The Chicago Cubs’ roster is all set for Opening Day this Thursday. After an interesting offseason, which saw the team restock a depleted bullpen and add big names in third baseman Alex Bregman and starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, there are big expectations.
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Anything less than the NL Central Division title and a deep playoff run will be considered a failure after the team’s winter moves.
The biggest x-factor, though, may be the bullpen.
The bullpen as the Cubs’ x-factor
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Chicago’s 2026 pen features four new faces in free agents Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey, who will make up the breadbasket of the relief corps, along with the re-signed Caleb Thielbar. All are coming into the season with a solid history of success behind them.
The only unknown in the mid-section of the Cubs’ bullpen is Harvey, who has a significant history of injury. So far this spring, however, Harvey has been healthy and strong, throwing 96-97 mph with a 1.80 ERA and 5 strikeouts in 5 innings.
The 26-year-old Ben Brown fought his way on to the Opening Day roster this spring and will take a long relief/swingman role alongside veteran Colin Rea, who was an unsung pitching hero in 2025.
Then, there’s Daniel Palencia, the closer.
Will Palencia’s WBC dominance carry over?
Palencia had a surprisingly dominant run after being called up from Triple-A last April, but then suffered through a prodigious fall from grace over the last part of the season.
This spring, though, Palencia has been monstrous. His dominance in the WBC as the closer for Team Venezuela will go down as borderline legendary. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic believes that this is the harbinger of good tidings for the coming season
Per Sharma:
“It’s time to go all-in on the Daniel Palencia hype train. Yes, it’s dangerous to assume that a reliever can do it again after just one season of success (see: Porter Hodge from 2024 to 2025). Yet, Palencia came into camp even more determined after a breakout 2025 and looked the part physically. Then he dominated as the closer for the World Baseball Classic champions, Team Venezuela.
Palencia allowed no runs or hits and struck out nine in five innings while walking just one batter and hitting another. He was perfect in his three save opportunities, and his two-pitch mix was dialed in. The Cubs will certainly trade for a reliever. Maybe even a dominant one. Still, Palencia will leave no doubt as to who is finishing games.”
The big question when it comes to every bullpen is whether it’ll hold over the course of a 162-game season and into the playoffs. Last year, the Cubs used 26 different relief pitchers during the regular season, with their season-ending bullpen looking almost nothing like their Opening Day bullpen.
That’s likely to happen again this season, despite there being more of an established veteran vibe in the bullpen right now. Injuries happen, arms go flat, changes need to be made. That’s just the nature of baseball.
Do the Cubs have the bullpen horses to win this 2026 race? That’s the question. If/when someone falters from the bullpen right now, Chicago will have names such as Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, Porter Hodge, and Gavin Hollowell to move in. It’s also pretty much a guarantee that some arms from the outside will be brought in over the course of the season.
Right now, at least on paper, the bullpen looks more secure this Opening Day than last. But this IS baseball…
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