Reds Designate Yosver Zulueta For Assignment
The Reds announced Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Yosver Zulueta for assignment in order to open a 40-man roster spot for righty Pierce Johnson, whose previously reported one-year deal with Cincinnati is now official.
A hard-throwing 6’1″ righty, Zulueta has pitched briefly in the majors with Cincinnati in each of the past two seasons. He’s totaled just 22 1/3 innings and been tagged for an unsightly 5.32 earned run average but has some more encouraging underlying traits. Zulueta averaged a blistering 98.1 mph with his four-seamer this past season and has fanned 24.8% of his opponents in the majors and kept a hearty 54% of batted balls against him on the ground. However, a paltry 8.4% swinging-strike rate and 25.4% opponents’ chase rate don’t really support that strikeout rate, and Zulueta has also walked 10.9% of his big league opponents.
Zulueta has a solid Triple-A track record, including 60 1/3 frames of 3.78 ERA ball in 2025. He punched out more than 31% of opponents with Louisville in 2025 but also issued walks at a near 13% clip and plunked another two percent of the batters he faced (five of the 250). In parts of four Triple-A campaigns, the Cuban-born righty has a 3.74 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate and 14% walk rate.
Based on his velocity, ability to both miss bats and generate grounders, and the fact that he still has a minor league option year remaining, Zulueta seems like the type of low-risk bullpen arm who could appeal to other clubs via a small trade or waiver claim. The Reds will have five days to work out a trade before he has to be placed on waivers, which would be another 48-hour process. His DFA will be resolved within a week’s time.
Reds Sign Pierce Johnson
Jan. 15: The Reds have formally announced the signing. There’s a mutual option for the 2027 season on the contract as well, though since mutual options are never exercised by both parties, that amounts to little more than an accounting measure to push some of the $6.5MM salary to the ’27 books (by way of an option buyout).
Jan. 12: Johnson is guaranteed $6.5MM, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Jan. 11: Right-hander Pierce Johnson is headed to the Reds, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The details of the contract are not yet known. Johnson is represented by John Boggs & Associates.
Johnson, 34, was a first-round pick all the way back in 2012. He made his big league debut in 2017 but didn’t stick in the majors right away and eventually headed to Japan in 2019 to pitch for the Hanshin Tigers. The result was a dominant 1.38 ERA over 58 2/3 innings of work in NPB, and Johnson then returned to the majors in 2020 and posted strong numbers overall across three seasons with the Padres.
Missing most of the 2022 campaign due to injury, however, put Johnson in an awkward position entering free agency following the year. He caught on with the Rockies and struggled badly, posting a 6.00 ERA during his time in Colorado, but was still an attractive enough target to be dealt to the Braves at the trade deadline. Upon arriving in Atlanta, he looked like a different pitcher, turning in a a 0.76 ERA, 36% strikeout rate, and 5.4% walk rate across 24 appearances down the stretch for the Braves.
It was a performance so impressive that Atlanta chose to extend Johnson on a fresh two-year deal that guaranteed him $14.25MM, including a $250K buyout on a $7MM club option for the 2026 season. Johnson posted a 3.36 ERA and 3.77 FIP overall across 115 1/3 innings in the next two seasons, but he was unable to carry over the pinpoint command he had flashed down the stretch in 2023. His peripherals declined, culminating in the righty striking out a diminished (but still strong) 24.8% of his opponents this past year, and the Braves ultimately chose to buy out his 2026 option.
Now headed into his age-35 season, Johnson will join a Reds team that managed to squeak into the playoffs last year and has its sights set on returning in 2026. After re-signing Emilio Pagan to serve as the club’s closer, Cincinnati has continued to retool its bullpen by adding Caleb Ferguson and now Johnson. That trio should be joined by Tony Santillan to make a formidable late inning relief corps for the Reds, while former starters like Graham Ashcraft and Connor Phillips provide some upside but likely slide into lower-leverage roles. With a stacked rotation led by Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott, Terry Francona’s pitching staff looks solid headed into the season.
The question for the Reds headed into 2026 is mostly focused around the club’s lineup. While Elly De La Cruz is a budding superstar and players like TJ Friedl and Spencer Steer have proven themselves to be quality role players, it’s hard to know if the Reds’ lineup will produce enough on offense to carry them back to October. Players like Noelvi Marte and Matt McLain have shown great promise in the past but have also struggled badly at times. The same can be said for reclamation projects JJ Bleday and Ke’Bryan Hayes. If the Reds have more planned this offseason after adding Johnson, adding more to the lineup would be the best way to improve the roster, whether that’s through free agency or perhaps a trade of someone like right-hander Brady Singer, who’ll be a free agent next winter.
Reds Sign Will Banfield, Hagen Danner To Minor League Deals
The Reds announced a number of non-roster invitees to spring training today. In addition to some names already covered by MLBTR, catcher Will Banfield and right-hander Hagen Danner are on the list. That indicates the Reds have signed those players to minor league deals.
Banfield, 26, just got to make his major league debut with the Reds last year. He got into seven games and made ten plate appearances. He struck out six times and grounded into a double play but also collected one hit, a single. The Reds non-tendered him in November, which sent him to waivers without him being exposed to waivers. They have now brought him back into the organization in a non-roster capacity.
He has never been a huge hitter, though he did launch 23 home runs at the Double-A level in 2023. He was once a notable prospect in the Marlins’ system thanks mostly to his strong defensive reputation.
The Reds have a catching group consisting of Tyler Stephenson, Jose Trevino and Ben Rortvedt. No one in that group can be optioned to the minors, so the Reds will need to have a three-catcher setup or bump someone off the roster, unless an injury changes the picture. However it plays out, Banfield gives the club a glove-first depth catcher. If he’s later added to the roster, he still has options.
Danner, 27, still has a limited track record. He was drafted by the Blue Jays as a catcher but stalled out and got moved to the mound. He got to make his major league debut with Toronto in 2023 but tossed just a third of an inning. In the minors, he has generally had decent strikeout and walks rates. From 2021 to 2024, he tossed 114 minor league innings with a flat earned run average of 3.00. He struck out 28.8% of batters faced with an 8.3% walk rate.
The Jays bumped him off the 40-man going into the 2025 season. The Mariners claimed him off waivers and then later outrighted him. He spent last year at Triple-A Tacoma, in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He logged 56 1/3 innings for that club with a 5.59 ERA, 21.4% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. He didn’t get his roster spot back by the end of the year and became a free agent. For the Reds, there’s no harm in a non-roster pact to add some more depth. If Danner gets a roster spot at some point, he is out of options.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
Reds Sign Garrett Hampson, Josh Staumont, Brandon Leibrandt To Minors Contracts
The Reds signed utilityman Garrett Hampson, right-hander Josh Staumont, and left-hander Brandon Leibrandt to minor league deals in December, as per each player’s official MLB.com profile page. Hampson’s deal was also announced today on the Reds’ official X feed, with the added detail that Hampson has been invited to the club’s big league Spring Training camp.
This is Hampson’s second go-around in Cincinnati, after appearing in nine games for the team in 2025. Hampson began the season on a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks and made the Opening Day roster, but was then released in May. Cincinnati inked Hampson to a MLB deal a few days later but designated the utilityman near the end of June, with the Cardinals then claiming Hampson away on waivers. Hampson has been a free agent since he was DFA’ed again and then released by St. Louis in September.
Over 62 games and 91 plate appearances spread out over his three teams, Hampson hit just .143/.250/.169. It was a tough showing even for a player who carried a modest .240/.301/.362 career slash line into the 2025 season, though Hampson’s versatility has been far more important than his bat in carving out an eight-year MLB career. Hampson has played at least eight games at every position on the diamond besides catcher, with the bulk of his coming as a second baseman and center fielder. Even over just those nine previous games with the Reds, Hampson appeared at second base, third base, shortstop, and center field.
Cincinnati already has a number of multi-position players on the roster, so Hampson may have a tricky time winning a spot on the Reds’ roster. Hampson is also out of minor league options, while Staumont has one option year remaining and Leibrandt has two.
Staumont is back for what is technically his second season with the Reds, though a preseason injury kept Staumont from getting any game action in either the majors or minors. Staumont had pitched in each of the previous six big league seasons, posting a 3.97 ERA over 192 2/3 innings with the Royals and Twins. Once a key leverage reliever and potential future closer for Kansas City, Staumont’s production started to drop off in 2022 as injuries impacted his career, culminating in a thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in 2023.
After averaging 98 mph on his fastball in 2020, Staumont’s velo dropped to 94.3mph by the 2024 season, and his strikeout numbers also sharply dropped off. Control had been an issue for Staumont even in his best years, so it is anyone’s guess as to how he’ll now look entering his age-32 season and after a full year away from pitching. The Reds already have first-hand knowledge of Staumont’s health situation, however, and a minors deals represents no risk for the team in bringing Staumont to camp and seeing what can still contribute.
Leibrandt is yet another former Red, as he posted a 9.95 ERA over 6 1/3 innings (two appearances) for the team in 2024. This brief stint and five games (nine IP) with the Marlins in 2020 represent Leibrandt’s entire MLB resume, and the rest of his career has seen the southpaw pitch in the minors, with independent league teams, and with the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s CTBC Brothers in 2025.
Leibrandt had good results over approximately half a season in the CPBL, posting a 1.94 ERA and 5.37% walk rate over 83 1/3 innings with the Brothers, albeit with a 16.45% strikeout rate. This was enough to get Cincinnati’s attention for another contract, and Leibrandt figures to act as Triple-A rotation depth.
Reds Sign Michael Toglia To Minor League Deal
The Reds have added first baseman Michael Toglia on a minor league deal, according to his MLB transactions log. The 27-year-old was non-tendered by the Rockies in late November. Toglia split the 2025 season between Triple-A and the majors.
Toglia had the makings of a viable three-true-outcomes bat following the 2024 campaign. He popped 25 home runs in 116 games while walking at a strong 11.8% clip. The power and patience came with a 32.1% strikeout rate, but the end result was a passable 98 wRC+. Toglia’s shaky contact skills cratered to begin this past season. He posted a 39.1% strikeout rate in the first two months of the year, earning a demotion. He bounced up and down between the big-league club and the Isotopes for the rest of the season.
Colorado took Toglia in the first round of the 2019 draft. He flashed big power at every level of the minors, though it came with concerning swing-and-miss tendencies. Toglia debuted with the club in 2022, playing sparingly that season and the next. He totaled six home runs over his first 76 games. The 2024 breakout was closer to what Toglia had shown in the minors, particularly with the free passes. He had a walk rate of at least 12% at every minor league stop before his promotion. It hadn’t reached 8% in his first two MLB stints.
Toglia has shown the ability to do real damage when he makes contact. He ranked in the 98th percentile in barrel rate and the 94th percentile in hard-hit rate in 2024. The contact just hasn’t come consistently enough. Toglia’s had a whiff rate above 33% in all four MLB seasons. He had the fourth-lowest contact rate among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances last year.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Nine Teams Terminate Contracts With Main Street Sports
The nine MLB teams who had contracts with Main Street Sports have terminated those contracts with the company. It’s possible that some of them eventually work out new deals with the broadcaster, which operates channels under the FanDuel Sports Network banner. The teams are the Braves, Reds, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals and Rays. Talks between the company and the teams are ongoing. Various elements of this developing story were reported by Evan Drellich of The Athletic, Alden González of ESPN, Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
The issue is due to the poor financial state of the company. They have recently missed payments to several teams, including the Cardinals and Marlins, but possibly others. The nine teams have cut ties with the company for now to keep them away from potential bankruptcy proceedings and explore other options, but it’s possible some teams will eventually sign new pacts with the company. Main Street is trying to find a buyer, though the reporting indicates talks with DAZN have fizzled out. Fubo TV might have stepped into the bidding but there are conflicting reports about that.
This is just the latest chapter in a saga that goes back quite a while, with cord cutting and streaming having chipped away the regional sports network (RSN) model. The company was previously known as Diamond Sports Group with channels marketed as Bally Sports. Going into 2023, 14 MLB clubs and many teams in other sports leagues had RSN deals with the company. But trouble emerged early that year when the company missed some payments. They filed for bankruptcy in March of 2023.
The company eventually emerged from bankruptcy in November of 2024 and then rebranded. Along the way, many of their deals with MLB clubs fell apart. In some cases, new deals were worked out. In other cases, the league took over broadcasting duties. The Rangers went a different route and launched their own RSN. Coming into 2026, Main Street has 29 deals with teams across MLB, the NBA and NHL.
The path of MLB handling the broadcasts will be available for all the clubs involved here. “No matter what happens, whether it’s Main Street, a third party or MLB media, fans are going to have the games,” commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday, per Blum.
The MLB path is largely inconsequential for fans. If anything, it’s a better arrangement. MLB still puts the games on cable. For cord-cutters, they have the option of streaming the club by paying the league directly, with no local blackouts.
For the teams, however, it’s not a great situation. RSN deals have been a big source of revenue over the years. The bankruptcy of Diamond/Main Street put many of them in a tough position. Renegotiating with the company meant accepting lower fees than they had been receiving on their previous deals. Going with MLB would allow them to potentially reach more fans but the revenue in that path is both lesser and not guaranteed, as the money is contingent on how many people sign up to stream.
MLB handled the broadcasts of five clubs in 2025: the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins and Guardians. It was reported in September that the Mariners would go down this route in 2026. This week’s reporting suggests the Nationals will likely leave MASN and join with the league as well.
In the cases of at least a few of these teams, the situation seems to had on-field implications by reducing the club’s spending capacity when it comes to player payroll. The Padres and Twins, for instance, have been trying to strike a delicate balance of staying in contention while having less to spend on players than the front office may have once anticipated.
That’s obviously a disadvantage compared to some big-market clubs, many of whom are co-owners in RSNs which are relatively healthy in larger population areas. In July of 2024, it was reported that the league and the MLB Players Association had agreed to redirect some competitive balance tax money to teams impacted by the television situation. This week’s reporting indicates that arrangement was for 2024 alone. There was no such deal in place for 2025 and there’s currently nothing lined up for 2026 either.
“The clubs have control over the timing,” Manfred said this week. “They can make a decision to move to MLB Media because of the contractual status now. I think that what’s happening right now clubs are evaluating their alternatives. Obviously they’ve made significant payroll commitments already and they’re evaluating the alternatives to find the best revenue source for the year and the best outlet in terms of providing quality broadcasts to their fans.”
With this situation and other disruptive developments in terms of MLB’s broadcast landscape, the league’s preference has been to not sign any new contracts that go beyond the 2028 season. It has been reported that many of MLB’s broadcast deals expire after that season. Manfred hopes to put together a league-wide streaming service with no blackouts and/or have a big auction of rights to various games, with multiple broadcasters bidding against each other.
A mini version of this happened recently when MLB’s deal with ESPN fell apart. The league then split up ESPN’s previous package, selling some of it back to ESPN along with other elements. Netflix bought the rights to Opening Day, the Home Run Derby and some other special events. NBC/Peacock bought Sunday Night Baseball and the Wild Card round from 2026 to 2028, as well as other events. ESPN acquired the local rights for the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Guardians and Twins as part of their new deal.
All of this figures to hang over the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The current CBA expires after the 2026 season. Another lockout, like the one in 2021-22, is widely expected. Manfred has essentially admitted that one will occur by speaking positively about the lockout process.
Whether that lockout extends long enough to cancel games in 2027 remains to be seen. The players and the union are already concerned by a lack of spending from some clubs and the RSN situation will likely only exacerbate that. Some of the impacted clubs would likely welcome more revenue sharing but the bigger clubs wouldn’t be as keen on that. The owners are expected to push for a salary cap but the players are strongly opposed to that.
Manfred has made plenty of unpopular moves in his time as commissioner but he can currently point to a legacy that includes no games missed due to labor strife. Baseball’s popularity is also on the rise, despite the aforementioned TV disruption. Game Seven of the 2025 World Series was the most-watched game around the world since 1991. The uptick in ratings and attendance has been attributed by many to recent rule changes, particularly the pitch clock.
Disrupting the 2027 season would impact that legacy and also cut into baseball’s recent surge, which would be inopportune timing with the aforementioned future broadcast plans. Manfred is signed through 2029 and does not plan to seek another term after that.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
18 Players Exchange Filing Figures
Teams and arbitration-eligible players had until 7:00 pm Central to agree to terms or exchange filing figures. The vast majority agreed to salaries, either this afternoon or before November’s non-tender deadline to ensure they were offered contracts at all.
There were 18 cases where team and player did not align — none bigger than the record $13MM gap between the Tigers and Tarik Skubal. Nothing formally prevents players and teams from continuing negotiations. However, virtually every team takes a “file-and-trial” approach to the process. Clubs will mostly refuse to continue talks about one-year deals after this date. They’ll often make exceptions for discussions involving multi-year contracts or one-year deals with a club/mutual option. It’s unlikely that all of these players will end up getting to a hearing, but the majority probably will.
If the sides go to a hearing, a three-person arbitration panel will either choose the player’s or the team’s filing figure. (Hearings will run between January 26 and February 13.) The arbitrators cannot pick a midpoint. That’s designed to prevent the parties from anchoring by filing at extremely high or low figures. Teams’ preferences for the file-and-trial approach follows a similar logic. The idea is to deter players from submitting a higher number from which they could continue to negotiate until the hearing begins.
Unless otherwise noted, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com and ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported all filing figures for those who didn’t reach agreements. The list of players who could go to a hearing this winter (service time in parentheses):
Angels
- Reid Detmers (3.159): Filed at $2.925MM, team filed at $2.625MM
Astros
- Isaac Paredes (4.160): Filed at $9.95MM, team filed at $8.75MM
- Yainer Diaz (3.035): Filed at $4.5MM, team filed at $3MM
Blue Jays
- Eric Lauer (5.091): Filed at $5.75MM, team filed at $4.4MM (first reported by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet)
Braves
- Dylan Lee (3.150): Filed at $2.2MM, team filed at $2MM
Brewers
- William Contreras (4.112): Filed at $9.9MM, team filed at $8.75MM
Marlins
- Calvin Faucher (2.156): Filed at $2.05MM, team filed at $1.8MM
Mariners
- Bryce Miller (2.153): Filed at $2.625MM, team filed at $2.25MM
Nationals
- Cade Cavalli (2.141): Filed at $900K, team filed at $825K
Orioles
- Keegan Akin (5.083): Filed at $3.375MM, team filed at $2.975MM
- Kyle Bradish (3.160): Filed at $3.55MM, team filed at $2.875MM
Rays
- Edwin Uceta (2.150): Filed at $1.525MM, team filed at $1.2MM
Reds
- Tyler Stephenson (5.056): Filed at $6.8MM, team filed at $6.55MM
- Graham Ashcraft (3.130): Filed at $1.75MM, team filed at $1.25MM
Royals
- Kris Bubic (5.135): Filed at $6.15MM, team filed at $5.15MM
- Vinnie Pasquantino (3.101): Filed at $4.5MM, team filed at $4MM
Tigers
- Tarik Skubal (5.114): Filed at $32MM, team filed at $19MM
Twins
- Joe Ryan (4.033): Filed at $6.35MM, team filed at $5.85MM
Reds, Brady Singer Avoid Arbitration
The Reds and right-hander Brady Singer are in agreement on a $12.75MM salary for the 2026 campaign, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. It’s the final year of arbitration for Singer, who is set to hit free agency next offseason. The contract is slightly above MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projection of $11.9MM. Singer is represented by Excel Sports Management.
Cincinnati acquired Singer in a November 2024 trade that sent Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer to Kansas City. He had an up-and-down season in his first year with the club. Singer was bombed for seven earned runs in his first start out of the All-Star break, pushing his ERA to 4.84 on the year. He closed the season with a strong 12-start stretch, posting a 2.81 ERA with a 25.7% strikeout rate. The final result was a pretty standard Singer season, with an ERA just above 4.00 and slightly less than a strikeout per inning.
The Reds had a hefty 12 arbitration cases this offseason. Singer was easily the most expensive. Cincinnati agreed to a $5.525MM contract with Gavin Lux and a $4.725MM deal with Nick Lodolo today. None of the other cases settled by the club exceeded $4MM. Singer’s settlement was the second-highest of the day across the league, behind only Randy Arozarena ($15.65MM). As things currently stand, Singer will be the highest-paid player on the roster next season. Jeimer Candelario‘s unfortunate deal is still on the books for $12MM, but no other active Red will make more than $10MM, barring a big free agent addition.
Singer will be joined by Lodolo, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Chase Burns on the 2026 staff. Cincinnati also has youngsters Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty waiting in the wings, along with injury returnees Julian Aguiar, Brandon Williamson, and Carson Spiers. It’s a deep group, which led MLBTR’s Steve Adams to ponder whether the club would trade pitching for hitting this offseason. President of baseball operations Nick Krall has downplayed moving any of his starters, though maybe seeing the ample returns for Shane Baz and Edward Cabrera could cause the club to reconsider that stance.
Photo courtesy of Cary Edmondson, Imagn Images
Reds Outright Lyon Richardson
The Reds announced that right-hander Lyon Richardson has been sent outright to Triple-A Louisville. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last month when Cincinnati acquired outfielder Dane Myers from the Marlins.
Richardson, 26 this month, was a second-round pick of the Reds back in 2018. Cincinnati added him to the 40-man roster in November of 2022 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He spent the past three years as an up-and-down depth arm for the Reds, getting shuttled between Cincinnati and Louisville.
Over those three seasons, he tossed 55 innings in the majors, allowing 6.05 earned runs per nine. He averaged above 95 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a slider, curveball and changeup. His 51.1% ground ball rate was good but his 16.7% strikeout rate and 14.3% walk rate were both well off league average. He also tossed 199 2/3 Triple-A innings in that span with a 4.19 ERA. His 12.7% walk rate was still rough but he did punch out 26% of batters faced.
He was kept in a relief role in 2025, after mostly working as a starter in prior years. The Triple-A results were decent, as he tossed 32 innings with a 4.22 ERA, 23.5% strikeout rate, 9.6% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate. It didn’t really translate to the majors, however, with a 17.4% strikeout rate and 12.2% walk rate in the show.
He exhausted his final option year in 2025, pushing him to the fringe of the roster. The Reds nudged him off December 27th. DFA limbo is normally capped at a week but the rules are different around the holidays, so Richardson spent close to two weeks in a liminal space but now has clarity on his situation. This is his first career outright and he does not have three years of big league service time. That means he does not have the right to elect free agency. He’ll stick with the Reds in a non-roster capacity and try to earn his way back to the big leagues.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
Rockies Claim Keegan Thompson
The Rockies have claimed right-hander Keegan Thompson off waivers from the Reds, according to announcements from both clubs. Cincinnati had designated him for assignment last month. Colorado’s 40-man roster count climbs from 38 to 39. DFA limbo is normally capped at one week but there are exceptions around the holidays, so Thompson was out there for almost two weeks.
Thompson, 31, just signed with the Reds in November. He’ll be on a split deal this year, making a salary of $1.3MM in the majors. It might seem curious for a team to sign a pitcher and then cut him from the roster the next month but these types of transactions are becoming more common in baseball. The hope for the team is that the player clears waivers and then stays in the organization but without taking up a roster spot.
The best-case scenario is what the Orioles got from Ryan O’Hearn. They acquired him from the Royals in January of 2023 and designated him for assignment a couple of days later. He cleared waivers and stayed in Baltimore’s system. He later hit his way back onto the roster and was a productive member of the club for over two years.
Thompson has just over three years of big league service time. That means he has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. However, since he has less than five years of service, he would have to forfeit his remaining salary commitments in exercising that right. It would appear the Reds signed him to that $1.3MM deal hoping it would be enough for other teams to pass on claiming and also for Thompson to accept a Triple-A assignment.
The Rockies have spoiled that plan, which makes sense for them. They had a couple of roster spots open and have a huge need for arms. It’s always a challenge to pitch well in Coors Field but things have been especially rough lately. The Rockies had a collective 5.99 earned run average in 2025.
Thompson has primarily been with the Cubs in his career. He was drafted by that club in 2017 and was with them through the 2025 season. He tossed 227 1/3 innings from 2021 to 2024 with a 3.64 ERA. His four-seamer and sinker both averaged around 93 miles per hour as he also featured a cutter, slider, curveball and changeup. His 23% strikeout rate and 41% ground ball rate were around league average but his 11.3% walk rate was on the high side.
He exhausted his final option season in 2024. The Cubs ran him through waivers in March of 2025 and he stayed with the club in a non-roster capacity last year. He tossed 64 innings over 33 Triple-A appearances, including five starts, with a 4.50 ERA. His 41.4% grounder rate was around normal for him but his 8.9% walk rate and 29.5% strikeout rate were both intriguing improvements. His ERA likely would have been more impressive if not for a .367 batting average on balls in play. He wasn’t added back to the roster and became a free agent at season’s end.
The Rockies will bring Thompson aboard and have him compete for a spot. He has worked both as a starter and a reliever in his career and could potentially help in either department, or even oscillate between the two roles. General manager Josh Byrnes did say this week that they hoped to have some veterans eat some innings out of the rotation this year.
Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images