BREAKING: Cubs Re-Sign Left-Handed Reliever Caleb Thielbar

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent lefty Caleb Thielbar, a league source confirmed to North Side Baseball. The news was first reported by Jesse Rogers of ESPN, on Twitter. Thielbar, who will turn 39 in January, returns after a strong season as a setup man for the 2025 Cubs.

As improbable a 10-year major leaguer as you'll find, Thielbar was an 18th-round pick in 2009 by the Brewers, but was released the following December. He spent a summer in independent ball, eventually catching the attention of his hometown Minnesota Twins. He pitched parts of three seasons with Minnesota, but flamed out in 2015. He was claimed by the Padres, but never pitched for them in the majors. He signed with the Marlins in late 2016, but didn't make their team in 2017 and was cut. He spent all of 2016 and 2017 on the indy circuit and all of 2018 and 2019 in the minors with Detroit and Atlanta. 

Just as he was finally set to move on from playing and take a coaching role, however, the Twins called again. Thielbar revived his career and pitched parts of five more seasons with Minnesota, before signing with the Cubs last winter on a paltry deal.

However peripatetic and perilous his professional career has been, though, Thielbar's fundamentals as a pitcher are very strong. He's gone against the grain of the typical aging curve, with his velocity increasing more often than it decreases. Work at Driveline Baseball helped him turn from a soft-tosser getting by on command and guile into a more legitimate candidate to work in high-leverage situations. He now sits around 93 miles per hour, with the ability to touch 95, all from a deceptive left-handed delivery.

Multiple breaking balls make him a versatile weapon, rather than a strict matchup option. Bringing back a true slider (to work as a complement to both his sweeper and his big, slow vertical curveball) was a key change for 2025, allowing Thielbar to better manage contact and fill up the strike zone.

Alongside newcomer Hoby Milner, Thielbar figures to anchor the left side of the Cubs' bullpen depth chart, with fringy arms Luke Little and Riley Martin as secondary options and swingman Jordan Wicks a candidate to slot in for longer work. Chicago had interest in fellow southpaw Foster Griffin, returning from a sojourn in Japan, but Griffin will get a chance to start for the Washington Nationals, which he would have had little chance to do in Chicago. Once Griffin elected to sign with Washington, the Cubs pivoted to the reunion with Thielbar.

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[Development DL]

Peace be with you .

Thank you for taking the time.

 

 

[Victor Reichman]

I don't understand why we didn't resign Pomerantz as well. Angels signed him for $4 mil.

Keller signed with Phils for 2 yrs. $22 mil.  He was excellent with us and brought the heat. His price was high but he was really good.