MLB insider’s free agency intel just changed the Cubs' Pete Fairbanks outlook

If the Chicago Cubs are still looking for a veteran option for the bullpen with closing experience, Pete Fairbanks serves as one of the fading options on the free-agent market. The Cubs have made efforts to land other targets--whiffing on their pursuits of Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, and Emilio Pagan--but come up short. The impression has been that the same outcome will happen with Fairbanks, but The Athletic's (subscription required) Ken Rosenthal may have provided some hope.

The Tampa Bay Rays declined an $11M option for 2026 for Fairbanks, making him a free agent, and the MLB insider believes it's unlikely the veteran closer "will command the $11M salary" that Tampa Bay avoided paying him on a one-year deal.

Questions over Pete Fairbanks' durability could give the Cubs hope in his free-agent sweepstakes

Given Fairbanks' closing experience, it would be natural to assume that he could land a more lucrative deal, but Rosenthal cites teams' potential concerns with his injury history. Before 2025, when Fairbanks pitched over 60 innings for the first time in his career, his previous career-high was tick over 45 innings pitched in a season.

If Fairbanks' market is stalling, that should benefit the Cubs. For better or worse, the Cubs appear to be sticking to the caps they have for each of their respective targets. The Cubs have been priced out of a majority of their pursuits for an upgrade to the backend of the bullpen, but if teams are concerned over the 32-year-old's ability to stay healthy, Chicago may have a unique advantage.

The Cubs' pitching infrastructure hasn't just turned flailing major league veterans into bullpen success stories (see Brad Keller); they've managed to keep those arms healthy. The Cubs would undoubtedly have a plan in place to preserve Fairbanks' durability if they were to sign him, and having Daniel Palencia in a utility role in the bullpen will also help their cause.

Situations on the free-agent market are fluid, and all it takes is for one team to get desperate. After a run on relief pitchers in recent weeks, Fairbanks is suddenly the best closer available. That could lead to a bump in the current offers he is receiving, and if it does, the Cubs almost certainly will look elsewhere.

That said, at some point, the Cubs have to realize there is an exception to every rule. Even if Fairbanks' market surges, Jed Hoyer and Co. may just want to pay that price and avoid being left empty-handed next October.