Bullpen Market Heating Up, Cubs Likely to Get Involved
Two days after the Winter Meetings concluded, the free-agent market may be kicking into gear. Christopher Morel signed with the Miami Marlins on Friday afternoon, staying in Florida after his stint with the Tampa Bay Rays. Now it’s the Blue Jays once again getting involved in the offseason, signing top reliever Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37 million contract.
Free-agent reliever Tyler Rogers in agreement with Blue Jays on three-year, $37M contract with vesting option, source tells @TheAthletic. Value with option is $48M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 13, 2025
Shortly after Rogers signed with Toronto, the Texas Rangers made a pair of signings to bolster their bullpen, continuing a flurry of relievers coming off the board.
In addition to signing catcher Danny Jansen to a two-year, $14.5 million contract, the Texas Rangers are also in agreement on one-year contracts with right-handed reliever Alexis Díaz and left-hander Tyler Alexander, sources tell ESPN. @ByRobertMurray had the Jansen news first.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 13, 2025
Robert Suárez, Mark Leiter Jr., and Hoby Milner all inked deals with new teams on Thursday, another sign that the bullpen market has begun to heat up. Kenley Jansen came off the market on Saturday, signing with the Tigers and joining Kyle Finnegan as their second bullpen acquisition of the offseason.
Free agent closer Kenley Jansen and the Tigers are deep in talks and hopeful of finalizing a deal, sources say.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 13, 2025
While the Cubs weren’t linked to Jansen specifically, they are still expected to make one or two more moves to bolster their bullpen before the offseason ends. Pete Fairbanks, Brad Keller, and Luke Weaver are all options for Jed Hoyer as he looks to give Craig Counsell reliable arms to close out games.
Signed to a minor-league deal last January, Brad Keller became a staple in the Cubs’ pitching staff. His 0.96 WHIP was the second-lowest on the team, trailing only southpaw Caleb Thielbar. Keller limited hard contact and baserunners and posted a 2.07 ERA across 69.2 innings during the regular season. After the best year of his career, Keller is looking to cash in through free agency. Both the Cubs and Keller have interest in a reunion, sources have informed CI, but similar to Fairbanks, finances could hinder their pursuit of the 30-year-old.
Fairbanks and the Cubs have mutual interest, though finances may get in the way. The Blue Jays seemingly finding their bullpen arm of the winter could eliminate them from the running, but teams like the Dodgers are always looking to add more arms with their sizable budget. Fairbanks appears to be a strong fit for Los Angeles and would slot in well within their bullpen.
Weaver has performed well in a large market such as New York, posting a 0.93 and 1.02 WHIP in the past two seasons, respectively. One downside to his game is a lack of groundballs, but his 32.8 percent chase rate ranks among the best in baseball. Pair that with a 27.5 percent strikeout rate, and he can provide plenty of quality innings late in games.
It will be interesting to see how the Cubs construct their bullpen, with under-the-radar moves likely to carry much of the workload. However, one more signing of decent magnitude wouldn’t be surprising, as the team is still without a closer. Daniel Palencia filled that role during the regular season but saw an adjusted role in the postseason, appearing in several different situations.
