The Chicago Cubs have made their first official signing of the offseason.

According to FanSided's Robert Murray, Jacob Webb is set to return to the bullpen in 2027 with a new one-year contract. He will reportedly receive $2.0 million next year with a $4.0 million club option in 2028, which also has a $500,000 buyout.

The move comes ahead of MLB free agency opening up at 4:00 p.m. CT on Monday. It also comes only a handful of hours after news dropped that the Cubs chose not to bring back Colin Rea. The veteran had a team option for 2027 but will now hit free agency alongside many other Chicago pitchers.

Indeed, the Cubs' bullpen and starting rotation are expected to look significantly different next season. Big-name contributors like Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, and David Peterson will all hit the open market. With that in mind, the team is expected to invest heavily in starting pitching and potentially be a player for the top names on the market.

The bullpen will certainly demand its own fair share of attention, though. Jed Hoyer took responsibility for the poor performance, essentially admitting that he took several swings that didn't pay off. So, don't be surprised if some of the Cubs' spending power is used to bring a high-caliber reliever. They already attempted to do just that at the trade deadline by acquiring Ryan Zeferjahn.

Nevertheless, Webb does appear to be one of the very few arms the Cubs were impressed with in 2026. And it's not all that difficult to see why.

Jacob Webb Sticking with the Chicago Cubs

Jacob Webb, 33, turned himself into one of the Chicago Cubs' most dependable relievers in 2026.

While that may not feel like saying much, Webb was genuinely one of the best bullpen arms in baseball for an extended stretch. He finished the year with a 3.36 ERA in 67.0 innings, striking out 73 batters and consistently generating swings and misses.

Webb's best stuff came midway through the season, when he went 24 straight games without allowing a run. It wasn't until late August that he started to slip and let Chicago's overall bullpen woes rub off on him. The home run ball, in particular, became an issue in the final few weeks of the season.

Still, when Webb was in a groove, he helped Chicago finish off countless wins. Craig Counsell even moved him to the closing role as Daniel Palencia faced injuries and some of his own struggles. Webb would end the year with a 33.3 percent whiff rate, which ranked inside the league's 96th percentile. His strikeout rate was also a career-high 25.7 percent.

Webb leaned heavily on a two-pitch combo that featured his mid-90s four-seamer and mid-80s change-up. He has a few other pitches in his arsenal, but it was those two that helped get key outs time and again. The change-up, in particular, had a 41.5 percent whiff rate and consistently found the bottom corner of the plate.

Will Webb continue to be the Cubs' closer in 2027? It's unlikely, but he showed enough in 2026 to warrant a return. It's also a relatively inexpensive contract for someone who reached his peak, making essentially zero difference in how Jed Hoyer handles the rest of his business.