Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop in tonight. Come on in and warm up. There’s no cover charge.
We still have one or two good tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last evening I asked you which remaining free agent pitcher is your choice for the Cubs to sign. You had a clear choice and it was Zac Gallen, who garnered 47 percent of the vote. Second place went to Framber Valdez, who was the choice of 21 percent of you.
Here’s the part where we listen to jazz. I don’t normally do movie stuff on Tuesday nights, but you still have time to vote in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic matchup between The Day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet. Tomorrow’s contest will be between Planet of the Apes (1968) and La Jetée.
Sometimes when you don’t have anything else in mind, you should just play the hits. So tonight we have Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers playing “Dat Dere.” Blakey is the drummer, of course, and Bobby Timmons, who wrote the tune, is the piano player. Wayne Shorter played tenor saxophone, Lee Morgan is the trumpeter and Jymie Merritt is on bass.
This is from 1960.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the jazz.
The one thing the Cubs have done so far this winter is rebuild the bullpen. Not that there was really anything wrong with last year’s bullpen. In fact, they were pretty darn good. Of course, that meant that many of them left as free agents and signed bigger deals elsewhere. So the Cubs brought in a mostly new set of relievers, although Caleb Thielbar was the one free agent reliever who decided to return to the North Side in 2026.
One other player who is returning is closer Daniel Palencia, who wasn’t a free agent. It was thought that the Cubs might try to bring in a reliever who could compete with Palencia for the closer’s job, but that didn’t really happen. It’s not that anyone doesn’t have faith in Palencia, but rather that closers are volatile. In fact, the last pitcher to lead the Cubs in saves in consecutive seasons was Héctor Rondón back from 2014 to 2016. Whether through injury or ineffectiveness, most closers have a short shelf life.
Now of course it’s possible that Palencia is one of those elite talents who can be a successful closer for years. I certainly hope so. He’s got the fastball to be one. But just in case his stuff goes south or he gets hurt, who should be next in line to get saves?
There are a few options. Porter Hodge was the Cubs closer at the close of the 2024 season and was widely expected to get saves last year. But Hodge was injured most of last year and when he wasn’t injured, he was bad. He even got sent down to Iowa at one point. The Cubs and I presume all of you hope that he bounces back in 2026.
Phil Maton was the big free agent signing this winter, getting a two-year deal for $14.5 million. Maton is a cutter/curve pitcher without great velocity, but those two pitches grade out as at least plus. Maton doesn’t have any real closing experience, but that may not matter.
One player who does have a bit of closing experience is Hunter Harvey, who was temporarily the closer for the Nationals when regular closer Kyle Finnegan was going through a rough patch mid-season 2023. Harvey was hurt most of 2025, but he was very good in the little time he did pitch for the Royals. He almost throws as hard as Palencia.
Two other options are the left-handed Thielbar, who only has five saves over his nine-year career but has been a very good reliever in most of those years, and lefty Hoby Milner, who has only one career save but has been a solid reliever over the past three seasons.
So which one of these relievers who you give the first chance to close should something happen to Palencia? Or maybe you’d say “none of the above” and go with someone else, like rookie Riley Martin?
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’re always glad to see you. Please get home safely. Stay warm. Let us know if we need to call a ride for you. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.
