{"id":131737,"date":"2025-12-16T22:44:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T22:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=131737"},"modified":"2025-12-16T22:44:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T22:44:45","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8-inside-bullpen-move-the-cubs-quietly-agreed-to-a-one-year-deal-with-left-handed-reliever-caleb-thielbar-but-the-timing-and-reasoning-behind-this-signing-are-drawing-growing-attention-ar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=131737","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8 INSIDE BULLPEN MOVE: The Cubs quietly agreed to a one year deal with left handed reliever Caleb Thielbar, but the timing and reasoning behind this signing are drawing growing attention around the league. What Chicago sees in this veteran arm may reveal a subtle bullpen strategy that\u2019s only beginning to take shape."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

CHICAGO \u2014 The Chicago Cubs retained a key reliever on Tuesday, agreeing to a one-year contract with Caleb Thielbar.<\/p>\n

A person familiar with the deal confirmed the agreement to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical.<\/p>\n

Thielbar, who turns 39 in January, went 3-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 67 appearances in his first season with Chicago. He held lefty batters to a .161 batting average and a .486 OPS.<\/p>\n

Thielbar’s return puts another left-hander in Chicago’s bullpen after Hoby Milner agreed to a $3.75 million, one-year contract this month. Right-handed reliever Phil Maton finalized a $14.5 million, two-year contract with the Cubs on Nov. 25.<\/p>\n

Chicago is looking for a return trip to the postseason after it made the playoffs this year for the first time since 2020. Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz \u2014 two more key relievers for the Cubs \u2014 are free agents.<\/p>\n

Thielbar spent his first eight seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He went 2-4 with a 5.32 ERA and three saves in 59 games in 2024.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota native was selected by Milwaukee in the 18th round of the 2009 amateur draft. He is 26-16 with a 3.26 ERA in 414 career appearances, all in relief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Cubs have retained a key reliever, agreeing to a one-year contract with Caleb Thielbar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":131739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\ud83d\udea8 INSIDE BULLPEN MOVE: The Cubs quietly agreed to a one year deal with left handed reliever Caleb Thielbar, but the timing and reasoning behind this signing are drawing growing attention around the league. 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