The Chicago Cubs have agreed on a new contract with Jacob Webb, who could now be under team control for two more seasons. The right-handed pitcher had a $2.5 million club option for the 2027 season, which the Cubs re-worked to potentially retain the reliever for an extra year.
Webb, who signed with the Cubs last offseason, will return in 2027, earning the same guaranteed $2.5 million salary, but this time it’ll be split into a $2 million salary and a $500,000 buyout on a $4 million option for the 2028 season. So, the best-case scenario is that Webb has a strong second year with the Cubs, and he returns in 2028 for what would essentially be a two-year contract worth $6 million total.
MLB insider Robert Murray first reported the new contract on Monday.
In 2026, Webb led the Cubs bullpen in appearances and innings pitched. The righty had a good overall season, posting a 3.36 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 25.7% K, 8.8% BB, 40.8% GB, 7.6% barrel, and thanks to all the dysfunction and injuries in the bullpen, Webb led the team with nine saves.
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Of course, some fans are only going to remember the miserable end to Webb’s 2026 season, and believe me, there is no denying just how bad it was. Webb blew three straight save chances with two outs in the ninth inning, something that had literally never happened since the save became a stat. However, you can’t throw out his performance over one bad month, because as bad as he was in the final four weeks, Webb was out of this world for two months, posting the best relief numbers in MLB.
Jacob Webb’s Rollercoaster 2026 Season
March 26 – April 27: 13 Games, 5.06 ERA, 23.1 K%, 11.5 BB%
May 1 – June 7: 15 Games, 0.51 ERA, 32.4 K%, 5.9 BB%
June 10 – June 20: 5 Games, 15.75 ERA, 25.0 K%, 0.0 BB%
June 24 – Aug. 21: 24 Games, 0.00 ERA, 26.0 K%, 10.4 BB%
Aug. 22 – Sept. 27: 11 Games, 9.90 ERA, 18.8 K%, 10.4 BB%
Webb, who made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2019, has been incredibly consistent throughout his career, which we know as Cubs fans isn’t a guarantee from relief pitchers. In 315 appearances, Webb has a career ERA of 3.07.
Looking ahead to 2027, Webb can certainly return to being effective out of the bullpen. He did an incredible job missing bats with pitches in the strike zone, ranking No. 1 in MLB among relievers in zone contact rate, and he also gained an extra mile per hour on his fastball with the Cubs. We also saw him pitch once his confidence was shattered at the end of August, but as long as the Cubs add more pieces, Webb should be great as the team’s fourth- or fifth-best relief pitcher in 2027.
So, good deal for the Cubs with little to no risk, while Webb gets some bit of relief because although he has put up solid numbers in his career, he hasn’t been able to command any big deals in free agency.
