MESA, Ariz. -- When Cubs manager David Ross had Craig Kimbrel as part of his bullpen, it was easy to declare him the closer. Kimbrel has a resume approaching Hall of Fame worthiness and keeps climbing the all-time saves chart.

Now, with Kimbrel on the White Sox and the Cubs lacking a true closer, Ross has reverted back to avoiding any official titles for his late-inning options.

"The label thing is just not my area of comfort," Ross said.

Ross is, however, gaining more comfort with the growing list of veteran relievers he will have in the fold this season. The latest arrived Wednesday, when the Cubs announced the signing of righty Mychal Givens to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2023.

Before Givens, the Cubs added veterans David Robertson, Chris Martin and Jesse Chavez earlier this spring. Internally, Rowan Wick is healthy and in the late-inning mix.

"We've got guys that have been there, done that," Ross said. "When you have guys with a track record and can slot those in in your bullpen and continue to identify areas, that's going to help us out. That's big for us."

The 31-year-old Givens is coming off a season in which he posted a 3.35 ERA with 54 strikeouts against 27 walks in 51 innings for the Rockies and Reds. He had a 25 percent strikeout rate (down from his career rate of 28.6 percent) and averaged 94.7 mph on his fastball.

Per Statcast, Givens was in the 96th percentile in both fastball spin rate (2,527 rpm) and average exit velocity allowed (85.5 mph) during the 2021 season.

"Another veteran, established bullpen arm," Ross said. "We'll let him kind of show us where he's at and what he's doing. He's getting a little bit of a later start. ... Obviously, he's a guy that has done really good things in the Major Leagues the last few years, and we're happy to have him."

Stroman: Hendricks 'the man' for Opening Day
Kyle Hendricks has been handed the ball for Opening Day in each of the past two seasons under Ross. The manager has yet to name his pick for the April 7 opener at Wrigley Field, but Marcus Stroman thinks Hendricks should get the nod again.

"Hendricks is the man. Hendricks is the guy," Stroman said. "I truly believe Hendricks should be the Opening Day [starter], just because of his career, how unbelievable he's been in the playoffs. His resume speaks for itself. He's the guy who should be handed the ball each and every Opening Day as long as he's here."

Should Ross go that route, Stroman would project to start on April 8 against the Brewers at Wrigley Field. In the Cubs' 5-4 win over the A's on Wednesday, Stroman kept building to that outing with two-plus innings and nearly 50 pitches in his second Cactus League start.

Stroman struck out three, walked two and was charged with two runs on three hits against Oakland.

"Everything felt good," Stroman said. "The action on [my pitches] was great. You're definitely more happy with feeling good coming out of these starts than the results."

Worth noting
• Given the increased league minimum salary ($700,000) under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Cubs renegotiated the contracts for outfielders Michael Hermosillo (now $707,000) and Harold Ramirez ($728,000).

Hermosillo originally signed a one-year, $600,000 deal with the Cubs on Dec. 1 prior to the lockout. Ramirez had negotiated a contract with the Guardians prior to being acquired by the Cubs in November.

• Outfielder Brennen Davis, the Cubs' No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was back in the lineup on Wednesday. Davis exited Monday's game against the Reds after being hit on the right knee by a pitch.

• Ross noted that first baseman Frank Schwindel is dealing with back tightness. Schwindel has not played since being removed for a pinch-hitter on Sunday against the Dodgers.

• The Cubs reached 2022 contract agreements with 28 players (zero to three years of service time) on Wednesday.

Quotable
"You appreciate what you have while you have it, you know? I don't want to get too far ahead of any of that stuff, so for me, it's about appreciating the All-Stars that you have and the guys that have real talent, and not taking that for granted." -- Ross, on catcher Willson Contreras, who will be eligible for free agency next offseason