The Chicago Cubs have named Daniel Palencia as their closer for Opening Day, a surprising move given his recent role as a middle-inning pitcher. Despite a strong performance last season, Palencia's role shifted due to an injury and a team-wide bullpen turnover. With no new established ninth-inning man signed, Palencia is back in the closer's role, a position he didn't envision a year ago. His success last season, saving 22 games in 25 opportunities, and his impressive fastball averaging 99.6 mph, have earned him the trust of the team. Palencia plans to utilize his splitter more often, a pitch that dominated batters with a .143 batting average. The Cubs, aiming to build on their 2025 postseason success, are confident in Palencia's ability to handle the high-pressure ninth-inning situation, even though it's a challenging role. With financial flexibility at the trade deadline, the team is focused on the present, and Palencia is embracing the opportunity to close games and trust his pitching arsenal.
