Cubs land 23-year-old pitching prospect Brayden Spears

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Wed Feb 12 07:30:02 GMT-05:00 2025

We are just two days into pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring, and the Cubs are already dealing with some injuries. It was reported that Brandon Birdsell and Javier Assad were both expected to be shut down for the next few days. When it comes to Assad, he may miss a little bit more time as he was diagnosed with a mild oblique strain.

It's a tough blow for Assad, who was expected to compete for the fifth starter spot. Now, he will have to battle back and catch up as the Spring goes on. While that was the negative news of the day, the positive news continues to surface around Alex Bregman, as the Cubs have made it to the final three in terms of his expected landing spot.

While a decision has yet to be made, many experts expect one soon as all eyes continue to monitor Bregman and what he would like to do. Along with adding a significant piece like that, Jed Hoyer isn't stop there, as he already stated that more additions could be coming. Most of those additions could be ones of minor league service time, but that is to be expected when camp already breaks.

In keeping with those lines, the Cubs added another pitcher to their minor league roster: right-hander Brayden Spears. The Cubs have also agreed to terms on a minor league deal.

The big 6-6, 235-pound right-hander has spent the past three seasons in the Independent League, where he pitched with the former Cubs affiliate, the Boise Hawks.

Spears was one of those guys who bounced around a lot in college and didn't have much success at any of his stops. However, in the Independent League, he got his opportunity to pitch consistently and showed the Hawks just how good he could be and his potential.

Over the past three seasons with Boise, Spears has appeared in 39 games, 35 coming as starts. He has gone 17-11 in those games with a 5.43 ERA. That includes a 9-6 season in 2023 and a 6-2 season record this past season with a career-best 4.58 ERA. Spears also struck out 56 across 53 innings while walking just 20 batters.

As good as his record has been, especially in the past two seasons, that ERA is a massive concern, but you have to be intrigued by the direction in which it has been trending this season. The Pioneer League is one of the most challenging leagues to pitch in when it comes to Independent Baseball, so to see him drop his earned run average nearly an entire run has to be encouraging.

Not only has Spears gone from a relief-only prospect in college, but seeing him make it to the majors after a strong stretch of starts is a significant step toward his long-term development. There are a ton of concerns regarding this pickup, but his size alone is intriguing, as is his performance as he improved each season in the Pioneer League.

Every pitcher aims to improve from one season to the next, but grinding it out for three seasons in Independent baseball while trying to land a contract isn't easy. That shows Spears' work ethic, as he is willing to go the extra mile to improve and won't quit no matter how challenging the situation is.

While there isn't much more information on him regarding his stuff and repertoire, you have to marvel at his unorthodox delivery on the mound. Not only does that create plenty of deception for a guy his size, but having an unorthodox delivery like that leads to the developmental timeline taking longer than most.

Spears' journey is just starting, as he is nowhere near ready for an MLB opportunity. For now, he will enjoy every young player's journey as he will land somewhere in the Cubs system to work his way up.

We’d like to give a big congratulations to ‘22-‘24 Hawks RHP Brayden Spears for signing with the Chicago Cubs!

This move marks a significant step in Spears’ professional baseball career, and the Boise Hawks community wishes him continued success with the Cubs! pic.twitter.com/9lNTInI1HW
— Boise Hawks (@BoiseHawks) February 10, 2025