Although the Chicago Cubs there is one prominent closer on their radar heading into 2026. Veteran right-hander Pete Fairbanks became a popular trade deadline target within the Cubs organization back in July and now that he’s a free agent Fairbanks is said to be one of the relievers who could be pursued by Jed Hoyer.

That would be great considering the Cubs have not started a season with an established closer since 2018, when Brandon Morrow had a dominant run in Chicago until injuries ended his season in mid-July. Before then, the team acquired All-Star closer Wade Davis, who was phenomenal in 2017, and the in 2019 the Cubs signed Craig Kimbrel until June, waiting for draft pick compensation penalties to pass before bringing him in.

Going after Fairbanks this offseason would point to a semi-aggressive approach by the Cubs, who aren’t ready to target guys like Edwin Diaz or Robert Suarez to name a few, but are reportedly prepared to invest more heavily in the bullpen compared to previous years.

Via The Athletic.

In reconstructing their bullpen, the Cubs recognize that they can’t only offer one-year contracts to relievers. It’s possible that they will invest multiple years in the right late-inning arms.

That doesn’t mean signing All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to a $100 million contract. Devin Williams, who closed for Cubs manager Craig Counsell during their time with the Milwaukee Brewers, is generating enough early interest to suggest that his next deal will go beyond Chicago’s comfort zone.

But 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. A reunion with Brad Keller, who thoroughly enjoyed his time in Chicago, also can’t be ruled out quite yet.

Last offseason the Cubs also had a big need at the back of their bullpen and were actually in the mix for a pair of top closers. First, Tanner Scott was a surprising target, considering the team’s unwillingness to pay for top free agent relievers, but his talent convinced the Cubs to offer him a four-year, $66 million contract. Scott turned them down and instead signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

So, the Cubs pivoted their pursuit to another closer, Kirby Yates. However, the Dodgers once again swooped in and signed Yates, stealing him away from the Cubs. And well, as positive of a development as it is that the Cubs may actually spend more on the bullpen there’s also this tidbit from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

It won’t be easy to attract Fairbanks to Chicago as the Dodgers are expected to go after him as well in free agency, threatening to once again steal a free agent reliever from the Cubs.

Via USA Today.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, with $87 million coming off the books, will keep folks honest in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, but probably won’t be the high bidders – instead wanting to focus on shoring up their bullpen. They could pursue Edwin Diaz or Devin Williams, but rival executives expect them to go after former Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, who has 75 saves with a 2.98 ERA the past three seasons.

That would be infuriating.

While Fairbanks has not had the same dominant strikeout numbers the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays as his fastball velocity has declined, the 31-year-old has still produced strong numbers out of the bullpen and would be a great addition for the Cubs.

In 2025, the right-handed pitcher recorded a 2.83 ERA in 60.1 innings, and saved 27 games for Tampa Bay. His strikeout rate, which reached ridiculous levels in 2022 and 2023 at 43.7% and 37.9%, respectively, have come down to the 24.0% range since 2024. Fairbanks was once averaging 99mph with his fastball, but he’s settled into 97mph the past two years.

Still, unlike some previous acquisitions made by the Cubs to help upgrade the bullpen, specifically Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly, Fairbanks has not shown significant signs of decline in his results and entering his age-32 season there’s not much worry that he’ll suddenly hit a wall and his production will fall off a cliff.

MLB Trade Rumors has predicted a two-year, $18 million deal for Fairbanks this offseason.

The 2025 Chicago Cubs ended the year as the No. 11 ranked bullpen in terms of ERA and following the trade deadline the relievers posted a combined 3.47 ERA, ranking third-best in MLB. The organization has long followed a similar plan when addressing its bullpen needs and outside of a few instances fans have become accustomed to seeing the front office target mid-tier free agents or reclamation projects in hopes of rebuilding a solid reliever group. That philosophy worked marvelously in 2025, and if fans were expecting a change of course heading into 2026, think again.

It’s frustrating to see a list of several high-end relievers available in the free agent market and almost immediately knowing the Cubs aren’t going to be involved in trying to sign any of them. Yet, it’s kind of expected at this point and Patrick Mooney pretty much confirmed that the Cubs will once again stay away from the star relievers in free agency.

Via The Athletic.

But league sources told The Athletic not to expect the Cubs to jump in on big-name free agent relievers, at least not early on. The Cubs are not going to be setting the market on relievers. Perhaps someone could fall through the cracks and be available in January or February at a deal that could provide potential surplus value. In that case, the Cubs may pounce; otherwise, reeling in big fish in the reliever department in free agency just isn’t in the cards for this front office. A trade for an established reliever on an expiring deal — like Ryan Pressly last winter — shouldn’t be ruled out, though.

A Devin Williams reunion with Craig Counsell? Unlikely. How about going after Robert Suarez, who has reportedly been on the team’s radar in previous years in trade rumors? Nope. Cross off Edwin Diaz, who is seeking a new contract upwards of $100 million.

Again, it would be nice to have the Cubs actively pursuing top relievers, but at this point it’s just not to be expected. It’s worked out for the most part, but there’s no doubt that fans have endured plenty of frustration, especially early on in seasons as the Cubs have not had an established set of relievers in place until after April during the past three years of the team’s new contention window.

Sure, injuries have played a role, unforeseen ineffectiveness from guys who you were counting on, but that’s the type of risk you get when you don’t necessarily target elite talent. However, acquiring star relievers doesn’t always guarantee success anyway. Last year the Cubs offered Tanner Scott a four-year, $66 million contract before he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $72 million over four years. In his first year with the Dodgers, Scott posted a 4.74 ERA in 61 games and blew 10 saves, while also missing time with injuries in the regular season and postseason.

It was one of the few times the Cubs pursed and made a competitive offer to a free agent closer in the past decade and at this point they will most likely revert to aiming lower in free agency and attempting to find value on more cost-effective signings like they did last offseason.

One thing is for certain this winter and that’s how active the Cubs will be in obtaining bullpen help. The current 40-man roster has a total of seven true relievers and only two pitched more 20 innings out of the bullpen: Porter Hodge and Daniel Palencia.

Lots of pieces to fill in the bullpen puzzle for the 2026 Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs have not been directly connected to Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic in trade rumors this offseason, but it’s not hard to believe that Jed Hoyer could be revisiting the trade deadline target once again. Bubic, who had his 2025 season cut short because of injury, is reportedly receiving interest in the trade market and it would make sense if the Cubs are involved.

Here’s the latest on Bubic garnering interest early on in the offseason according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon. More importantly, the Royals are not shutting down the possibility of trading away their All-Star pitcher.

Via The Athletic.

 At a time when club executives are doubting whether some top-of-the-rotation pitchers get moved, Kansas City Royals lefty starter Kris Bubic, an All-Star last season, is garnering trade interest from multiple teams, league sources said.

In need of offense and boasting some pitching depth, the Royals are open to the possibility of dealing Bubic, people familiar with the club’s thinking said.

Bubic, 28, ended the 2025 season with a 2.55 ERA in 20 starts. The left-handed starter struck out 24.4% of the batters he faced over 116.1 innings and put up a 3/1 strikeout to walk ratio. However, Bubic was shut down a few days before the trade deadline because of a rotator cuff strain.

The Cubs have to add multiple arms to their rotation this winter and circling back to Bubic could make sense despite the concerns of how the pitcher bounces back from his shoulder injury. However, the cost would certainly be lower than other targets, considering both salary, Bubic is projected to earn $6 million in his final year of arbitration, plus the package sent over to the Royals would be considerably less than for guys like Joe Ryan, MacKenzie Gore or Edward Cabrera.

Bubic is also set to become a free agent following the 2026 season, so only having him for one year also drives down his price. However, the reward could be great if the left-hander does indeed return next year fully healthy.

We’ll see if the Cubs will be in the mix for Bubic, but you also have to wonder why the Royals are so willing to trade away pitching when they’re a fringe contender. Definitely an eye-raiser and you bet the Cubs will want a thorough medical review if they end up engaging in trade talks for Bubic.

Trade deadline interest and injury

For a few weeks the Chicago Cubs in Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic. The 27-year-old was having an elite season, ranking fourth in the American League with a 2.38 ERA through July 20, but sometimes the best trades are the ones you never make.

We’re not really sure how serious, if at all, talks got between the Cubs and Royals for Bubic, but they seemingly dodged a bullet because he’s now going to miss the rest of the season with an injury.

After being placed on the 15-day injured list the Royals announced on Monday that Bubic’s recovery from a shoulder issue will sideline him through the end of the 2025 season.

This isn’t the first time Bubic has dealt with a serious arm injury. The lefty underwent Tommy John surgery earlier in his career, which wiped out pretty much all of his 2023 season and limited him to bullpen duty once he returned in 2024. Yet, Bubic’s resurgence that did begin with work as a reliever made him an attractive trade target this summer, especially because he could have come with another year of control in 2026 via arbitration.