BCB After Dark: Always be closing

The late-night/early-morning spot for Cubs fans asks if you’re good with Porter Hodge as the closer

It’s Tuesday evening at BCB After Dark: the hippest happening for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Please come in. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few available tables. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The National League Division Series were active today and the Mets jumped out to a 2 games to 1 lead in the best-of-five series by trouncing the Phillies, 7-2. The Padres and Dodgers are still going at it as I write this. NL West After Dark, so to speak.

Last night, I asked you to grade Ian Happ’s 2024 season. There was an strong majority—68 percent of you—who gave Happ a “B.” Another 17 percent gave him an “C” and 14 percent gave Happ an “A.”

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I don’t normally do movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz, so those of you who skip that can do so now. You won’t hurt my feelings.

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Here’s the Dave Brubeck Quartet playing the Brubeck-penned tune “40 Days.” Paul Desmond is on alto sax, Gene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums. I can’t tell you much about the performance except that it’s clearly a televised piece and since “40 Days” came out in 1965, I’d assume that it’s from sometime around then.

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Welcome back to everyone who skips all that jazz.

The Cubs have lured legendary coach Jerry Weinstein away from the Rockies.

Weinstein’s area of expertise is catching, although it sounds like the Cubs want him for his all-around knowledge. Despite being closely associated with the Rockies these past few decades, Weinstein isn’t new to the Cubs system, as he was a manager for the Cubs’ low-A teams in the New York-Penn League in 1993 and 1994.

I’m not going to ask you about Weinstein. I mean, what would you say?

Instead, let’s talk about the Cubs closer and Porter Hodge. Specifically, would you go with Hodge as the Cubs closer at the start of next season, would you go with a different current Cub or would you pick up a more proven closer via free agency or trade?

Hodge stepped into the closer’s role after the release of Héctor Neris at the end of August. Despite being a rookie who made his major league debut in late-May, Hodge converted nine of his twelve save chances and posted an ERA of 1.88. If you just look at what Hodge did after Neris was released, he went seven for eight in save opportunities and had a 1.59 ERA.

There is no question that Porter Hodge is going to be in the Cubs bullpen this upcoming season. And there is no question that the Cubs are going to try to add bullpen pieces this winter. Team president Jed Hoyer admitted that there wasn’t enough depth in the bullpen at the start of last season (The Athletic sub. req.) and that injuries to Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather and the overall disappointing performance of Neris left the bullpen short-handed. (I’d add the injury to Yency Almonte as well.) That problem seemed to have been fixed late in the season as the Cubs bullpen was a strength in August and September. But the Cubs were too far back to catch up to the Brewers or a Wild Card spot by then.

But tonight I’m going to ask you how you would feel if the Cubs went with Hodge as their main closer to start 2025? He certainly looked good down the stretch last year, but he’s also a rookie with just 43 major league innings under his belt. Two months as a closer isn’t a big sample size by which to judge a pitcher. Maybe you’d feel better with Hodge pitching the seventh or eighth innings until he shows that the end of this past season wasn’t a fluke.

Of course, there are other pitchers currently on the Cubs who might be able to close. Jorge López is a free agent, but the Cubs could bring him back. He has experience as a closer with the Orioles in 2022. Nate Pearson doesn’t have much experience pitching the ninth inning, but he does have closer’s stuff and was really good after coming over from Toronto at the trade deadline. A healthy Yency Almonte is another option for closing. (Adbert Alzolay won’t be back from Tommy John surgery until late next season at the earliest.)

There’s also the possibility that the Cubs go out and get a closer, either a free agent or via a trade. Two closers available on the free agent market this winter are Kenley Jansen and Tanner Scott. Aroldis Chapman is a free agent and has obviously been a closer before. The Phillies’ Jeff Hoffman wasn’t their primary closer, but he did save ten games last year.

There will also be closers available in trade, but I can’t tell you who they’ll be. But every closer is available for a big enough return.

To be clear, Hodge has earned a spot in the Cubs’ bullpen. If you think the Cubs should find a more established closer, you aren’t arguing that they should get rid of Hodge. You’re just saying that you want him to pitch earlier than the ninth inning most of the time. Maybe he gets an occasional save when the main closer is tired and maybe he returns to the closer’s spot if the main one is injured or ineffective. But you’re saying Hodge is plan B for the ninth inning, not plan A.

And if you want to say who the Cubs should make the closer in the comments, that would be great.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by tonight. We are so glad you stopped in. Please get home safely. Let us call you a ride if you need one. Be sure to recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.