Chicago Cubs Add Veteran Right-Hander To Bullpen

The Chicago Cubs made a move to bolster their bullpen Friday by signing veteran right-hander Phil Maton to a two-year deal with a club option for a third. Maton, 32, has played in nine major league seasons with seven different teams, most recently with the Texas Rangers.

Maton is the first piece of the bullpen puzzle for Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs front office. They have the task of re-signing key contributors from a year ago and adding more to a unit that is one of the biggest areas for growth on the ball club. Maton is the first piece added with this deal, but he will not be the last.

Phil Maton Signs Two-Year Deal with Chicago Cubs

The first major move the Chicago Cubs made to address their bullpen came Friday when Hoyer and the front office signed Maton to a two-year deal with a club option for a third. The financial details of the contract have not yet been disclosed.

Maton, 32, is coming off his best season as a reliever in 2025 with the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. The right-hander appeared in 63 games, going 4-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 61.1 innings. For his career, Maton is 23-20 with a 3.98 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 472.1 innings of work across 478 appearances.

Maton features four pitches in his repertoire. He relies mostly on his cutter and curveball, with his sweeper as a go-to off-pitch, and on occasion, he will mix in a sinker. Maton doesn’t light up the radar gun with his cutter and sinker, averaging around 90-91 MPH, but he has been effective with his ample movement and appropriate pitch sequencing.

First Move Of Many For the Chicago Cubs

The addition of Maton is the first piece of the bullpen puzzle for the Chicago Cubs, but it is certainly not the last. From last year’s crop of bullpen arms, only Daniel Palencia remains on the active roster. Now the focus for the front office turns to re-signing critical members of last year’s unit like Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, and Caleb Thielbar.

While the financial details of Maton’s contract are not known, it’s safe to say that signing Maton is a step in the right direction for the Chicago Cubs. After making minor moves at the trade deadline to bolster the bullpen the last couple of seasons, this offseason will have to be an overhaul of the relief staff if Chicago wants to improve their ball club.

Because there is so much uncertainty with the 2026 bullpen right now, it’s unclear what Maton’s role will be. It’s unlikely he will be the closer, and he wasn’t brought in for long relief, but beyond that, Maton isn’t locked into any specific role or situation. He has shown an ability to fill different roles on pitching staffs throughout his career.