Will Daniel Palencia be called upon to close games for the Chicago Cubs in October?

Or will the Cubs be turning to a different reliever to close games after the trade deadline next month?

For ESPN baseball reporter Jesse Rogers, what the Cubs do with their closer position will be a good indication if the team is going all-in on the 2025 campaign.

“You knew they were serious about the World Series [in 2016] when they went out and traded for Aroldis Chapman,” Rogers told Lance Brozdowski on the Cubs Weekly Podcast. “You’ll know really how serious the Cubs are in terms of going all the way, if they replace Palencia with someone better and more experienced. Because it feels like a little bit of a luxury right now the way Palencia is pitching to go out and get another closer.”

Palencia has been a revelation for the Cubs in 2025. The 25-year-old entered the season with a career 5.02 ERA in 37 MLB appearances for Chicago across 2023 and 2024. Palencia was not even on the Cubs’ Opening Day roster, not for the Tokyo series (though he was on the 31-man travel roster) or any of the Cubs’ three domestic openers in Phoenix, Sacramento or Chicago. 

Palencia was called up on April 15 in a series of roster moves more notable for the optioning of Cubs’ top prospect Matt Shaw. After allowing a run in two of his first three outings, the right-hander reeled off 10 straight scoreless appearances, fanning 12, earning five holds and walking just four (compared to 12 walks in 14.2 innings in 2024 with Chicago).

Then came Palencia’s first save opportunity of the year in Miami on May 19. With the bases empty and one strike away from his first save of the season, Palencia allowed an 0-2 double to Derek Hill, walked Javier Sanoja and then watched Jesús Sánchez triple to win the game for the Marlins.

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It could have been a devastating blow to the Venezuelan, but Palencia has rallied to convert his next eight save opportunities, pitching to a 1.35 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just three walks since that day in Miami.

But questions undoubtedly remain if the relatively untested Palencia will be the guy for the Cubs in October.

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“Pitching in the ninth inning in June is hard enough, to do it in October with no experience is a different animal,” Rogers said on the Cubs Weekly Podcast. “But come Aug. 1st, you can’t make that change, you can’t go out and get someone. So you have to project what Palencia will look like in October. I’m still gonna say no [the playoff closer is not currently on the roster]. Palencia might get some saves in October, but I think there is somebody out on the market that will get some for the Cubs as well.”

With the Cubs sitting in first place in their division and looking to make their first postseason appearance in a full 162 game season for the first time since 2018, time will tell if Palencia is given the keys to closer role for October.