The Chicago Cubs are taking a chance on a pitcher who hasn’t pitched in the major leagues for a while.

Gabe Klobosits is the Cubs’ new free agent signing, according to Ari Alexander, and he hasn’t pitched at the MLB level since 2021.

According to Alexander, in workouts this offseason Klobosits has hit 98 miles per hour with his fastball.

He’s had a winding baseball journey to this point.

 

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Klobosits is originally from Katy, Texas, and he started his college baseball career at Galveston College.

He parlayed that into a spot at Auburn University, but from there, he was just a 36th-round pick of the Washington Nationals in the 2017 MLB Draft.

He ascended from that late-round selection to debut with the Nats in 2021. In 11 MLB games, he had a 5.56 ERA.

He spent the 2022 season in Triple-A with Las Vegas (Athletics) and 2023 in Triple-A with Buffalo (Blue Jays) but didn’t get a major league chance in either way.

Klobosits went to play in independent ball the last few seasons. 

He first transitioned to the Atlantic League with Gastonia late in 2023 and had a 1.13 ERA in eight outings.

He threw 45 more times for Gastonia in 2024 with a 2.18 ERA.

 

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In 2025, it was on to High Point in the Atlantic League for 13 outings and a 1.64 ERA, then four appearances for Cleburne in the American Association with a 2.84 ERA.

In his minor league career, Klobosits struck out exactly a batter per inning, and his ratio in independent ball was even a bit better than that.

The Cubs are taking a chance that the 6-foot-8, 30-year old has improved his stuff.

It’s a low-risk signing, but if Klobosits is a new-and-improved version, he could certainly get a chance in the Cubs’ MLB bullpen at some point.

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