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Who is Cubs' new closer? Chicago has replacement plan for injured Daniel Palencia originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Cubs were dealt some tough news on Friday, with the announcement from the Cubs that Daniel Palencia was headed to the injured list due to a left oblique strain.
The flame-throwing righty is going to miss some time this season, as the Cubs are now forced to change their closer role this season.
But, with Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton on the injured list as well, who will be the new closer in Chicago? The Cubs have a few options, with a pair of lefties the most likely recipients of the closer spots.
What Cubs could do to replace Daniel Palencia
With the Team Valenzuela WBC hero in Palencia landing on the injured list, the Cubs will have to turn to a new reliever in the closer role.
Caleb Thielbar, the 39-year-old lefty veteran who has some closing experience in his career, is an option. He has a 3.00 ERA in seven outings this season, with eight strikeouts and a 1.333 WHIP in 6.0 innings of work.
Hoby Milner, another veteran lefty, is also a closer replacement option. He has a 2.16 ERA this season with one strikeout across eight games and 8.1 innings of work. The 35-year-old doesn't have much closing experience, but it's not completely foreign.
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Other than those two lefties, the Cubs could turn to Jacob Webb, who has closed some games in his career before. He's not as likely as Thielbar or Milner, but he is an option with all of the injuries in the bullpen.
Ben Brown is another pitcher to watch for such a role, as the Cubs could get creative and do something similar to what the Miami Marlins sometimes do with Tyler Phillips, a closer who can pitch multi-inning save opportunities.
The Cubs' most likely plan for replacing the injured Palencia will be one of Thielbar or Milner, with the closer role likely open-ended for now, as there's not a clear replacement for such an important role out of the bullpen for the Cubs this season.
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