The Chicago Cubs have made yet another addition to their bullpen this offseason, this time bringing in veteran reliever Shelby Miller on a multi-year contract as reported by FanSided’s Robert Murray.

Miller, 35, is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He pitched brilliantly for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first half of last year (1.98 ERA in 36 1/3 innings) before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He made just two appearances for the Crew before being shut down. The right-hander joins Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner as new additions to the team’s bullpen this winter.

Now recovering from the second TJ surgery of his career (his first came back in 2017), the veteran reliever will have a steep hill to climb in order to contribute to the Cubs’ relief corps. He mulled retirement shortly after the initial diagnosis last year, but he clearly wants another bite at the apple after turning into such a valuable leverage arm. Originally a first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2009, Miller has jumped around the league quite a bit, including infamously serving as the centerpiece of the deal that landed Dansby Swanson in Atlanta in 2015. At the time, Miller was coming off an All-Star campaign as a starting pitcher with the Braves, though he never found his footing amidst countless injuries in Arizona.

His career looked all but finished after his two-inning audition with the Cubs back in 2021 (he allowed seven runs in his lone appearance), and the injuries never ceased as he tried to latch on elsewhere afterward. Like most players, though, he found the fountain of youth with the Dodgers in 2023 and has been one of the more reliable relievers in baseball ever since.

Given the timing of his elbow injury, it’s unlikely that Miller pitches at all in 2026. This is purely a play for 2027, when Miller will be 36 and 15 years removed from his electric MLB debut in St. Louis. Terrifying though that may sounds, there’s a reason why he and the Cubs found common ground in negotiations.

Even when factoring in his middling performance in Milwaukee, Miller had a stellar campaign last year. He induced a ridiculous 35.8% chase rate, highlighted by a splitter that encouraged swings and misses nearly 45% of the time it was swung at. His overall whiff (31.7%) and strikeout rates (29.0%) were also a sight to behold, and he did a good-enough job limiting free passes that below-average marks in his contact quality metrics didn’t come back to bite him too frequently. The North Siders’ bullpen has been desperate for swing-and-miss stuff for years, and the 35-year-old has it in spades. Velocity will be a concern as he tries to return from yet another major arm surgery, but he averaged more than 95 mph on his primary fastball in 2025. There’s enough buffer in place to maintain effectiveness, even if his heater doesn’t light up radar guns quite as well come 2027.

Because pitchers and catchers have reported to camp (and the Cubs have a full 40-man roster), Miller can immediately be placed on the 60-day injured list. He won’t take up a roster spot until he’s healthy, which further limits any risk the team is accepting by offering this deal.

Contract details have not been made immediately available. Expect Miller to earn a small salary while rehabbing this year before getting a nice bump in 2027. He joins Maton, Webb (club option), Colin Rea (club option), and Daniel Palencia as members of the projected Opening Day bullpen under contract through next season.

Update: Per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Miller’s deal is for two years and at least $2.5 million guaranteed. The agreement, which has been in place for a while, ensures the Cubs have another veteran bullpen arm in place for next year while under an affordable salary.