Cubs' Daniel Palencia in position to reclaim closer role amid bullpen churn

MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs entered spring training with nine new relievers on the roster, including those who signed minor-league deals with major-league-camp invitations.

“Each of the guys we brought in, our pitching group and our acquisitions group is excited about the potential upside of those guys,” general manager Carter Hawkins said this week. “And which one will be the next guy that hits, which one’s the guy that’s going to be throwing in the sixth, seventh inning and high-leverage situations for us, we don’t know yet.