Right-hander Kyle Wright is joining the Cubs on a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The CAA client is looking to make it back to the majors for the first time in three years.
Wright is a former fifth overall pick who won an MLB-high 21 games for the Braves in 2022. He finished 10th in Cy Young balloting behind 180 1/3 innings of 3.19 ERA ball with nearly a strikeout per inning. He seemed to be a foundational piece in Atlanta before injuries set his career off course. Wright was limited to nine appearances in 2023. He underwent shoulder surgery at year’s end and the Braves pulled the plug, flipping him to the Royals over the 2023-24 offseason.
The 30-year-old spent two seasons in the K.C. organization without throwing a major league pitch. He missed the entire ’24 campaign rehabbing the surgery, as the Royals knew he would at the time. Last season was supposed to be his rebound year, but he battled some lingering shoulder fatigue early and remained on the injured list into late June. The Royals optioned him to Triple-A and he went back on the IL after suffering an oblique injury.
This is little more than a dart throw for the Cubs after Wright’s trio of injury-plagued seasons. His fastball in Triple-A last year was down at 92 mph, three ticks below where it had been when he was a rotation fixture for Atlanta. Chicago will see how the stuff looks if he’s able to string together some starts at Triple-A Iowa.
They have signed so many minor league starters I don’t know why guys wouldn’t want to sign elsewhere where they are higher up the depth chart though Kyle Wright is definitely near the top so for his deal it makes sense.
I don’t think there has ever been a more obscure 20 game winner in the history of MLB. He won 21 games in 2022 and 3 games in the rest of his career. Anytime anyone mentions a career year, it wasn’t as much of a career year as Wright.
Hope you get it right.
He never plays.
This was the right move for him and the Chicago Cubs.
Iowa must be much more happening than I remember in my Yute, As Joe Pesci would say.
He is going to wear a uniform until they take it away. Good for him.
The price is Wrong, Bobby!!
Cade Horton better keep it going, or the Cubbies are in trouble. The backups for the pitchers are even more injury prone than the starters! Maybe they will finally give Assad a starting role once someone gets hurt.
Interesting how a St. Louis fan likes the idea of Assad in the starting rotation…As a Cubs fan, I’ve seen enough of Assad not to like that idea at all.
Please at least be a better informed troll.
@Gator: I’m curious–why do you think I’m a troll? I’m not. I’m not trying to deceive anyone or misrepresent myself. I’m exactly what I say I am: a Cubs fan who doesn’t like Assad. His stuff is less-than-mediocre and his ceiling is very low.
A guy with StL in his name seems to like the idea of Assad getting a lot of starts for the Cubs. My point was, well, that figures.
Now, you might disagree with me about Assad. But that doesn’t make me a troll. That makes me a person who disagrees with you about something.
Time to leave the dumpster and sign Zac Gallen