The Cubs are keeping Gabe Klobosits in the fold, and while the move won’t turn many heads, it gives Chicago another big-bodied bullpen arm with real velocity to monitor heading into 2027.
Klobosits, a right-hander who spent the 2026 season with Triple-A Iowa, is back on a minor league deal after a year that showed both the bumps and the upside. He opened last offseason with a minor league contract, got a brief look in spring training, and then headed to the Iowa Cubs.
His season wasn’t smooth - he spent a short stretch on the injured list in April and then missed two months in the middle of the regular season - but when he was on the mound, the results were encouraging. In 33.1 innings, he put up a 3.51 ERA, struck out 26.9% of hitters, and allowed just two home runs.
The 31-year-old has already had one shot in the majors, and it came with the Washington Nationals. Klobosits debuted in 2021 and logged 11.1 innings in the big leagues, finishing with a 5.56 ERA.
What keeps him interesting is the raw stuff. At 6-foot-8 and 254 pounds, he brings the kind of presence that jumps out immediately, and the fastball has the kind of life teams keep chasing.
He reached 98 mph in August with Iowa, and during the club’s Aug. 11 game against the St. Paul Saints at the Field of Dreams Movie Site, the pitch climbed to 98.5 mph.
That drew praise from Iowa manager Marty Pevey, who said, “I’m not saying he’s a big-league closer but he’s got closer stuff,”
Klobosits was also steady enough for Iowa over a larger sample, finishing with a 4.32 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 25 innings. He never got the call to Chicago in 2026, but the Cubs clearly saw enough to bring him back quickly.
That’s been the pattern for this front office in the bullpen market: keep adding arms and see who sticks. Brad Keller fit that mold a few years ago, and Ryan Rolison turned into a bullpen stud this past season. Klobosits now gets his turn to make a case, and the Cubs will keep bringing in relievers as they build toward 2027.
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