Former Minnesota Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar has a new home as he agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday evening.
A native of Randolph, Minn., Thielbar has spent all eight of his major league seasons with the Twins including his most recent stint from 2020-24. Thielbar leaves Minnesota with a 23-12 record in his career while posting a 3.38 career ERA, 347 strikeouts and 107 walks over 320.0 (347 games).
Caleb Thielbar’s departer thins Minnesota’s left-handed relief options
Thielbar was one of Minnesota’s most reliable bullpen arms, averaging 55 appearances over the past four seasons and logging 17 appearances in the 60-game COVID-shortened season in 2020. While Thielbar was available, he struggled with injuries the past two seasons and his ERA ballooned to 5.32 with a career-high 1.56 WHIP last season.
Thilebar also had problems with several metrics as his walk rate jumped from 5.0% in 2023 to 11.1% last season. He also had strong chase (33.5%) and whiff (30.2%) rates dating back to 2022 but those numbers fell to 26.7% and 24.7% last season according to Baseball Savant.
Theilbar’s struggles made his departure imminent but also thins the Twins options for left-handed relievers. Kody Funderburk and Brent Headrick are the lone left-handed pitchers on the 40-man roster and the Twins traded Jovani Morán on Christmas Eve in exchange for infielder Mickey Gasper.
While Thielbar will join fellow southpaw Rob Zastryzny in Chicago, the Twins will need to find a suitable replacement to team with Funderburk. Danny Coulombe is one name that has been speculated but with the Twins’ payroll concerns and the cost of free agents, it’s possible the Twins could go with an inexperienced solution in their bullpen next season.