Getting a dominant bullpen requires more than just Phil Maton. Discover the key arms the Cubs must acquire to fortify their relief corps for 2026.
There’s no doubt that the Chicago Cubs need to revamp their bullpen. Most of their key bullpen arms from 2025 are currently free agents (Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, and Drew Pomeranz), and the front office simply needs to replace those relievers this offseason.
The good news is that the Cubs already got a head start on the reliever market by signing Phil Maton last month. After posting career-best numbers in 2025, Chicago agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the veteran.
However, that can’t be the only big-time reliever the Cubs sign this offseason. They need to sign at least two more high-leverage arms to complete their bullpen and add a dominant left-handed reliever.
The two high-leverage arms the front office should target are Keller and Pete Fairbanks. Signing both of those pitchers would ensure that the Cubs have four high-leverage relievers in their bullpen for the 2026 season (Keller, Fairbanks, Maton, and Daniel Palencia).
Cubs fans know elite Keller can be at the backend of the bullpen. He is coming off a career year in 2025 in which he finished with a 2.07 ERA and 75 strikeouts across 69 ⅔ innings pitched. Getting him back would be a huge addition for Chicago’s bullpen.
The front office shouldn’t stop there in adding to the bullpen. Signing a veteran closer who has a 2.98 ERA and 75 saves combined over the past three years would really help revamp this area of need.
Although Fairbanks has dealt with some injuries in recent years, he has been a consistent ninth-inning arm for the Tampa Bay Rays since taking over the full-time closer role back in 2022. His 75 saves since the start of the 2023 season are the 12th-most in baseball.
Signing Fairbanks also appears to be a real possibility for the Cubs. A few weeks ago, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma reported that the former Rays reliever was “a name to keep in mind.”
The Cubs would then have to sign two left-handed relievers. Re-signing Thielbar and Pomeranz would be just fine for the bullpen next year, but there’s also a chance the team looks to add Hoby Milner (who has ties to Craig Counsell) and/or Danny Coulombe.
Both Milner and Coulombe are veteran relievers who will likely sign cheap one-year deals with a team this offseason. Those are the type of pitchers the Cubs are always looking to sign in free agency.
By signing Keller, Fairbanks, Milner, and Coulombe this offseason, they would join Palencia and Maton in the bullpen. Assuming the Cubs carry eight relievers throughout the year, Javier Assad and Ben Brown would then be options to complete the bullpen due to their potential to pitch multiple innings if needed.