Cubs to re-sign left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar
The Cubs are set to bring back a key component to their bullpen success last year.
They are in agreement with left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar on a one-year deal, a source confirmed Tuesday. The terms of the contract, which is pending a physical, were not immediately clear.
Source confirms the Cubs and left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar are in agreement on a one-year deal, pending a physical. @JesseRogersESPN and @JeffPassan were on it first.
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) December 16, 2025
Thielbar, 38, recorded a 2.64 ERA for the Cubs last season, his best since 2020 by that measure. The veteran southpaw, who spent the other eight years of his major-league career with the Twins, was one of manager Craig Counsell’s most trusted high-leverage arms for much of the season.
He recorded 25 holds and one save in that role. And when the Cubs moved to a closer-by-committee approach late in the year, Thielbar was part of that matchup-centered equation.
Thielbar’s path to late-career success included stints in the independent American Association and a four-year hiatus from the majors.
“It's the wonderful thing about pitching,” Counsell said in August. “You don’t hear that story with position players, but pitching is different in that spot. You can really improve later in life with health, strength, a new pitch, a different grip. It can change really fast. And that's why you stick with it, and that's why you see guys lasting a long time as well.”
The Cubs ended up relying on several relievers in that category, including Thielbar and fellow left-hander Drew Pomeranz. After plenty of turnover and evolving roles over the course of the season, the Cubs bullpen finished with a top-5 ERA in the National League (3.78), according to Fangraphs.
Because much of last season’s bullpen was made up of players on one-year deals, the Cubs are now rebuilding the position group. Thielbar joins new additions left-hander Hoby Milner and right-hander Phil Maton.