Cubs BCB After Dark: Do the Cubs need to add a closer?

Cubs BCB After Dark: Do the Cubs need to add a closer?Story byJosh TimmersTue, December 2, 2025 at 5:32 AM UTC·16 min read

It’s Monday night here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We are so glad you decided to stop by. Come on in out of the cold. There’s no cover charge. We can check your coat for you. We still have a few tables available. 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.

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Last week, in honor of the holiday, I asked you what you were thankful for in the Cubs 2025 season. Just making the playoffs came in first with 39 percent. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout year was second with 30 percent of the vote.

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. You can skip that part if you want. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Tonight we have a piece from a concert from just one month ago by the SFJAZZ Collective in honor of Brazilian jazz great Milton Nascimento and the late, great saxophonist Wayne Shorter. They play Nascimento’s “Miracle of the Fishes,” which Shorter performed on his 1975 album Native Dancer.

Chris Potter is on tenor and soprano saxophone and David Sánchez is on tenor sax and percussion. Mike Rodriguez plays trumpet, Edward Simon on piano and keyboards, Warren Wolf on vibraphone, Matt Brewer is the bassist and the drummer is Kendrick Scott.

You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and 2001: A Space Odyssey advanced to the next round over The Man Who Fell to Earth in convincing fashion. The Man Who Fell to Earth is a pretty good, if slightly disjointed, film, but I can see how this wasn’t much of a choice for you, unless you are one of those people who just don’t like Kubrick’s masterpiece. And if you are? Honestly, I get that.

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Now we’re moving on to the so-called Star Wars bracket, or the 1977 to 1982 era. This is the era when studios were churning out science fiction like there was no tomorrow as science fiction was box office gold. There was a science fiction craze that came over America and every producer wanted to get in on it. Television, too, which is how such shows as the original Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and The Star Wars Christmas Special got made. You can argue that the sci-fi craze never really ended.

Tonight I have two films that I’m not sure I ranked correctly, but I wanted to get a first-round matchup of Alien and The Thing (coming Wednesday!) and so these two films ended up here. The first is director Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the second one is director Nicholas Meyer’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Terri Garr, Melinda Dillon and François Truffaut.

Along with Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is the other film that ignited the science fiction craze in 1977. Spielberg was coming off a megahit in Jaws and could basically write his own ticket for his next film. He chose a film that would tap into the UFO and other unexplained phenomenon craze of the seventies. He also hired Douglas Trumbull to do the special effects, who had done much of the effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey, despite not receiving on-screen credit from Kubrick. Those two films have a lot more in common with each other than either of them has with Star Wars.

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Spielberg had grown up watching B-movie science fiction films like Invaders from Mars and his first film, financed by his dad and shot when he was 18-years-old for $500 was a science fiction film called Firelight. Firelight is a mostly-lost film and Spielberg calls it “terrible” in retrospect, but many of the concepts from Firelight reportedly were reused for Close Encounters. So this is something Spielberg had been thinking about close to all his life.

While Close Encounters has the look of a science fiction film, at its heart, the plot mimics many of the conspiracy thriller films of the era. Strange events are taking place throughout the globe—including the Bermuda Triangle. (What ever happened to that?) The US government is trying to cover up contact with the aliens, but certain people like Roy Neary (Dreyfuss) and Jillian Guiler (Dillon) have been touched by the aliens and are driven to uncover the truth. Jillian’s son was abducted as well, so that also drives her. Roy’s family is also destroyed by his obsession, as his wife Ronnie (Garr) can’t live with Roy making models of Devils Tower out of mashed potatoes on the dining room table.

(Also, the government story to evacuate the area around Devils Tower to arrange first contact in Wyoming is that there was a nerve gas leak. If you want to avoid public panic, the absolute last thing you should be telling the public is that there was a nerve gas leak! Telling them that we need to clear the area out so the aliens can land would cause less of a panic! I guess it has the advantage of being scary and invisible, but it’s way too scary. Plus, you’re admitting to the Soviets that the US is stockpiling nerve gas.)

I’m assuming the large majority of you have seen the film, so I’m not going to go over the plot. But there are a few things to pull out of it. First off, Spielberg breaks with tradition by making the aliens friendly. Yes, there are some scary events because of misunderstandings and the government’s need for secrecy, but unlike those B-movies, these aliens aren’t here to conquer mankind Rather, as Spielberg put it, they are here to show us that mankind is ready to join the greater cosmos.

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That element of misunderstanding and language is a key part of Close Encounters. The famous five-note musical phrase dominates the plot of the film as everyone struggles to decipher it and respond in kind. This issue of communication is punctuated by the character of French UFO expert Claude Lacombe (Truffaut, in his only on-screen appearance in a film he didn’t direct) who is leading the response to the alien contact. Lacombe, like Truffaut, speaks very little English and has to have everything he says filtered through and translated by Bob Balaban’s character.

Music is also a key element of the film, and it’s only through music that the two sides were able to make a connection. The John Williams score dominated the film and, as noted, is a major plot point. Williams lost the Oscar for his Close Encounters score to his score for Star Wars. His Close Encounters score took home a Grammy, however. (So did Star Wars. The two scores qualified in different years for the Grammy)

Close Encounters is maybe the point where we get the term “Spielbergian” with the overwhelming sense of “awe” that he created in this film. It’s the overwhelming awe that Spielberg has always felt at the movies and it is arguably in this film that he does the best at communicating that awe at cinema to the audience. Trumbull’s gorgeous special effects, especially over the final 40 minutes of the film, go a long way to creating that “awe” of the world beyond this one. But so do Spielberg’s famous reaction shots. This is a film where the editing goes a long way towards creating the story.

You can argue that Close Encounters takes too long to get to its majestic climax and the middle of the film does drag. But most would argue that the ending, a stunning visual and musical symphony of alien contact, makes getting through the film worth it.

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Close Encounters of the Third Kind is also the first of at least three films in our tournament that have been altered from the version that came out in theaters. Columbia wanted a special re-release in 1980 and gave Spielberg more money to add more scenes. They also insisted upon a scene inside the flying saucer, which Spielberg thought was a mistake but put in anyway. A later “Director’s Cut” removed the scene inside the saucer but kept most of the other changes from the 1980 version. That “Director’s Cut” is the version you are most likely to see if you re-watch the film today.

Here’s a trailer for the 40th anniversary re-release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This would be that “Director’s Cut.”

5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Directed by Nicholas Meyer. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban.

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I’m afraid that I am too well-versed in Star Trek lore. My wife and I have bonded through the years through the various incarnations of Star Trek, from when we first started dating to now that we’ve been married for over 25 years. So it’s hard for me to not just go on and on and on.

But it’s not just me who has a hard time separating The Wrath of Khan from the decades of lore that surrounded it. This film is certainly the reason that we still have Star Trek television and movies even today.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) reunited the cast of Star Trek ten years after the TV show was canceled. The film, directed by the legendary Robert Wise, emerged out of a failed attempt at a new TV series and was a critical bomb. However, it turned a profit and science fiction films were very much in demand. The sequel, made with a far smaller budget, was intended to be the end of Star Trek. They kill off Spock (Nimoy), the show’s most popular character at the end of the film. (Don’t worry. He gets better.) But instead of being the end, The Wrath of Khan was a huge hit and instead it became the beginning.

Paramount wisely sidelined Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry for this picture and hired a young director named Nicholas Meyer, who had just one directing credit under his belt, a time-travel story that he had written himself: Time After Time.

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Meyer wasn’t a Trek fan, so he went back and watched every single episode of the original series. He was struck by the first-season episode “Space Seed,” where Ricardo Montalban played Khan, a genetically-enhanced superman from the 1990s. Khan and fellow enhanced people tried to take over the world back then and when us normal people finally defeated them, Khan and the last of his followers went into suspended animation and took off in a spaceship. Kirk (Shatner) and the crew find Khan floating into space, defrost them and Khan quickly tries to take over the Enterprise.

Khan is naturally defeated and instead of imprisoning him and his followers, Kirk gives them the option of exile to an uninhabited world that they could conquer to their heart’s content. Kirk and Spock even think it would be interesting to check in on them in a few years.

Meyer saw the potential of “checking in” on Khan. It helped that Montalban was a huge TV star at the time thanks to his starring role on Fantasy Island. What Meyer envisioned is that disaster struck Khan and his crew almost immediately after the Enterprise dropped them off. Khan and what remains of his followers are now out for revenge.

The one thing that Meyer grasped out of the original Star Trek TV series was what made it great wasn’t the science fiction, it was the characters. In particular the relationship between the logical and alien Spock, the emotional and human Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and hero Captain Kirk who was the glue that held the two sides together. He emphasized those relationships in this film. Meyer also leaned into the reality of the actors and emphasized their characters’ age and mortality. James T. Kirk needs reading glasses now, for example

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For the story, Meyer (who went uncredited on the screenplay) drew on two classic pieces of literature. One is Moby Dick, where Khan’s obsession with revenge on Kirk leads to his own destruction. The other is A Tale of Two Cities and the idea of laying down your life for a greater good. Both works of literature are actually referred to in the film.

It’s amazing just how tight the script of The Wrath of Khan is. The film starts out with a training exercise where Lt. Saavik (Kirstie Alley) manages to get everyone killed in the Kobayashi Maru scenario. The plot never really drags after that. There’s a reason that millions who were only mildly aware of the TV show came to theaters to see The Wrath of Khan. It is a remarkably well-told story with little-to-no down points. Montalban is fantastic as the evil Khan. You get just enough sympathy for him and his plight, but then you’re reminded that he’s basically Space Hitler.

The Wrath of Khan also probably has the best acting performance of any Star Trek film. The impact of Spock’s death is muted today because, you know, he got better, but I saw the film in theaters in 1982 and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. There are also iconic moments that have entered the public consciousness. Shatner yelling “KAAAAAAAAHHHHN!” into the darkness of space has been much referenced and parodied, and “Kobayashi Maru” is a phrase that still means a “no-win situation.”

Here’s the original trailer for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

The Wrath of Khan is available on Paramount Plus and Kanopy, free with a library card. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is available for rent.

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Now it’s time to vote!

You have until Wednesday to vote. Up next we have our showdown of Science Fiction/Horror films when Alien (1979) takes on The Thing (1982) Alien is available on Hulu and FXNow. The Thing is available for rent.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

Daniel Palencia did a good job as the Cubs closer in 2025. He saved 22 games in 25 chances and had a 2.91 ERA. He made a huge improvement over his 2024 campaign. His strikeout percentage went up from 23.2 percent to 28.4. His walk percentage dropped from an ungainly 17.4 to a solid 7.4. He also has a fastball that averaged 99.6 miles per hour last year.

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Palencia has earned the right to start the 2026 season as the Cubs closer. However, we’ve heard this song before. By the end of the 2022 season, rookie Brandon Hughes looked like the answer for the ninth inning. In 2023, Adbert Alzolay moved to the bullpen and also saved 22 out of 25 games. Porter Hodge had established himself as the closer down the stretch in 2024, saving 9 out of 12 chances during the season and eight out of nine after August 20.

You know where this is going. None of those young pitchers were able to establish themselves as the full-time closer for the Cubs in the next season. Maybe Palencia is the exception. We certainly hope he’s the exception. But would it be prudent for the Cubs to add another “experienced” closer who could take over if anything happens to Palencia?

The Cubs are going to have to add more relievers, either through free agency or trade. There are two top closers on the free agent market in Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez. I would imagine that if the Cubs sign either one of those two, they would immediately supplant Palencia as the closer. That’s why I don’t expect the Cubs to sign either one, but you never know.

But there are a couple of pitchers with ninth-inning experience who would probably be fine pitching in the eighth until needed in the ninth. Former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks has been mentioned as a possible Cubs target. Kenley Jansen has 479 career saves and 29 last year to go alongside a sparkling 2.59 ERA. At 38, he’s pretty much on one-year contracts from now on and share closing duties with Palencia until he demonstrates that he’s no one-season fluke. Emilio Pagán saved 32 games in 38 tries for the Reds last year with a 2.88 ERA. Kyle Finnegan had been the Nationals closer for 2.5 seasons until he was traded to the Tigers at the trade deadline. He saved for more games in Detroit. He’s not a sexy name, but he pitched well in Detroit, would likely pitch in the seventh or eighth inning without complaint and has experience in the ninth if necessary.

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As far as the trade market goes, I don’t know of any relievers with closing experience currently being dangled, but teams are generally willing to part with any closer for the right price. Yes, the price for Mason Miller would be incredibly high. But the Pirates have been rumored to have made David Bednar available for the right price. That price has always been too high in the past, but maybe it’s less now that he’s getting expensive and two years away from free agency.

Basically, your answer to this question depends on whether or not you think that there’s something different about pitching in the ninth inning with a save chance on the line. If you just think that Phil Maton or Ben Brown (for example) could just step in and close if it is necessary, then you just want the Cubs to sign good relievers. Maybe bring back Brad Keller. But if you think that some pitchers struggle in the ninth more than others, then you probably want someone who has proven he can handle closing duties.

Thank you for stopping by tonight. We hope you enjoyed yourself. Stay warm out there. Get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

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