Caleb Thielbar, who pitched eight seasons for the Twins in a major league career interrupted and revived, agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed.
Ex-Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar signs with Chicago Cubs
Caleb Thielbar, a native of Randolph, Minn., was the first player to appear for both the St. Paul Saints and the Twins. Now, he’s headed to the Windy City.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 1, 2025 at 10:39PM
He was the first player to appear in a game for both the St. Paul Saints and the Twins.
The 37-year-old lefthanded reliever is a Minnesota native who went to high school in Randolph. He was drafted by the Brewers in 2009 out of South Dakota State and released in 2010 before signing with the then-independent Saints for the 2011 season.
The Twins added him that year, and he made his major league debut in 2013. He was released during the 2015 season and pitched in the minors before rejoining the Saints in 2016.
After two seasons in St. Paul, he was picked up by the Detroit Tigers, and pitched in the minors for the Tigers and Braves before the Twins again landed him in 2020.
He appeared in 59 games last season, but had a 5.32 ERA, striking out 53 in 47⅓ innings under a $3.225 million contract.
His major league numbers: 347 games, 3.38 ERA, 320 innings, 347 strikeouts and a 1.188 WHIP.
The veteran lefthanded hitting Ford will be among the candidate to succeed Carlos Santana at first.
