Last offseason, the Chicago Cubs were in win-now mode, first pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Houston Astros to get power-hitting outfielder Kyle Tucker. Then, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made another swap with the Astros, reeling in two-time All-Star closer Ryan Pressly, seemingly solidifying the back end of the Chicago bullpen for a deep postseason run.
Things didn’t quite work out that way.
Just about two years earlier, Pressly was on the mound nailing down the final out of the Astros’ second World Series championship after saving 33 games for Houston that year. In 2023, Pressly saved 31, but in 2024 he was demoted to a setup role when the Astros signed free agent Josh Hader to relief-pitcher-record, five-year, $95 million deal.
The Cubs acquired Pressly believing that moving him back into the closer’s job would reinvigorate the once-dominant 36-year-old. But on July 31, the Cubs designated the veteran for assignment and released him.
Despite getting a solid 22 saves from third-year right-hander Daniel Palencia, the Cubs are now reportedly in the market for a more established reliever to anchor their bullpen, and according to reporter Francys Romero of the bilingual BeisbolFR site, the Cubs are now in on the top reliever remaining on the free-agent market as baseball’s annual winter meetings draw to a close Wednesday.
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“Hearing from the winter meetings that the Cubs are still exploring the closer market, with Robert Suárez as one of the ideal candidates,” Romero wrote on Monday, the first full day of the meetings.
After two other top free agent closers were stopped up — Devin Williams by the New York Mets prior to the winter meetings, and on Tuesday former Met Edwin DÃaz by the reigning MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers — San Diego Padres closer Suárez stands as the most sought-after closer remaining available.
Hoyer has a reputation for shying way from relievers seeking long-term deals. But Suárez could be an ideal candidate. With a late start in the major leagues, after starting in Venezuelan independent baseball then pitching five seasons in Japan, the two-time All-Star who led the National League with 40 saves this year, is already 34 years old.
A lengthy contract offer from any suitor therefore appears unlikely. The sports business site Spotrac projects that Suárez — whose fastball was clocked as high as 101.3 mph in the 2024 postseason — will receive a modest three-year deal worth $61.8 million.
That would be a significant raise for Suárez, who opted out after three seasons of a five-year contract with the Padres that would have paid him $46 million.
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