Roster Move: Cubs add veteran reliever Jacob Webb |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
There you go, as the Chicago Cubs have made another offseason move with the intention of improving their pen. Consider this an early christmas present for the fans, as their lack of urgency has continued to drive fans nuts across the board. Today's piece is veteran right-hander Jacob Webb, who has officially come to terms on a one-year deal with the Cubs.
The deal is worth 1.5 million this season, with incentives that could increase it to 2 million, plus an additional option year. This also marks the third pickup from the Texas Rangers, joining Phil Maton and Hoby Milner, as the Cubs have gone right after the Rangers' pen this season. When you look at the dollar amount attached to this contract, a lot of you are going to get the impression that this is just another one of those flyer deals. That is far from the truth, but that isn't to say that he is a high-leverage reliever who is going to change the outlook of the season. He is, however, a good reliever, so to get him at this price tag is an extreme bargain. A bit of a late bloomer, the 32-year-old Webb didn't reach the majors until 2019 and, since then, has been a very reliable and trusted arm, no matter where he has been. Whether it be with Atlanta, Baltimore, or Texas, Webb has been busy, appearing in 247 career games up to this point, all while posting a stellar 2.99 ERA. With Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz no longer in the picture, you knew the Cubs were going to have to fill their voids, and this is a start, as Webb is a younger fallback option to Pomeranz. His best season came with the Braves in 2019, when he posted a 1.39 ERA in 36 games that season. Since then, all of his seasons have had an ERA north of 3.00, but only one was over 4.00, and the other was at 3.69. Not bad for someone who took a while to reach the bigs, as he has quietly put together a very strong career. The low ERA is immediately what grabs your attention, but as another one of the soft throwers in the 91-92 MPH range, some might wonder if his success was more of the luck aspect as opposed to skill itself. Whenever you have a reliever who doesn't throw hard, it is up to that pitcher to find new ways to get hitters out. Not only has Webb done that, but he has done so by turning back the clock, as he does a phenomenal job of limiting hard contact. With that comes plenty of ground balls as he trusts his defense behind him to make the plays. Over the past three seasons, Webb’s barrel rate is just 6.3%, which is 50th best among all relievers in that time (min. 100 innings; 195 qualifying relievers). A couple of spots above him? You guessed it: Phil Maton and Hoby Milner. It seems as if the Cubs have a pattern here when going after relievers this offseason, as they appear more concerned about the lack of contact as opposed to the swing-and-miss stuff. That is a different approach than what most teams would take, but if it does work, the Cubs deserve a ton of credit for stepping outside the box to improve their team. As good as he has been, there are some concerns, which is why he was only able to yield the contract he got. For starters, his command has always been spotty and can come and go at any time. In 2023, his walk rate was a whopping 12.9%. In 2024, it was only slightly better, at 11.4%. The good news is that his walk rate dropped in 2025 (7.1%), but the bad news is that his strikeout rate fell from 24.6% in 2023 to 21.7% in 2025. That shows you that Webb is focusing more on throwing strikes that yield contact rather than trying to put hitters away. It's an extremely thin line to toe for a reliever, especially for one who needs hitters to swing the bat, or he could run into trouble. Concerns aside, Webb is going to the perfect ballpark to maximize his strengths, as this is once again another great under-the-radar pickup for Jed Hoyer. This move now gives the Cubs six relievers heading into the season, as their bullpen could be taking shape the way Craig Counsell wants it to.
