Cubs reportedly signing former Yankees pitcher Colten Brewer |
It has been a while since the Cubs have signed anyone, and even longer if you are talking about a player added to their MLB roster. As things sit right now, the Cubs are the only team in baseball to have not added anyone to their MLB roster this offseason, and that is puzzling when you consider they picked up Craig Counsell as their manager.
Going a bit further than that, the last MLB move this team made came in late July when Jose Cuas and Jeimer Candelario were added to the roster for the stretch run. That was nearly six months ago, and fans are starting to get impatient with the front office and are wondering what is going on. Staying behind the pack and playing things close to the vest is nothing new for Jed Hoyer, as he has always taken a deliberate approach to free agency. Very seldom does he ever sign anyone in the early stages, as most of his moves come after the Winter Meetings and moving toward the New Year. However, this season seems different, and you can look at the past two offseasons to see why you get that sense. Back in 2021, Marcus Stroman was the Cubs big pickup, and he was added on December 3 to avoid the expiring collective bargaining agreement. Then you have last season, where Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, and Cody Bellinger were all added before Christmas but well after the Winter Meetings, as the Cubs have always used a patient approach to assess the market. Patience is one thing, but this offseason has taken patience to a whole new level as the Cubs seem more interested in letting the field come to them as opposed to going after what they want. While that may work for some guys like Rhys Hoskins or lower-tier free agents, Bellinger won't come crawling to the Cubs, and the team risks losing him if they can't find an agreement soon. With the Cubs convention within two weeks, it seems very unlikely that this team will stand pat and not do anything before that, as that will create a riot during the festivities. Ownership isn't willing to deal with that, so a move will likely come soon. What that move is remains to be seen, but as of Tuesday night, the Cubs finally made another move and are set to ink Colten Brewer to a contract, although it is unclear whether it is a Minor League or MLB deal. Brewer was formally with the Red Sox and Yankees, but high ERAs across his career forced him out of the MLB before he latched on with the NPB to get back on track. That is becoming more common in today's game as both the KBO and the NPB have a reputation for getting guys back on track to give them a second chance at the MLB. That happened to Brewer, and his performance overseas had the Cubs interested in him enough to ink him to a contract for 2024. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2011 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the now 31-year-old Brewer has been around the professional market for over a decade and has had his share of ups and downs. It took him seven seasons to make his MLB debut. After bouncing around between the Pirates and Yankees organization, Brewer finally made his MLB debut in 2018 with the San Diego Padres. Things didn't go well for him that season as he made 11 appearances with the Padres and posted an ERA north of 5.50 before being released and latching on with the Red Sox. Although a mixed bag in terms of success, Brewer had his best success in three seasons with the Red Sox and showed, at the very least, that he is a depth option for someone's bullpen. Over three years, Brewer was used sparingly and threw fewer than 82 innings with the Red Sox. The ERA was still high at 4.98, but he had a respectable strikeout and ground ball rates. However, Brewer struggled with control, walking a high percentage of batters, which has been the biggest reason for his lack of success at the pro level. That lack of control saw the Red Sox release him, and he has since spent time with the Yankees and Royals organizations, where the ERA has fallen a bit but remains in the mid-4s. For whatever reason, 2023 was different, and suddenly, something clicked for Brewer, which is why the Cubs have shown interest in him. While with the Yankees organization to begin the season, Brewer performed well in Triple-A, posting a 1.35 ERA and a high strikeout rate in 20 innings. Those are the numbers many felt he could put up, but the lack of command prevented him from that. After showing what he could do when he could locate, the Hanshin Tigers wanted a crack at him and thus signed him for the remainder of 2023 in Japan. He didn't pitch a ton, but after posting a 2.19 ERA and striking out more than 30% of the hitters he faced overseas, you have to wonder if Brewer finally figured something out. Brewer’s success in the upper minors and Japan led the Cubs to show interest in him, and it appears they have beaten out five other teams to add them to their organization. This is nothing more than a depth signing, but with guys like Liam Hendricks and Robert Stephenson still out there, it doesn't hurt to see if he can't build on what he accomplished in 2023.
