The Chicago Cubs bullpen was one of the best in all of baseball last season. The 3.78 ERA from the bullpen ranked 11th in MLB and fifth in the National League.
A big part of that unit's success was the production from 38-year-old Caleb Thielbar. Chicago was impressed enough with Thielbar last season to bring him back for another season.
According to MLB insider Jesse Rogers, Thielbar and the Cubs are in agreement on a one-year contract for next season. Thielbar will return to the same bullpen and coaching staff that helped produce a career low ERA of 2.64 across a full season.
Not only was Thielbar solid across the whole season, but he was especially impressive against the National League Central. He allowed just four runs across 16 innings against divisional opponents. Take out one poor outing against the St. Louis Cardinals and that number drops to one run across 15 appearances. Unlike a few other Chicago relievers, Thielbar had the division on their heels 99% of the time.
Thielbar will join the recently signed Hoby Milner as the two left-handers in Chicago's bullpen. Both are extremely similar in their abilities to get a lot of ground balls, something that is strong suited for a Cubs infield that had four National League Gold Glove finalists.
The reunion with Thielbar was the third relief pitcher signing of the winter for the Cubs. It is evident that run prevention is a main priority for the front office and more bullpen/starting pitching moves may be on the horizon.
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