![\"MLB](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/chicago-cubs-at-cincinnati-reds.jpg\" "\\"Chicago")
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (Image via Imagn). The Chicago Cubs may be forced to take a bold approach in fixing their bullpen this winter. With injuries and underperformance leaving their closer situation in flux, Sports Illustrated\u2019s Zach Pressnell suggests the team could take a chance on Ryan Helsley, a once-dominant reliever whose stock has dropped following a disappointing stint with the New York Mets.<\/p>\n
Cubs\u2019 closer situation in 2025<\/p>\n
The Cubs entered the season with Ryan Pressly as their designated closer after signing him over the winter. However, Pressly\u2019s struggles quickly led to a change. Daniel Palencia stepped in and thrived in the role, becoming a steady presence at the back of the bullpen. \u2022 Palencia appeared in 52 games this year \u2022 He posted a 3.00 ERA across 51 innings \u2022 He converted 22 saves before suffering a right shoulder strainPalencia is now on the 15-day injured list, and his postseason availability remains uncertain. This setback leaves the Cubs with a significant hole in their bullpen as they prepare for potential October baseball.<\/p>\n
Why Ryan Helsley is being linked to Chicago<\/p>\n
![\"Ryan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ryan-helsley-of-the-new-york-mets.jpg\" "\\"Ryan")
<\/p>\n
Ryan Helsley of the New York Mets (Image via AP Photo)<\/p>\n
The Mets acquired Ryan Helsley at the trade deadline in an effort to boost their relief corps. But his performance took a nosedive after joining New York. While he pitched effectively in the first half of the season, his struggles in a Mets uniform have diminished his free-agent value heading into the offseason.Pressnell believes this is where the Cubs could pounce: \u201cHelsley was dominant in the first half, but fell off when he joined the Mets. His price tag is likely a bit lower now than it was a few months ago, though his talent is still there. The Cubs could target him on a four-year deal to make the flamethrower the closer of the future in the Windy City.\u201d \u2013 Zach Pressnell, Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n
The gamble vs reward involved in this trade for the Cubs<\/p>\n
If the Cubs pursue Helsley, it will be a calculated risk. His struggles in New York have raised questions, but his track record shows he has the talent to dominate when healthy and confident.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a quick breakdown of the situation:<\/p>\n
The Cubs are expected to target bullpen help this winter regardless of Palencia\u2019s health status. Helsley represents a high-risk, high-reward option. If he returns to his pre-trade form, he could become one of the biggest steals of the offseason and stabilize the closer role in Chicago for years.Also read: MLB Trade Rumors: Detroit Tigers Reportedly Eyeing $120 Million Boston Red Sox All-Star in Aggressive Free Agency Pursuit<\/a>The coming months will determine if the Cubs are willing to take that gamble and make Helsley a key piece of their future bullpen plans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (Image via Imagn). The Chicago Cubs may be forced to take a bold…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":242524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,129364,129365,129366,56839,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,129367,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-242523","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-chicago-cubs-bullpen","10":"tag-cubs-closer-situation-2025","11":"tag-cubs-offseason-plans","12":"tag-mlb-trade-rumors","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-newyork","16":"tag-newyorkcity","17":"tag-ny","18":"tag-nyc","19":"tag-ryan-helsley-new-york-mets","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115239127105595975","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}