Last night, I was able to break the news that the Cubs had added righty reliever Phil Maton, a legitimate, late-inning arm, to a multi-year contract. And while most Cubs fans seemed appropriately excited about that deal, I could sense some apprehension that Maton would be the ONLY reliever like that they’d sign this offseason. And to be fair, that’s an understandable reaction as the Cubs very rarely sign established relievers to multi-year pacts. But I’m here to tell you today that they aren’t done yet.
According to a source, the Cubs remain engaged in the impact free-agent relief market even after signing Phil Maton last night. Nothing is thought to be close, but Maton won’t likely be their only established relief signing this offseason. In fact, it sounds like they’re aiming even higher than Maton for their next target.
Who might that be? Well, you can probably keep Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez off your Christmas list. Those guys are expected to command much more (in both money and years) than the Cubs are likely to commit to any reliever.
But I do think you can keep open the possibility of a Craig Counsell reunion with Devin Williams, or perhaps a Cubs reunion with Brad Keller. Other pitchers in this tier include Pete Fairbanks, who’s already been connected to the Cubs this offseason, and Ryan Helsley, who’s saved 70 games over the past two seasons (3rd most in MLB), though most of those came in 2024.
In any case, the signing of Phil Maton, and their continued pursuit of other impact free-agent relievers, tracks with the report out of The Athletic last week, when Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney indicated that the Cubs would be adjusting their approach to bullpen construction this winter.
In reconstructing their bullpen, the Cubs recognize that they can’t only offer one-year contracts to relievers. It’s possible that they will invest multiple years in the right late-inning arms.
That doesn’t mean signing All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to a $100 million contract. Devin Williams, who closed for Cubs manager Craig Counsell during their time with the Milwaukee Brewers, is generating enough early interest to suggest that his next deal will go beyond Chicago’s comfort zone.
But the Cubs are planning to spread their resources around and provide Counsell with several viable options. Pete Fairbanks, the former closer for the Tampa Bay Rays, is a name to keep in mind. A reunion with Brad Keller, who thoroughly enjoyed his time in Chicago, also can’t be ruled out quite yet.
You should still expect the Cubs to build up the rest of the bullpen the way they have in recent years — identifying undervalued arms they believe they can bring to the next level — because why wouldn’t they? They just had one of their most successful bullpen years because of under-the-radar moves like that for Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, and others. But it does sound like an additional established arm for the pen is in the plans.
And that’s good, because without one, they’d be betting a whole lot on Daniel Palencia’s emergence last season holding true in 2026. Stay tuned.
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