This veteran reliever has no plans of retiring, could be a Cubs' offseason target

The Chicago Cubs' bullpen has been up-and-down in 2025, with some stretches of elite pitching interspersed with a fair bit of frustrating roster decisions and untimely blowups.

With a majority of the 'pen due for free agency after this season, Chicago will, once again, need to rebuild their relief core from scratch over the winter. Luckily, it appears that a near-perfect fit may be making himself available to teams in need of relief help this offseason.

Speaking to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register, Los Angeles Angels closer Kenley Jansen said that he plans to "pitch for four more years" after the 2025 season, through the end of the decade.

He swore no allegiance to the Angels, instead suggesting he'd pick his next team(s) carefully as he enters the final phase of his career.

Cubs and Kenley Jansen could be a perfect fit this offseason... if Jansen doesn't mind eschewing history

The following Cubs relievers are set to be free agents at the end of the 2025 season:

• Taylor Rogers
• Andrew Kittredge*
• Ryan Brasier
• Caleb Thielbar
• Brad Keller
• Drew Pomeranz
  
  *Club option for 2026 season

That list doesn't even include swingmen Michael Soroka or Colin Rea (club option), both of whom may also depart from the team over the winter.

In effect, the only Cubs relievers with any semblance of team control are closer Daniel Palencia, current long-man Nate Pearson, and Eli Morgan (on the 60-day IL with an elbow injury).

That is... not a lot to work with, and partly why the Cubs and Jed Hoyer have been so volatile in recent seasons in building a quality bullpen. There are a bunch of younger guys on the 40-man roster currently (Porter Hodge, Luke Little, Ethan Roberts, Gavin Hollowell), but how much will the team trust any of them to bridge the gap to Palencia in the seventh and eighth innings?

Hence the outstanding need for a guy like Jansen, who already has 20 saves this year and is at 467 for his career. He's posted a 2.79 ERA in 42 innings with the Angels this season, and is rocking a 2.58 ERA for his career. In case you want a reminder of his incredible consistency, his career-worst ERA in a single season was set in 2019 at 3.71, and he hasn't accrued less than 20 saves in a full season since 2011!

That last tidbit may actually be the biggest sticing point in the Cubs' pursuit of Jansen. He is nearing 500 saves for his career, a mark that would catapult him past Cubs legend Lee Smith for third all-time, and all but guarantee his Hall of Fame induction.

With Palencia already locked into the closer gig, Jansen would need to be willing to accept a primary set-up role to join the Cubs for 2026. They'd give him a heck of a chance at a World Series ring, but with one (from 2020 with the Dodgers) already in his trophy cabinet, he may prefer to join a team that can guarantee him a shot at those last 30 or so saves that he'll need to make history.

If the Cubs can bridge that gap with the veteran closer and convince him to sign on as the primary understudy to Palencia, though, the Cubs could have one of the best late-inning duos in baseball in 2026.