Cubs eye closer as bullpen revamp looms. Fairbanks brings proven closing power and affordability, fitting Chicago's strategic offseason approach.
The Chicago Cubs need to revamp their bullpen for the 2026 season.
Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, Taylor Rogers, Aaron Civale, and Michael Soroka are all currently free agents. The Cubs also traded away Andrew Kittredge for cash considerations earlier this month.
So, the Cubs will be in the market to add bullpen pieces this offseason. One area of the bullpen that the front office appears to be looking at is the closer position. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Cubs are one of 10 teams to be “actively involved” in the closer market.
Although Daniel Palenica thrived in that closer role during the 2025 season, the team might be looking to move the hard-throwing right-hander to more of a setup role. That would open up a closer spot on the roster.
The good news for the Cubs is that there are some big-name free agent closers available this winter. Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, and Devin Williams headline the relief pitcher market.
However, it’s highly unlikely that the Cubs will be in on any of those top closers this offseason.
Don’t forget, the front office prefers not to spend big money on relief pitching. It’s not something they have done in recent years, and that likely won’t change this offseason. Therefore, we should expect the Cubs to go after the second tier of closers.
Those closers could be Kenley Jansen, Pete Fairbanks, or Kyle Finnegan. Of those three available closers, the Cubs seem to be most interested in Fairbanks. Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma basically confirmed that in a piece at The Athletic.
They wrote, “The Cubs are planning to spread their resources around and provide Counsell with several viable options. Pete Fairbanks, the former closer for the Tampa Bay Rays, is a name to keep in mind…”
Fairbanks has been the closer of the Rays for the past three seasons, during which he amassed 75 saves and had a combined 2.98 ERA. In 2025, the right-hander had one of his better years at the back of Tampa Bay’s bullpen.
He totaled a career-high 27 saves and finished with a 2.83 ERA. Even though Fairbanks has dealt with some injuries in recent years, his 60 ⅓ innings pitched during the 2025 season were a personal best in the Majors.
As a result, Fairbanks could be an ideal target for the Cubs this offseason. He has been a reliable closer over the past few years and will cost less than some of the other top closers on the open market. Spotrac predicts the right-hander to sign a three-year, $41 million deal this offseason.