Cubs To Select Drew Pomeranz
The Cubs are expected to select the contract of veteran reliever Drew Pomeranz, according to multiple reports, including from Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. The team optioned left-hander Jordan Wicks to the minors yesterday. Chicago has an opening on the 40-man roster, so no additional move will be needed.
Pomeranz opened the year with the Angels. He struggled to a 5.01 ERA in 25 appearances. The lefty also missed time with elbow inflammation. Los Angeles released Pomeranz in mid-June. He joined the Cubs on a minor league deal a few days later. Pomeranz spent 2025 in Chicago, pitching to a 2.17 ERA as a valuable member of the bullpen.
The Angels are still on the hook for Pomeranz’s $4MM contract. The Cubs will only owe him the prorated portion of the league minimum while he’s on the roster. That amount will be subtracted from the Angels’ bill.
After three seasons away from the big leagues, Pomeranz made a triumphant return last year. He worked in a variety of roles for the Cubs and was effective in each. The veteran picked up 14 holds and a save, while also making four appearances as an opener. The most encouraging number for Pomeranz was a career-high 57 appearances. The oft-injured lefty delivered one of his healthiest campaigns at age 36.
Pomeranz will join a Cubs bullpen in desperate need of healthy arms. Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, and Ethan Roberts have all gone down in recent weeks. They joined Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, and Shelby Miller on the injured list. Porter Hodge is done for the season. The rash of injuries has led to 10 different relievers recording saves. Pomeranz was expected to factor into the closer mix with the Angels. That didn’t pan out, but he could get another chance with the Cubs.
Photo courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images
MLBTR Podcast: The Mets In Flux, The Angels Fire Their GM, And Guardians’ Catchers
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Mets firing manager Carlos Mendoza and making Andy Green interim manager (1:20)
- The Mets trading David Peterson to the Cubs (8:10)
- What other players the Mets could trade before the deadline (13:10)
- The convoluted Bo Bichette contract being hard to trade but not impossible (25:05)
- The Angels firing general manager Perry Minasian and hiring John Mozeliak as interim GM (35:35)
- The Guardians promoting Cooper Ingle (50:25)
Check out our past episodes!
- The D-Backs Battle Injuries, Boston’s Trade Chips, And More! – listen here
- The Giants Prepare To Sell, Milwaukee’s Extension Strategy, And The Busy AL Central – listen here
- A Free Agent Power Rankings Update And The Yankees Without Aaron Judge – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images
Christian Roa Elects Free Agency
The Cubs sent relievers Christian Roa and Eduarniel Nuñez through outright waivers on Wednesday, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. Both pitchers were designated for assignment a week ago.
Roa, who has been outrighted multiple times in his career, declined the minor league assignment in favor of free agency. This is the first time that Núñez has cleared waivers, so he doesn’t have that right. He’ll remain in the organization.
Roa and Núñez were both in-season waiver claims. The former began the year with his hometown Astros and bounced to the Twins and Orioles before landing with Chicago. Roa gave up five runs over 8 2/3 big league innings with Houston, walking seven batters and hitting three more. He has otherwise spent the season in Triple-A.
It hasn’t been a good year in the minors for the 27-year-old righty. Roa has surrendered 17 runs over 15 1/3 Triple-A frames. He has issued another 10 free passes and given up 21 hits. Roa had impressed in Astros camp with a dominant Spring Training but has been unable to carry that over. The Texas A&M product has an ERA close to 5.00 over 185 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level.
Núñez has had a similarly rough year in the minors. He has given up 16 runs across 19 2/3 frames, walking 20 batters between stints in the A’s, Orioles, and Cubs systems. Núñez, an ancillary part of the Mason Miller trade return, made a brief MLB debut with the A’s last year. He averaged 98 mph with his heater in the big leagues but is down three ticks in Triple-A. Núñez, who began his career as a Cubs signee in 2017, was at their Arizona complex for mechanical work when he was designated for assignment. It’s not clear if the Cubs will keep him there or now send him back to Triple-A Iowa.
Vince Velasquez Elects Free Agency
Veteran righty Vince Velasquez elected free agency after being outrighted by the Cubs, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. Chicago designated him for assignment on Sunday and quickly ran him through waivers.
Velasquez has had a couple brief stints on the big league roster. He has made one long relief appearance in each, combining for 3 1/3 scoreless frames. Velasquez has otherwise spent the season in a swing role with Triple-A Iowa, where he has a 6.15 ERA across 33 2/3 innings. He fanned 26% of batters faced but issued walks to a concerning 16.2% of opposing hitters.
This is the second time Velasquez has elected free agency after being outrighted by the Cubs. He quickly re-signed last time on a minor league contract. That’ll probably be the case again. This is Velasquez’s first season with some MLB action in three years.
Cubs Sign Drew Pomeranz To Minor League Deal
The Cubs quietly brought Drew Pomeranz back to the organization on a minor league deal late last week. The team never formally announced the signing, but Pomeranz suited up for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa last night and tossed a scoreless inning with a walk and two strikeouts.
Pomeranz had a resurgent season with the Cubs last year, tossing 49 2/3 innings with a 2.17 ERA, a 28.1% strikeout rate and a 7.4% walk rate. That marked his first major league work since he tossed 25 2/3 innings with the 2021 Padres. He pitched only 19 1/3 total innings from 2022-24 — all in the minors — due to various injuries, including flexor surgery late in the ’21 season and a “cleanup” procedure on his elbow in ’23.
The 37-year-old Pomeranz parlayed last year’s outstanding comeback effort into a one-year, $4MM guarantee with the Angels in free agency during the offseason. He hasn’t been able to recapture last year’s form in Anaheim. Pomeranz pitched 23 1/3 innings with the Halos and was knocked around for a 5.01 ERA with even more concerning rate stats (14.8 K%, 11.1 BB%) before being designated for assignment and released.
The Cubs’ pitching staff has been decimated by injuries both in the rotation and among the relief corps. Starters Cade Horton, Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown and Jameson Taillon are all on the shelf. Horton’s season is over, and if Steele comes back at all, it’ll be as a reliever late in the season. In the ‘pen, the Cubs lost Porter Hodge to Tommy John surgery back in April and also have Hunter Harvey, Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Riley Martin and closer Daniel Palencia shelved at the moment.
All of those injuries have forced to the team to patch things together in skipper Craig Counsell‘s bullpen. Jacob Webb, Caleb Thielbar and Ryan Rolison have been working in high-leverage spots of late. Ethan Roberts and just-recalled Jordan Wicks represent homegrown arms in the big league ‘pen at the moment, while each of Webb, Thielbar, Rolison, Trent Thornton, Tyler Ferguson and Bryse Wilson were low-cost pickups who’ve joined the organization since this past January (Wilson just last week). Given the patchwork nature of the relief group, there could be an opportunity for Pomeranz in the big leagues before long if he can string together a few strong appearances in Des Moines.
Orioles Claim Yosver Zulueta
The Orioles claimed right-hander Yosver Zulueta off waivers from the Cubs and then optioned the right-hander to Triple-A. No other roster move was necessary since Baltimore had an open space on its 40-man roster. Francys Romero was the first to report the move, shortly before the O’s made the official announcement.
Chicago designated Zulueta for assignment earlier this week, and Zulueta has now changed teams via waiver claim twice in the last two weeks. The Cubs claimed the right-hander off the Mariners’ waiver wire on June 15, though Zulueta’s time in Chicago’s organization came and went without any time on the big league roster.
Zulueta’s MLB resume remains the 23 2/3 innings of 5.32 ERA ball he posted with the Reds over the 2024-25 seasons. Cincinnati DFA’ed Zulueta this past winter and then dealt him to Seattle, and Zulueta has struggled to a 7.54 ERA over 22 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2026. An ugly 17.9% walk rate is the biggest cause of Zulueta’s inflated ERA, as the control problems that have plagued his entire career have become even more pronounced this year.
The pluses for Zulueta are a 55.4% grounder rate this season, and a 54% grounder rate over his brief time in the majors. Zuluta is a hard thrower who racks up a lot of strikeouts, even if his 21.4K% in the minors this season is a step below his career norms. If Zulueta can deliver even average control, the recipe is there for the righty to become an effective reliever in the bigs, yet the Orioles will now become the fifth team to try and see if Zulueta can take things to a new level.
Cubs Designate Vince Velasquez For Assignment
The Cubs are recalling left-hander Jordan Wicks, according to Taylor McGregor of ESPN. Wicks will be available as a bulk reliever in today’s game, per McGregor. Right-hander Vince Velasquez is being designated for assignment in a corresponding move. That leaves Chicago with an open 40-man roster spot.
After a late-season stop in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2025, Velasquez signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in February of this year. He was selected at the end of April and appeared in one game before being designated for assignment and electing free agency in lieu of an outright assignment. The two parties re-upped on a new minor league pact on May 4th. Velasquez was selected four days ago, again appearing in one game before being designated. He’s thrown 3 1/3 scoreless innings across those two big league games, but he struck out just one batter.
Velasquez has over eight years of service time and has been outrighted twice before, so he can reject another such assignment if he clears waivers. Velasquez has a 6.15 ERA and a troubling 16.2% walk rate in 33 2/3 innings at Triple-A this year. With those poor results, it’s unlikely another team will claim him. A likely outcome is that Velasquez will clear waivers, elect free agency, and sign a new minor league deal with the Cubs shortly after, not unlike the arrangement between the Braves and Carlos Carrasco.
Wicks opened the season on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, which kept him out of action until May 15th. Since being activated, Wicks has been optioned and recalled twice, throwing just 6 1/3 big league innings in the meantime. Wicks got shelled for eight earned runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Pirates on May 26th. He followed that by allowing three earned runs in two innings against the Cardinals on May 31st.
Wicks has started all 11 of his appearances at Triple-A this year, but he hasn’t been any better there, posting a 6.64 ERA in 42 innings. If he doesn’t appear in today’s game, the Cubs could elect to use Wicks as a spot starter. That’s not exactly a necessity, as the team has two off days between now and the All-Star break. If the starters are all well-rested, Wicks could simply be optioned without making an appearance.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Tyler Beede Elects Free Agency
After spending the first few months of the season with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, right-hander Tyler Beede has elected free agency, per his transaction log at MLB.com. It is unclear if Beede exercised an opt-out in his contract.
Now 33 years old, Beede was a prospect of note in his younger days. The Blue Jays took Beede 21st overall in the 2011 draft, but he elected to attend Vanderbilt instead. Three years later, the Giants chose Beede 14th overall in the 2014 draft. He debuted with San Francisco in 2018, though he has since struggled to a 5.55 ERA with a 19.6 percent strikeout rate, a 10 percent walk rate and a 45.3 percent ground-ball mark in a combined 201 innings with the Giants, Pirates and Guardians. Beede had more success keeping runs off the board in 2023 in Japan, where a stellar 57.4 percent grounder rate helped him to a 3.99 ERA in 49 2/3 frames with the Yomiuri Giants.
While Beede returned to the majors in 2024, he recorded a bloated 8.36 ERA in 14 innings with the Guardians. He has not appeared in the bigs since then. Beede opened last season with the Twins’ Triple-A team in St. Paul, but they released him after he gave up eight earned runs in nine innings of work. The journeyman went on to short 2025 stints with the the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League and the Diablos Rojos of the Mexican League, but his woes continued in both places. Beede registered a 5.48 ERA in 21 2/3 innings with the Ducks and a 7.43 mark in 13 1/3 frames in Mexico.
This year has been a similar story for Beede, who was tagged for six earned runs on five hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning against Buffalo on Thursday. Unless Iowa re-signs him, that will go down as his last outing with the team. Over 13 appearances and 22 2/3 innings with club, Beede pitched to an unsightly 12.71 ERA while allowing 33 hits and posting 22 strikeouts against 18 walks. The Cubs’ pitching staff has dealt with a rash of injuries at the MLB level this year, but Beede clearly did not perform well enough to merit another big league look. He is now back on the market.
Cubs Place Phil Maton On 15-Day Injured List
The Cubs placed Phil Maton on the 15-day injured list on Friday, as the right-hander is dealing with right knee tendinitis. David Peterson (acquired from the Mets earlier this week) was officially activated in the corresponding move, and the southpaw will make his Cubs debut as the starting pitcher in today’s game with the Brewers.
Maton missed just under three weeks in April with the same injury, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Vinnie Duber and other reporters that “we also feel like we’re taking some steps back with the health. If we can maybe use this time — and possibly the All-Star break — to get his health as good as we can get him for the second half, that’s important. Because we need a good version of Phil Maton.”
The recurring knee issue has very likely contributed to Maton’s shaky season. Maton signed a two-year, $14.5MM free agent deal last November, but has thus far contributed a 6.08 ERA over 26 2/3 innings in a Cubs uniform. Maton’s 3.90 SIERA is significantly better, as the veteran reliever has been unlucky in the form of a .365 BABIP. That said, Maton’s 11.5% walk rate is the worst of his 10 Major League seasons, and his 23.8% strikeout rate is far below the 32.7K% he posted with the Cardinals and Rangers in 2025.
Maton is now the 11th pitcher on Chicago’s IL, as the Cubs’ entire staff continues to be ravaged by the injury bug. The Peterson trade was made to try and help a rotation that is down five starters, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has stated that adding pitching is the natural focus as the deadline approaches. Of course, that assumes the Cubs can remain in contention in the wake of all these injuries. Chicago is still 44-38, but a scorching 27-12 start has now given way to a 17-26 record in the team’s last 43 games.
Some internal rotation help could be coming sooner than expected, since Counsell said Jameson Taillon may be able to return for one abbreviated start before the All-Star break. Taillon hasn’t pitched since June 7 due to a hamstring injury that was expected to sideline the righty until the second half, but Taillon has improved to the point that his timeline may be slightly shorter.
Ben Brown Diagnosed With Stress Reaction In Neck; Cubs Continuing To Seek Rotation Help
When the Cubs placed righty Ben Brown on the 15-day injured list earlier this week, the injury was initially announced as a “neck strain.” The team didn’t provide a concrete timetable for his return. Manager Craig Counsell offered more specifics last night in an appearance on 104.3 FM The Score, stating that follow-up testing has revealed a stress reaction in Brown’s neck (audio link). Brown is seeking additional opinions, but Counsell said the right-hander is “looking at, basically, limited activity for about a month here.” Brown will be reevaluated at that point.
It’s not at all the update Cubs fans were hoping to hear on the breakout righty. Brown has been dominant this season. After a strong run of 12 relief appearances, he’s stepped seamlessly into the rotation. The 26-year-old has pitched 68 innings and notched a masterful 1.85 earned run average. Brown has set down 24.5% of his opponents on strikes, limited walks at a 7.2% clip and induced grounders at a solid 44.6% clip. He’s only surrendered two home runs on the year. Brown has done everything well, and done so in whatever role the Cubs have asked.
A month of limited activity followed by reevaluation points to a fairly lengthy absence, however. Even if he’s cleared for full baseball activity in late July, he’d surely need to build back up. Presumably, that’d entail starting with bullpen sessions, then live batting practice, and then at least one — probably multiple — minor league rehab starts. A mid-August return is probably something of a best-case scenario, based on this latest update from Counsell.
The Cubs already made one move to help stop the bleeding in a depleted rotation this week, acquiring southpaw David Peterson in a rare June swap with the Mets. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer tells The Athletic’s Will Sammon that he plans to continue searching for rotation help but acknowledged that it’s difficult at a time when few teams are willing to sell off veteran pieces due to the tightly packed Wild Card scene in each league. Trades of more consequence — for any team — don’t feel likely until much closer to the Aug. 3 deadline, Hoyer suggested.
Brown joined Justin Steele, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon on the injured list when he was placed there earlier in the week. Horton’s season is over after he underwent UCL surgery two months ago. Steele isn’t likely to return any time soon; if he’s back at all this season, Hoyer conceded recently that it’d likely be as a reliever. Cabrera only landed on the shelf three days ago. Taillon has been out since early June with a hamstring strain and is expected to be out beyond the All-Star break.
All those injuries leave the Cubs with a rotation comprised of Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd (who just returned from his own IL stay yesterday), Colin Rea, Javier Assad and the newly acquired Peterson. Chicago also recently claimed swingman Bryse Wilson off waivers from the Phillies and has another journeyman swing option, Vince Velasquez, in the bullpen at the moment after selecting his contract from Triple-A earlier this week.
Even with the rotation in shambles, the Cubs currently sit 44-37. That puts them six and a half games behind the NL Central-leading Brewers but in possession of the second Wild Card spot in the National League. They’re a half-game up on the Cardinals, who currently hold the third spot. The Padres, Marlins, D-backs and Nationals are all within three games of a Wild Card spot and within three and a half games of the Cubs in the standings. The Cubs’ next nine games will be pivotal, as they’re set for three games in Milwaukee followed by six games against their two closest pursuers in the Wild Card hunt: the Cardinals and Padres.