The Cubs are acquiring veteran left-hander Taylor Rogers from the Pirates, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Minor league outfielder Ivan Brethowr is going back to the Pirates in the deal, per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rogers’ time with the Bucs will last just one day. He was acquired as a financial counterweight in yesterday’s Ke’Bryan Hayes trade with the Reds and, as an impending free agent, looked likely to be flipped elsewhere as soon as he was dealt to Pittsburgh.
The 34-year-old Rogers is an impending free agent earning $12MM in the final season of a three-year $33MM contract, though the Giants are paying half that salary under the terms of the offseason trade that shipped him to Cincinnati. Rogers never pitched in a game with the Pirates. In 33 innings with the Reds, he logged a 2.45 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate and 13% walk rate. Rogers has a track record as a closer and setup man but hasn’t been used frequently in high-leverage spots by the Reds this year.
Rogers gives the Cubs a third lefty alongside Drew Pomeranz and former Twins teammate Caleb Thielbar. He’s not likely to step into a late-innings role but will give manager Craig Counsell some matchup possibilities and an experienced arm to work the sixth and seventh innings ahead of closer Daniel Palencia and top setup option Brad Keller.
Rogers has had some unusual struggles against lefties this year but has typically had good success against righties and southpaw bats alike. He’ll also likely be happy to get out of Great American Ball Park, where he allowed all three of his home runs this season and posted a 3.44 ERA that’s more than double his 1.23 mark on the road.
Brethowr, 22, is listed at a hulking 6’6″ and 250 pounds. The Cubs selected him out of UC Santa Barbara with their seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft. He’s spent his first full season in High-A, slashing .221/.398/.312 with a massive 16.6% walk rate but an ugly 26.7% strikeout rate. Though Brethowr was known for his power in college — as you’d expect, given that frame — he’s hit only four home runs this season. He’s swiped 25 bags, however, and only been caught twice.
Baseball America didn’t rank Brethowr among the Cubs’ top 30 prospects. He’s a lower-minors lottery ticket who can effectively be counted alongside shortstop Sammy Stafura as the Pirates’ return for Hayes, who’ll spend four-plus seasons with the division-rival Reds and hope to get his career back on track in Cincinnati. The Bucs also shed all of the $36MM that Hayes was owed beyond the current season with this deal.
