Robert Suarez emerges as a potential target for Cubs bullpen

Denis Poroy - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

As hard as it is to believe, one of the biggest strengths for the Cubs in 2025 was their bullpen, particularly the back half of their pen. That hasn't always been the case, especially in 2024, but give Jed Hoyer a ton of credit for how he built up their pen and what the pitchers were able to do when called upon in big games.

When you look at how things were constructed in the pen, the Cubs added Ryan Braiser and Ryan Pressly as potential late-inning arms, given their success in high-leverage situations in the past. Instead, those two wound up being some of the worst arms in the pen as Brasier battled through injuries while Pressly was released mid-season after failing to record consistent outings.

With neither of them doing what the Cubs expected them to do, it was a group of unsung heroes coming through as Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, Brad Keller, and Daniel Palencia all stepped in to form one of the more dominant late-inning groups in the game. You can also throw Andrew Kittredge in there for the second half of the season, but those are the guys the Cubs leaned on all season.

To show how good those guys were, Thielbar posted a 2.6 ERA, which was hovering around 2.1 most of the season. Pomeranz threw his first pitch in the bigs since 2021 and posted a sub-2.3 ERA. Keller and Palencia emerged as the Cubs' best relief arms, with Palencia locking down 25 saves and Keller proving to be the MVP of the pen. That alone is what Hoyer talks about with relievers, as you never know what you will get from one season to the next.

As good as those guys were last season, the current state of the Cubs' pen is ugly, as everyone, but Palencia, has hit the free agent market, leaving the Cubs in a difficult spot heading into the offseason. There are reports out there that Thielbar, Pomeranz, and Keller are interested in coming back, but can you really count on either of them duplicating the success they had last season?

Knowing that the Cubs will need bullpen help once again, look for Hoyer to target plenty of relief arms, even if most of his targets are looked at as flyer deals, with the hopes of them breaking out. However, there are two high-leverage arms he should be looking at, and Robert Suarez is one of those players after opting out of his deal with the Padres.

Despite Palencia being the closer last season, he was never officially named the closer; instead, he was given that role due to having the hot hand. He is expected to be the closer next season, but adding Suarez changes all that, as Palencia could move into the eighth inning, leaving Suarez to do what he does best.

That alone would give the Cubs two pitchers capable of touching triple digits, but the experience aspect from Suarez would be huge. The definition of a late bloomer, the 34-year-old Suarez wasn't a dominant reliever most of his career and didn't make his MLB debut until his age 30 season in 2022.

Since then, Suarez has been one of the best and most consistent closers in the game, posting a 22-13 record over that time with a 2.91 ERA and 77 saves. 76 of those saves have come in the past two seasons, which are the only seasons he has been the closer, including a career-high 40 saves in 2025.

What stands out most about Suarez is not only his ability to give you innings, but also his excellent command, as he walked 16 hitters compared to 75 punchouts in 69 2/3 innings. He does that with a fastball that averages a tick under 100 MPH, but is seen touching triple digits more often than not. To complement that heater, Suarez mixes in a lethal breaking ball that frequently makes hitters look silly, and he has now started to use his changeup much more as he is becoming more of a three-pitch pitcher.

While Suarez has proven to be able to handle the closer role with the best of them, adding him to the Cubs' pen also comes with versatility, as he can also fill the eighth-inning role if needed. To go with his 77 saves comes 20 career holds, 11 of those which came during his rookie season.

As is the case with every free agent, especially the higher-priced players, the question always remains whether the Cubs will spend as big market teams should. According to reports, the Cubs aren't expected to pursue the big-name relievers, which would ultimately take Suarez off the table.

However, given his age and a projected two-year contract worth $ 30 million, this is the one name the Cubs could target for a reliever, as he is a short-term option that would solidify a role that has been in flux for several years. All the fans can ask is that the Cubs do their best to make some big moves, even if it means getting involved in a bidding war.