Ranking 5 internal candidates to replace Adbert Alzolay as the Cubs closer

4. Hayden Wesneski also has the stuff but doesn't seem like a likely fit

Hayden Wesneski's stock has risen and fallen over the last few years with the Cubs and is currently high after he bailed the team out with a sleep-deprived, multi-inning relief performance in Arizona to close out the team's West Coast road trip.

The right-hander wasn't all that sharp this spring and was all over the place last year, swinging between the bullpen and starting rotation. He was markedly better as a reliever (3.57 ERA compared to a 5.51 mark as a starter) and it stands to reason his future is there, rather than the rotation. But given his inconsistencies, I don't know that Counsell would be ready to hand him the ninth.

Given his background, Wesneski fits perfectly in the middle-inning, multi-inning slot that every team needs these days, especially with starters rarely pitching deep into games like they once did. In an ideal world, Hendricks figures things out and the Cubs can bounce between Brown and Wesneski as the first guys out of the pen, perfectly setting the table for the late innings. But, as we know, this isn't a perfect world - so never say never, I guess.