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.
The Cubs bullpen saw plenty of turnover and evolving roles over the course of the season, but it finished with a top-5 ERA in the National League (3.78), according to Fangraphs.