Homegrown Minnesota Twins Pitcher Lands Deal in Chicago

The offseason has been expectedly slow for the Minnesota Twins. That doesn’t mean that their former employees are struggling to find opportunities elsewhere. Derek Falvey must shed money in order to spend any, and the options continue to dwindle. Another lefty pitcher went off the board on Tuesday.

Meat Raffle heads to the Chicago Cubs

Over the course of an eight year major league career, spanning more than a decade in real-time, Caleb Thielbar has only known the Minnesota Twins. The Northfield, MN native resurrected his career in 2020 and has been a mainstay in Rocco Baldelli’s bullpen since. Not anymore.

Cubs announce they’ve agreed to terms with LHP Caleb Thielbar on a one-year major-league contract.

— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) December 31, 2024

Thielbar got his break with the Twins after pitching for the St. Paul Saints (as an independent team). He made his major league debut in 2013 as a 26-year old. Thielbar owned a 2.74 ERA across 98 2/3 innings as a reliever. He bounced around a bit and took another shot with the Saints in 2016.

Caleb Thielbar, Wicked Curveballs. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/0YH8MrXMfh

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 7, 2024

While he considered hanging up his cleats, Thielbar joined the Augustana (South Dakota) baseball coaching staff as a pitching coach. Then the Twins came calling in 2020 and he took his stuff to new heights.

Over the last four seasons Thielbar has thrown 221 1/3 innings and owned a 3.66 ERA. His 10.9 K/9 is notable for a lefty that has averaged just over 93 mph on his fastball. The spin rates are what have carried him, and he worked his way into a leverage role for Minnesota. His curveball is among the best pitches in baseball.

Another hometown kid getting it done for the hometown team!

Caleb Thielbar spoke about what it meant for him to break the streak and advance to the ALDS. #WeBelieveinTC | @Audra_Martin pic.twitter.com/5yxsm5bdZT

— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) October 5, 2023

Related: Minnesota Twins Predicted to Land Bargain Bin Reliever

It is a bit surprising that Thielbar found a guaranteed major league deal at 38 years old coming off a tough season. His 5.32 ERA was substantially higher than the 4.10 FIP, but he walked nearly five batters per nine innings (4.6), and had developed a home run problem the past two years.

Related: Minnesota Twins Farm System Among MLB’s Most Improved

For Chicago, Thielbar presents another left-handed relief option. While Craig Counsell has a few in his rotation, Luke Little and Jordan Wicks are the lone southpaws on the 40-man roster. Minnesota hosts the Cubs for a three-game series starting on July 8, 2025.