the best numbers among relievers this year.

This is the first year where Merryweather has seen major success at the big league level, but he is in the best position to take the next step and the team needs him to close games. It is worth noting that Merryweather will be under team control for the next three seasons and he will reach arbitration this offseason.

2. Mark Leiter Jr.

It's weird to think that Mark Leiter Jr. was starting games for the Cubs in 2022, and he was even designated for assignment last offseason. Thankfully the team brought him back on a minor league contract two weeks later; a contract that has paid dividends. As I mentioned, Leiter is one of the big three relievers who have held this Cubs bullpen together all year and he deserves major credit.

Leiter's heavy usage of the sinker and split-finger gets him a lot of ground balls (47.1%), which is a fantastic combination with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner up the middle. Although he has struggled recently (honestly the whole team has though), Leiter is prime a candidate to take Alzolay's role.

The 32-year-old has tossed 63.1 innings this year with 77 strikeouts and a 3.41 ERA. To successfully close the game though, Leiter will have to keep his walks down as he's averaged almost a walk per inning pitched in his last 30 outings.

3. Brad Boxberger

Brad Boxberger spent the majority of the year on the 60-day injured list with a forearm strain. However, he was recently reinstated on September 8th and he's been fantastic. It is admittedly a very small sample size, but in 4.1 innings since his return, Boxberger has yet to surrender a hit or an earned run, walked one batter, and struck out four.

Yes the 35-year-old just came back from injury and he looked pretty horrible early in the year, it could be worth giving him a shot in close games. After all, he is the most experienced relief pitcher on the staff by a long shot with a career stretching back to 2012. In that time, Boxberger has collected 122 saves and 84 holds with a career ERA of 3.47. All I'm saying is it may be worth seeing if he can still lock down a game especially with so much inexperience in the bullpen right now.

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