The Cubs and Steele (elbow) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $6.775 million contract Thursday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Steele gets a modest raise after he missed nearly all of the 2025 season following UCL revision surgery. The left-hander's rehab has come along well, but he is expected to be sidelined for at least the first month or so of the 2026 campaign.