This Cubs reliever has the most on the line in 2026
A year ago the Chicago Cubs had several pitchers breakout in their bullpen. Veterans such as Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, and even Chris Flexen, for a few months anyway, were essential to the club having one of the best relief corps in the league. Of that group, only Thielbar was brought back. Brad Keller signed a two year, $22 million deal with the Phillies, Pomeranz one year, $4.0 million with the Angels, and Flexen remains a free agent.
While the Cubs’ 2026 bullpen looks dramatically different from a year ago, with Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Hunter Harvey, and several new arms now in the mix, for a myriad of reasons this still shapes up as a pivotal season for Thielbar. He re-signed with Chicago on a $4.5 million guaranteed deal and a $6.0 million option for 2027.
Chicago Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar has a lot on the line in 2026
In 2025, Thielbar turned in his strongest statistical campaign since his 2013 rookie year with the Twins. That season, he produced 1.1 bWAR with a 1.76 ERA across 46 innings. Last year, he followed it up with a 1.0 bWAR and a 2.64 ERA over 58 innings. Outside of a 2021 season in which he also topped 1 WAR, those are the only times in his career he’s reached that mark, putting significant pressure on him to replicate his first-year success in Chicago and prove he’s worth the $6 million club option for 2027.
Thielbar’s breakout last season was fueled by adjustments to both his mechanics and overall pitch mix. His delivery had previously been somewhat clunky, but after smoothing it out , and leaning more heavily on his curveball, he thrived. The results were clear: he limited hard contact at a 97th-percentile rate, generated chase at an 88th-percentile clip, kept walks down in the 85th percentile, and extracted outstanding value from both his fastball (70th percentile) and curveball (92nd percentile).
If Thielbar can replicate the form he showed last season, the value proposition becomes obvious. A steady, high-leverage left-hander who limits hard contact, throws strikes, and misses barrels is worth every dollar in today’s bullpen market, and that would make his current deal look like a bargain. More importantly, sustaining that level of performance could set him up for the most lucrative payday of his career in 2027. Should he falter, it’s possible that the script could flip to the 39 year old having a tough job finding work instead, which makes this season very important for the veteran pitcher.
The post This Cubs reliever has the most on the line in 2026 appeared first on ChiCitySports.
Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-caleb-thielbar-replicate-success/
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