The Cubs are in agreement with veteran righty Chris Flexen on a minor league contract, report Sahadev Sharma and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The signing is pending a physical. Once finalized, it’ll presumably include a non-roster invite to big league camp for the O’Connell Sports Management client.
Flexen spent last season on the other side of Chicago. He inked a one-year, $1.75MM free agent deal with the White Sox. Flexen provided the Sox with a reliable source of innings. He led the team with 160 frames across 33 appearances. He turned in a 4.95 earned run average with a below-average 17.4% strikeout percentage and an 8.9% walk rate. While it wasn’t the most exciting rate production, there was value in taking the ball every fifth day on an otherwise inexperienced pitching staff. That was particularly true in the second half, as Chicago had traded Erick Fedde and was limiting Garrett Crochet to short starts to avoid overworking him.
The 30-year-old Flexen has topped 100 innings in all four seasons since returning to affiliated ball after a stint in Korea. He posted a sub-4.00 ERA in consecutive years for the Mariners in 2021-22. The numbers took a turn for the worse in ’23, as opponents tagged him for nearly seven earned runs per nine across 102 1/3 frames between Seattle and the Rockies.
Flexen has an uphill battle to securing a spot in the Cubs rotation. Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd have the top four spots secured. Javier Assad seems the frontrunner for the final rotation job, though he’ll face competition from Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks and potentially swingman Colin Rea. If Rea ends up in long relief, there’s limited flexibility amidst a bullpen that features a number of pitchers who cannot be optioned (e.g. Ryan Pressly, Ryan Brasier, Tyson Miller, Julian Merryweather, Caleb Thielbar, Keegan Thompson).
The Cubs could view Flexen as rotation depth for Triple-A Iowa. However, he’ll have the right to retest free agency if he doesn’t break camp. Under the collective bargaining agreement, MLB free agents who sign minor league deals more than 10 days before Opening Day have three guaranteed opt-out opportunities: five days before Opening Day, May 1, and June 1. Flexen qualifies after finishing last season on the Sox’s MLB roster.
What’s the point? Why? It’s like hoyer is $40m beneath the tax threshold so he’s got that extra money to burn on 30-40 players on minor league guaranteed deals with absolutely no chance to make team other than waste everybody’s time especially those young guys who need practice and playing time.
They should just cancel all the games and stay home
Wow your knowledge of baseball is astounding. Not in a good way
I know right?
It’s a minor league contract, he’s injury insurance for minor league depth and he gets to stretch out in camp somewhere and maybe he puts it together.
Chances are he has an opt out and can go back to free agency if he doesn’t break camp and for him he’s guaranteed a minor league contract if he gets hurt.
Bruce,
Lots of teams don’t spend to the CBT limit. It’s quite possible ownership has capped the team payroll around $200M.
Because Discount Jed loves his minor league deals. It’s the reason I call him Discount Jed. He’s as cheap as Message Boy Tom. Tom loves that he had 40 minor league deals a year too
Name 1 team that doesn’t sign minor league contracts.
I’ll wait.
Ones that no longer have GM jobs??…?
Last couple seasons and heading into ’25, Cubs have outspent everyone in their division by a wide margin. Double that of runaway NLC champ Brewers in ’24. Results aren’t there for POBO in wisely leveraging that advantage + farm system rankings are overhyped until proven otherwise. They’ll be interviewing a bunch of blocked aspiring execs next fall from organizations that do more with less if Hoyer can’t get them to playoffs against rivals with far greater constraints.
They just had a pitcher go down for the rest of spring, Brandon Birdsell. Just filling his spot in the AAA rotation until he’s back.
Yep, flexed for birdsells injury then. Horton will not make team and also brown,etc. and the list goes on.
He was good enough for the White Sox to be their workhorse and throw 160 innings last year.
No other team wants him on their roster. Lol
roob: Yes, he did play his part in the Sox’ record breaking season.
@Bruce wulff There’s real value in having a guy who might be able to produce a 4.50 ERA and soak up innings that would otherwise go to the butt end of the Starting Pitchers’ Depth Chart, 3 or 4 different guys who combine for an ERA of something like 6.00 in 120 innings.
Flexen’s on the wrong side of the knife’s edge, though. He K’s so few that he can’t keep BB’ing 3.3+ per 9—along with the impossibility of above average hit suppression with his stuff, it just puts too many guys on base. And if his HR-rate isn’t 1.1 or lower his ERA will sit close to 5, or higher.
Still, better to have Flexen than not have Flexen, assuming he’s not taking the spot of some promising kid, or even a lottery ticket. You can win more than a few games a year at the margins if you’re paying attention. Flexen’s one way the Cubs might do that in 2025.
Tom Ricketts opening the checkbook, huge, way to go Tom you cheap-ass
3-15 in 2024 and 1.6 war? Whip was high too. ERA five per nine. 1.6 WAR?
Gotta love WAR…
WAR. Huh. What is it good for? (Askjng for a friend)
Theo: Absolutely nothing.
@King123 Show us you don’t understand WAR…
@Jack Show us that you get unreasonably upset over petty things. Yes I understand WAR. I also understand that it dictates that Flexen was a more valuable player than Luis Arraez. WAR isn’t perfect and it has its flaws.
Hes serviceable but that record is more indicative that he played for the white sox
Correct, the Sox defense was so bad that he picks up 1 WAR because of that. Fangraphs has him at 1.3 WAR (based on FIP).
@BigBopper WAR says that Myles Straw and Austin Hedges are above average players….
So a replacement pitcher would have had 1.4 wins
@BigBopper Why not 1.6 bWAR? Or do you not know what Replacement Level is, which is what WAR builds on.
On average that performance would probably leave him 8-10 or 7-11, but he was pitching for one of the worst teams in MLB history. 160 innings with a 4.71 xERA is marginally useful, hence the 1.6 bWAR or the 1.3 fWAR.
Cubs Flexin’ their checkbook.
He actually has a nice little season with the WS
Jed trying to win the PCL again.
Hard to do when Iowa plays in the International League.
Just shows how much I care.
Shows how much you KNOW, even though you CARE enough to comment on every Cubs article this site posts.
We can sign a bunch of dumpster dives but we won’t get a good player all because Ricketts won’t defer money. Another 83 win no playoff team…
People start BOYCOTTING WRIGLEY
Kyle Tucker?
Just a depth move, sort of thought Flexen would be in Asia. Low risk, low reward, he is just there if multiple injuries occur.
Flexen in his Wildest Dream wanted to be in Asia. But in the Heat of the Moment he decided to cub. Only Time Will Tell if he’d be better off in Asia.
Of If I were a Ben brown or a Cade Horton. The handwriting is on the wall. I’d be looking to go elsewhere as hoyers values veterans over the development of youngsters.
Bruce
There is no correlation between buying a cheap depth piece and desiring to progress your top prospects. Horton will start when he is ready and able to contribute, if anything Hoyer will bring him up too soon to try to save his own skin. Hardly a big Hoyer fan, but one area where the team has recently done well is drafting and developing prospects.
Cade Horton? More like Tim Horton. He a donut. Amirite?
Saying Matthew Boyd has a spot secured in the rotation is a bit of a stretch
Of course he does. He’s better than Assad, Wicks, and Rea. And makes almost three times what they’re paying Rea.
It’s secured, but he’s definitely not making anywhere near 25-30 starts. Too fragile.
60 starts in 5 years with a high of 15 and low of 8. Considering this trend and age, I’ll be surprised if Boyd starts more than 10 this year
My bad FIFTY starts in 5 years