The Cubs introduced that left-hander Caleb Thielbar has been signed to a one-year, Main League contract. Thielbar (who turns 38 in January) is represented by ISE.
Chicago is the seventh completely different MLB workforce Thielbar has been part of since his professional profession started as an 18th-round decide for the Brewers within the 2009 draft. Regardless of this journeyman resume, all Thielbar’s 320 massive league innings over eight seasons have include the Twins, in two separate stints from 2013-15 after which 2020-24. That second stretch with Minnesota revived Thielbar’s profession fully, as he had taken on a training job in faculty following the 2019 season earlier than he was lured again with one other minor league deal from the Twins.
Thielbar’s second act noticed him emerge as a quietly efficient weapon out of Minnesota’s bullpen. He posted a 3.21 ERA, 30.2% strikeout fee, and seven.4% stroll fee over 174 innings from 2020-23, inducing a number of comfortable contact together with these missed bats and restricted free passes. Over his profession, Thielbar has restricted left-handed batters to a meager .213/.265/.328 slash line over 553 plate appearances, and his splits towards righty-swingers (.240/.310/.401 in 773 PA) can also be very respectable, although right-handed bats have hit Thielbar tougher over the past two seasons.
2024 was a way more troublesome season, as Thielbar struggled to a 5.32 ERA and his stroll fee shot upwards to 11.1%. The southpaw’s strikeout fee was nonetheless above the league common however it additionally sharply dropped off to 24.5%. An early-season hamstring pressure may need been partially accountable, as Thielbar had an 8.04 ERA in his first 15 2/3 innings of the season earlier than considerably stabilizing to a 3.98 in his remaining 31 2/3 frames.
Thielbar’s short-term, cost-efficient contract matches Jed Hoyer’s most popular mannequin for reliever contracts throughout Hoyer’s four-year tenure as Chicago’s president of baseball operations. The Cubs have been skinny on left-handed bullpen candidates, and Thielbar now joins a listing of choices that features Rob Zastryzny, Luke Little, and probably Jordan Wicks until the Cubs wish to preserve Wicks stretched out for starter obligation. Chicago figures to reinforce this group with at the very least yet another southpaw earlier than the season opens, whether or not on one other assured deal like Thielbar or within the type of trades or minor league signings.
