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Cubs To Sign Brooks Kriske

By Leo Morgenstern | November 29, 2024 at 10:17am CDT

Right-handed pitcher Brooks Kriske has agreed to a contract with the Cubs, the 30-year-old announced himself on his Instagram and X accounts. It is presumably a minor league deal, although the team has not yet confirmed the move and further details have not been revealed.

After growing up a Cubs fan, Kriske was selected by the Yankees in the 2016 draft. Although he was never a top prospect, the righty made an impressive comeback from early-career Tommy John surgery and quickly rose through the ranks of the minor leagues. In August 2018, he was still pitching at Low-A after losing so much development time to injury. Yet, by July 2020, he was pitching for the big league club. Heading into the 2021 season, he earned a spot on the Yankees prospect lists at both FanGraphs (no. 34) and Baseball America (no. 28).

Unfortunately, the big leagues have never been kind to Kriske. Over parts of two seasons in the Bronx, he gave up 20 runs (19 earned) in 11 1/3 innings, good for a 15.09 ERA. He allowed six home runs and walked more than 20% of the batters he faced. He also threw seven wild pitches – four of which came in the same inning. Following a particularly poor outing in September 2021, Kriske was optioned to Triple-A and designated for assignment a few days later.

The Orioles must have liked what they saw when Kriske held them scoreless and hitless across two appearances in 2020, striking out four of the eight batters he faced. They scooped him up off of waivers, and he pitched in four more games down the stretch. Yet, his results weren’t much better than they were in New York. While Kriske didn’t walk any batters, he gave up five runs on two homers in 3 1/3 innings of work. By the end of the 2021 campaign, he had a career 14.40 ERA, 5.11 SIERA, and -0.8 FanGraphs WAR.

Baltimore released Kriske that fall, allowing him to sign with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of NPB. A relatively successful season in Japan (21 IP, 2.57 ERA, 11.1 K/9) earned him a minor league deal with the Royals in December 2022. However, Kriske struggled upon his return to affiliated ball. He pitched to a 5.52 ERA and 4.29 FIP over 29 1/3 innings at Triple-A Omaha. His 4.05 ERA over 6 2/3 MLB innings represented an improvement, but his 16% walk rate and 5.30 SIERA showed a pitcher who was still struggling to retire major league batters. Partway through the 2023 season, he was granted his release to pursue another opportunity in Japan, this time with the Saitama Seibu Lions.

Once again, Kriske looked much sharper overseas, putting up a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings with the Lions over the remainder of the 2023 campaign. He decided to come back stateside last winter, inking a minor league pact with the Reds. However, despite a strong performance in spring training (6 IP, 3.00 ERA, 8 K, 1 BB) and solid numbers at Triple-A Louisville (49 1/3 IP, 3.10 ERA, 36.7 K%, 4.06 FIP), he never got the chance to pitch for Cincinnati at the big league level. The Reds selected him to their 40-man roster in June (presumably to prevent him from exercising an opt-out clause in his contract) but never actually called him up. They DFA’d him two months later.

For the second time in three years, the Orioles claimed Kriske off of waivers, and he finished out the 2024 campaign in the O’s organization. Across eight appearances at Triple-A Norfolk, he pitched to a 5.00 ERA and 6.79 FIP in nine innings of work. He elected free agency at the end of the season.

Although he struggled late in the year with the Norfolk Tides, Kriske still finished his age-30 season with respectable Triple-A numbers: a 3.39 ERA and 4.48 FIP over 58 1/3 innings. He struck out 34.2% of his opponents. Free passes continue to be a problem for the righty – he walked 14.8% of hitters this past season – but a high walk rate is tolerable as long as he can maintain such a high strikeout rate and keep home runs at a manageable level. He’ll provide depth for the Cubs in the minor leagues, and the fewer batters he walks, the better his chances of getting back to the big leagues in 2025.

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Chicago Cubs Transactions Brooks Kriske

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40 Comments

  1. Doug S

    11 months ago

    Yet another Jed Hoyer dumpster dive.

    4
    Reply
    • Patriot12992

      11 months ago

      Every team makes minor league signings, doesn’t preclude anything larger.

      4
      Reply
    • rememberthecoop

      11 months ago

      While I’m definitely not a fan of Hoyer, this is misplaced bc all teams do things like this.

      3
      Reply
      • mike127

        11 months ago

        Coop—100% agree…..MLBTR should, maybe every three days or so, have a quick update with minor league signings, listed collectively in team order. Probably 95% of minor league signings are not headline worthy by themselves.

        And, obviously this is one of them as it was Kriske, himself, on his own social media accounts announcing it.

        1
        Reply
    • BigBallsLongBat

      11 months ago

      Yet another obtuse comment.

      Reply
    • Pete'sView

      11 months ago

      If only I’d leaned to pitch instead of playing CF. I coulda been an almost millionaire.

      2
      Reply
    • Ghost of Harry Caray

      11 months ago

      This guy made an absolute joke of himself in New York. They couldn’t DFA him fast enough. This is a desperate move in my opinion. Kid doesn’t have it between the years.

      Reply
  2. Old York

    11 months ago

    It’s a minor league deal so whatever but honestly, not a lot to get excited about here. He’s 31 next year so not much upside for a guy with a 5.00 ERA last year in AAA and a career ERA of 11.

    2
    Reply
  3. HoDeeHum

    11 months ago

    4 years $40 Million would a very Cubs thing to do.

    1
    Reply
    • BigBallsLongBat

      11 months ago

      What are you talking about?

      7
      Reply
    • rememberthecoop

      11 months ago

      You don’t know what you’re talking about.

      1
      Reply
  4. batteryoutlet

    11 months ago

    the cubs will do nothing exciting this offseason, as is tradition

    4
    Reply
  5. mad1

    11 months ago

    Cubs are going for it!

    1
    Reply
  6. ray1

    11 months ago

    As Jiminy Ricketts buys more real estate.

    2
    Reply
    • sad tormented neglected mariners fan

      11 months ago

      Profits!

      2
      Reply
    • Dumpster Divin Theo

      11 months ago

      Pottersville

      Reply
  7. refugee

    11 months ago

    Give the guy a chance people. And on this awesome weekend, be thankful for a country with freedom of speech where you can spill out your snark.

    4
    Reply
    • BigBallsLongBat

      11 months ago

      Sports/porn site comment sections: Where the best and brightest of humanity lives

      Reply
  8. dano62

    11 months ago

    This was not the Black Friday sale news I’m hoping for… I hope these agents realize that March is closer than you think

    Reply
  9. drewnats33

    11 months ago

    While I doughnut want him to fail, if he blows a save, we’ll expect a Kriske Creamed headline.

    4
    Reply
    • BigBallsLongBat

      11 months ago

      I bet no one was excited to see you yesterday

      Reply
      • sad tormented neglected mariners fan

        11 months ago

        I was

        Reply
  10. HalosHeavenJJ

    11 months ago

    He’s given himself a chance to pitch for his childhood team. That’s pretty cool

    7
    Reply
    • BigBallsLongBat

      11 months ago

      Yeah

      1
      Reply
  11. Atlanta Jack

    11 months ago

    Holy cow, did the cus really sign Kriske.

    1
    Reply
  12. jhanley108

    11 months ago

    Gosh, I hope they give him the no trade clause the team likes to give to the other underperforming overhyped garbage on their roster.

    2
    Reply
    • BigBallsLongBat

      11 months ago

      Yeah. He needs to sigh his usual garbage like Imanaga and Tallion

      Reply
  13. jawinks

    11 months ago

    Just your usual Jed Hoyer stuff+ play, nothing to see here

    1
    Reply
    • Logjammer D"Baggagecling

      11 months ago

      I read this as officer Barbrady “okay people move along nothing to see here”

      1
      Reply
  14. Edp007

    11 months ago

    Haha i almost forgot but I just was reminded by this article that when I go shopping , my kids asked for Rice Krispies

    Reply
  15. Brick House Coffee Tables Inc

    11 months ago

    They found the guy they will send on the Spring Training bus trips to Goodyear and Surprise to pitch the 8th inning against AA scrubs.

    2
    Reply
  16. Logjammer D"Baggagecling

    11 months ago

    Discount Jed at it again

    3
    Reply
  17. Jiggs

    11 months ago

    Cub fans are so negative!! What’s wrong with signing a hometown guy to a AAA contract? If you never hear of him again, it didn’t hurt any of you one bit.

    3
    Reply
    • Dogbone

      11 months ago

      As one of my teachers from grade school used to tell us:
      Empty barrels make the most noise!

      1
      Reply
  18. CubsAreMidButTheresAlwaysHope

    11 months ago

    Welp…might as well print the World Series tickets right now. This is just the move that is going to deliver not only the NL Central title, but a World Series Championship. Suck it Dodgers!

    1
    Reply
  19. Citizen1

    11 months ago

    Has Kriske ever considered switching to be a hitter/fielder? Of or 3b?
    Dumpster diving Jed should be signing Corbin Burnes.

    Reply
  20. Dogbone

    11 months ago

    @whitesox: and tell us again, how many games did your boys win last summer, and how many pitchers do you think, they’ll have to bring in?
    How can you have any business criticizing any other organization?

    3
    Reply
    • BigBallsLongBat

      11 months ago

      Sox fans are too slow to know good baseball

      1
      Reply
  21. Dumpster Divin Theo

    11 months ago

    Crucial

    Reply
  22. Jump 84

    11 months ago

    Buckle up. Gonna be a fun summer.

    Reply

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