Faced with the task of rebuilding almost their entire bullpen, the Chicago Cubs agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Phil Maton on a two-year contract with a club option for 2028, a league source said Friday.
The financial terms of the deal, first reported by Bleacher Nation, are unknown. But making this commitment is a departure for president Jed Hoyer’s front office, which has generally preferred to cycle through buy-low relievers on one-year contracts, viewing the performances of those players as too volatile and unpredictable for significant investments.
Maton’s reaching an agreement in November also reflects how differently the market viewed the 32-year-old compared to when he was a free agent last offseason.
In that situation, Maton didn’t sign until he received a one-year deal worth $2 million from the St. Louis Cardinals on March 13.
For Maton, however, there was a benefit to signing so late.
Since he didn’t have much of a full spring training to build a rapport with Cardinals catchers, he started calling his own pitches via PitchCom for the first time — and had a terrific season. Over 61 1/3 innings, Maton had a career-best 2.79 ERA with a 32.7 percent strikeout rate, his highest figure since the shortened 2020 season.
Known around the league for his pitching IQ, Maton also reworked his mechanics, helping him boost his velocity. Maton has never thrown especially hard. But he increased the average velocity on his cutter from 88.7 mph in 2024 to 90.6 mph in 2025. With teams continuing to value velocity, it’s not out of the question to think Maton may find a way to reach another gear.
Maton brings an added layer of reliability to the Cubs’ bullpen, along with playoff experience and durability. In each of the last five seasons, he has logged more than 60 appearances.
Among the core group of relievers trusted by Cubs manager Craig Counsell in October, only Daniel Palencia remains, at least for now. Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar became free agents again, while Chicago traded Andrew Kittredge back to the Baltimore Orioles.
Even with Maton as a building block, the Cubs still figure to add relievers in bulk, trusting the same process that identified Keller, Pomeranz and Thielbar and turned them into valuable contributors.