Jacob Webb is staying put, and the Chicago Cubs are a little better for it.
The right handed reliever and the Cubs agreed to new terms on a one-year deal that pays him $2 million in 2027, with a $4 million club option for 2028 that carries a $500,00 buyout. Rather than simply pick up his $2.5 million club option, Webb still is guaranteed his same $2.5 million total, only this way, the Cubs could potentially maintain control of him for an extra year.
Webb arrived last December on a similar one-year deal, and he pitched his way into the center of the bullpen. He led the Cubs with 68 appearances, and outpaced other relievers in saves and strikeouts, finishing with a 6-5 record, and a 3.36 ERA. Every one of those was a career high for Webb.
Webb was the bullpen's workhorse in 2026
It was Webb's fourth straight season with at least 54 appearances, following a 3.02 ERA with Baltimore in 2024, and a 3.00 ERA with Texas in 2025. His summer included a scoreless streak of 24 1/3 innings, and he was one of the only pitchers to stand scoreless during the Cubs brief spot in the Wild Card Series.
The honest caveat is the finish. Webb posted a 9.90 ERA across his final 11 appearances, and his September struggles were a reminder that he is at his best in the middle innings rather than a full time closer. The Cubs still need late inning help.
That is exactly why this deal makes sense. It does not pretend that Webb is the finishing piece. Rather, it keeps a durable, swing-and-miss reliever in a define role at a bargain price, If Webb can repeat his 2026, the 2028 option is a gift. If he regresses, the buyout is painless.
The Cubs have enormous questions they still need to answer this offseason. Who pitches the seventh and eighth innings should not have been one of them, and now, at least in part, it's not.
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