Cubs agree to 1-year deal with key reliever as 4 pitchers elect free agency
As expected, the Chicago Cubs’ pitching rotation will look different in 2027.
Four pitchers will be on the free agent market as MLB free agency began on Monday. The Cubs will retain one of their relievers, though.
What we know:
Clay Holmes, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar and Colin Rea became free agents on Monday after they all declined the 2027 player-options on their contracts.
Holmes is the biggest name to know. He was acquired by the Cubs at the trade deadline on Aug. 3 and was in the last year of a three-year deal he signed with the Mets. Holmes had a 2-4 record with a 4.25 ERA in nine appearances for the Cubs.
They did retain one hurler, though. Right-hander Jacob Webb agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year contract with the Cubs.
The Cubs had a $2.5 million club option on Webb. He had a $1.5 million base salary this year and did earn $500,000 in performance bonuses. The 33-year-old Webb finished the 2026 season with a 6-5 record, a 3.36 ERA and nine saves in 68 relief appearances.
The other side:
The surprising move was Rea’s free agency.
The Cubs declined a $7.5 million club option that was a part of Rea’s $6.5 million, one-year deal that he signed last year. The Cubs will pay a $1 million buyout. Rea had an 8-8 record with a 4.34 ERA in 19 starts and 15 relief appearances last season, splitting time as a starter and reliever with all the injuries to the Cubs’s staff in 2026.
What’s next:
It’s unclear what the Cubs’ 2027 pitching staff will look like – if the MLB even has a season in 2027 – but it will be very different.
There are reports the Cubs’ front office is eying ace Tarik Skubal, who won consecutive Cy Young Awards in Detroit before getting traded to the Dodgers. Skubal is expected to command a $300-$00 million contract, which is a price tag the Ricketts family might not be willing to match.
However, the Cubs do have Justin Steele working his way back from Tommy John surgery after he suffered a setback during the 2026 season. Cade Horton underwent Tommy John surgery himself, too. It remains to be seen if Horton will be playing in 2027.
It’s another year where the Cubs will need to piece together another starting rotation.
The Source: Information is from the Chicago Cubs.
