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Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cubs Select Michael Fulmer, Option Nate Pearson Ahead of Crucial Cardinals Series
Cubs Select Michael Fulmer, Option Nate Pearson Ahead of Crucial Cardinals Series originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Cubs head to the St. Louis Cardinals to start a massive series on June 23rd. But, before the series kicks off, the Cubs made a roster move that changes the pitching staff. Advertisement According to the Cubs on Twitter/X, they have selected right-handed pitcher Michael Fulmer from Triple-A Iowa and optioned right-handed pitcher Nate Pearson to Triple-A Iowa. This move shakes up the Cubs' bullpen and adds a veteran in Fulmer to the mix while sending Pearson down to Triple-A to rework on his stuff after a rough stint in the Majors. Fulmer is a 32-year-old veteran who was previously with the Boston Red Sox in 2025. He pitched in just one game for the Red Sox, finishing with three earned runs in 2.2 innings of work. Back in 2023, Fulmer pitched with the Cubs and was decent. He had a 4.42 ERA in 58 games and struck out 65 batters in 57 innings of work. He had an ERA+ of 107, meaning he was an above-average pitcher for the Cubs in 2023. Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) walks off the field after he is ejected in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Osentoski-Imagn Images In Triple-A Iowa, Fulmer had a 2.96 ERA in 15 games, which included 32 strikeouts, 11 walks, and three home runs allowed in 24.1 innings of work. Fulmer is a multi-innings reliever at this point in his career, and could even get a spot start if needed. Advertisement Meanwhile, Pearson had struggled mightily in 2025 for the Cubs. He had a 12.66 ERA in nine games for the Cubs. He went just 10.2 innings, allowed 15 earned runs, and gave up nine walks to just six strikeouts. Throughout his MLB career, he's struggled on the mound. His career ERA is up to 5.31, and despite finishing 2024 with the Cubs at a 2.73 ERA in 19 games, his Cubs career ERA surged to 5.59 after his disastrous 2025 stint. The Cubs, ahead of a huge series against the Cardinals, are shaking things up in the bullpen. This move is bringing in a veteran who's had success in Chicago before. Fulmer will look to rekindle his MLB career after pitching in just one inning since 2023. Related: Cubs Reportedly Inquired With Red Sox About Rafael Devers Trade Related: Cubs Urged to Solve 'Desperate' Need By Trading For Marlins' Cy Young Starter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Chicago Tribune
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: 8 questions from Chicago Cubs' homestand, including Dansby Swanson's slump and a Kyle Schwarber return
The Chicago Cubs have been a comeback team this homestand, but an eight-run deficit on Saturday turned out to be a bit more than they could chew in a 10-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Starter Ben Brown hit Kyle Schwarber leading off a scoreless game in the fourth and allowed four straight hits, including a bases-loaded pop-up down the left-field line by Max Kepler that fell in front of Ian Happ and started a six-run inning that put the game out of reach. The short outing was not what Counsell needed from his starter on a chilly day with the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field. 'We need better, frankly,' Counsell said. 'To be a starter, the length in the game, we need from him. As a starter, you've got to be able to navigate, limit damage to get your way into games. there's been some bright spots and clearly some good things there but 3 2/3 innings (isn't enough).' Brown recognized his mistakes hurt him in the six-run fourth and another short outing didn't bode well for a long-term stay in the rotation. 'What happened, there just didn't seem there was an end in sight, which is unfortunate,' he said. The Cubs are 5-2 on the homestand and will try to win the series Sunday night with Jameson Taillon facing Aaron Nola on ESPN's 'Sunday Night Baseball.' Here are eight questions from the homestand. 1. Is Dansby Swanson's slump a concern? Swanson has struggled the most this season, hitting .196 entering Saturday's game and only .174 against right-handers. The Cubs faced a left-handed starter for only the fifth time in the Phillies' Jesus Luzardo, who held them hitless until Jon Berti's single with two outs in the fifth inning. Swanson went 0-for-5, dropping his average to .188. 'As a hitter, he's streaky,' president Jed Hoyer said earlier this week. 'He played well that early homestand, and obviously had a really rough road trip out west and really hasn't gotten it going yet. But as odd as it sounds, we've had a number of guys really hot and guys playing well, and some guys are struggling, and my guess is when the other guys come down a little bit, he's going to step up. 'He's streaky in general and has struggled a little bit against right-handed pitching during this stretch, but I think he'll get it going, and he continues to play amazing defense to help us win, even while he's struggled at the plate.' 2. How close is Cade Horton? The Cubs top pitching prospect has a 1.06 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Iowa with 23 strikeouts and a 1.06 WHIP over 17 innings. The Cubs rotation is seemingly set with Colin Rea pitching well since replacing Justin Steele. Brown was knocked out of the game after allowing six runs in the fourth inning Saturday, raising his ERA to 6.04. 3. Can Berti stop the revolving door at third base? Berti had three more hits Saturday after going 2-for-4 on Friday afternoon. He's trying to nail down a third base job that has already been troublesome — and has looked like the best choice so far. Matt Shaw was demoted to Triple-A Iowa and Gage Workman was designated for assignment and traded Saturday to the White Sox for cash considerations. 4. Will Ryan Pressly have to deal with right knee issues all year? Pressly had his knee drained this week and hasn't pitched since April 20 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Counsell said the Cubs are just being cautious and that every player deals with some sort of pain. 'There are degrees of that with every single thing that guys deal with, so the answer is yes, you have good days,' Counsell said. 'But I also don't think that makes Ryan Pressly unique. I think every player has got that issue. By the time we get to August, you can list 26 players with that issue. 'Start of the season, (and) I think that's why we're trying to be proactive with it here and take a couple days off and be a little more aggressive with the treatment.' 5. Would Porter Hodge be the closer if Pressly becomes unavailable for a stretch? Hodge served as the de facto closer last year and converted nine of his 12 save opportunities, posting a 1.85 ERA over his final 31 appearances that began on June 27. But Counsell declined to say what he might do if Pressly is unavailable. 'I don't feel like I'm answering that question right now, so we don't need to answer that question,' he said. 6. What does Drew Pomeranz bring to the clubhouse? The Cubs bullpen needed a second left-hander, and Pomeranz, 36, was Hoyer's choice. Pomeranz threw his second scoreless inning in two days Saturday, and he brings some experience and leadership to the Cubs. Due to injuries, Pomeranz hadn't pitched in a major league game since Aug. 10, 2021, with San Diego, and his comeback story is one other pitchers can look to after suffering career-threatening arm injuries. What kept him going over the last four years? 'Just wanting to pitch,' Pomeranz said. 'Last year I didn't get to pitch (with the Dodgers) and I honestly thought I was done and didn't really have any desire to play. Some months passed and I was like, 'Man it would be really nicd to just pitch one more time' and go out and give everything I got. I finally got a chance to and hopefully that wasn't the last one.' 7. Is Justin Turner ever going to hit like Justin Turner? Counsell said Turner's 39 at-bats entering Saturday were a small sample size, but conceded the 40-year-old veteran 'hasn't produced the way that he'd like to.' Turner came in hitting .154 and was only 3-for-15 against lefties. In his nine previous starts before Saturday, he was hitting .129 (4-for-31). Counsell said he was confident that Turner would turn things around and that the infielder was adjusting to a new role. 'One thing I'm interested in is that this is the first time he's been in a little more of a part-time role, which is pretty good when you're 40 years old, for that (to be) the first time it's happened,' Counsell said. 'It just shows nobody is immune to it, too.' 8. Could the Cubs bring back Schwarber next year? Hoyer's biggest mistake as Cubs president was non-tendering Schwarber after the 2020 season when the left fielder, like many others, struggled in the shortened COVID-19 season. In four-plus seasons since leaving Chicago, Schwarber has hit 170 home runs. He still gets long and loud ovations every time he's at Wrigley Field and will become a free agent after this season. The Cubs will obviously prioritize re-signing Kyle Tucker, but if Tucker leaves, bringing back Schwarber would make a lot of sense. Schwarber loves Philly, but he also loves Chicago. 'The best line I've ever heard on that is from Jon Lester— the best way to get paid is to win,' he told Todd Zolecki. 'So I'll just focus on that. It's what I've always focused on.'
New York Times
11-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Cubs farm system heat check: What's the immediate and future outlook for Cubs?
MESA, Ariz. — Signing Alex Bregman would come at a steep price for the Chicago Cubs. Beyond the eventual contract terms negotiated by agent Scott Boras, the Cubs would also have to give up their second- and fifth-round draft picks, plus the bonus money attached to those selections, as well as $1 million from their international pool. Advertisement Yet few organizations are as well-positioned to absorb those costs, which would apply since Bregman declined a qualifying offer and the Cubs surpassed last year's luxury-tax threshold by a small amount. Right now, the Cubs have both a major-league roster projected to win close to 90 games, as well as a robust farm system, a combination that should put this big-market franchise back in playoff contention on an annual basis. Long before president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer traded away Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Báez at the 2021 deadline, the Cubs had already begun to overhaul their scouting departments and systems in player development. That process isn't really over, either, as the Cubs have pushed ahead with an even greater emphasis on data, video and models in their evaluations. Selling at trade deadlines, accumulating some higher draft picks and modernizing certain aspects of player development have given the Cubs a cluster of well-regarded prospects who are expected to start this season at Triple-A Iowa and be on call. 'You're always going to have your depth tested at some point during the season,' Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said. '(We have) players that have some high ceilings. They're not necessarily players that we can plug and play and think they're just going to be replacement level. Some of those guys can and will be really, really good. 'We've worked several years now to try to build that group to where they're major-league ready. We're kind of there now to where they're all not necessarily going to be on the Opening Day roster, but they all should certainly expect to play at Wrigley at some point this year. From a player development mindset, that's just an awesome thing to think about.' Matt Shaw, INF (No. 14) Kevin Alcántara, OF (No. 33) Moises Ballesteros, C (No. 46) Cade Horton, RHP (No. 74) Advertisement Just missed: Owen Caissie, an outfielder acquired in the Yu Darvish trade, and Jefferson Rojas, a 19-year-old shortstop out of the Dominican Republic. '(A lot of) our young position player prospects finished (last season) at Triple A,' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. 'That means you kind of expect all of them — or a bunch of them — to break through. Some of them did — Alcántara we saw at the end of the year. Matt Shaw, Ballesteros, Owen Caissie — I expect all those guys to make their big-league debuts at some point this year. They're the depth this year, and those are exciting depth pieces. Not maybe traditional, but that points to some of the health of the organization. 'We're going to need one or multiple of those guys to surprise us this year. And probably one of them — or multiple of them — will play more than we're projecting right now. So you're going to need success from (them).' If the Cubs don't sign Bregman, Shaw will have the inside track to become the Opening Day third baseman. That doesn't mean Shaw will start 150 games and become the National League Rookie of the Year. As Cubs officials would say, player development isn't always a linear process. It wouldn't be unusual if Shaw needed more time to work on his game at Iowa, away from the intense spotlight. But for now, Shaw will get a long look at third base. 'It will be a competition this spring,' Hoyer said. 'I don't think we're in the world of anointing a rookie and just giving him a job. He's going to have to win a job. But certainly there's real opportunity there.' Lineup Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF Matt Shaw, 3B Kyle Tucker, RF Moises Ballesteros, DH Kevin Alcántara, LF Michael Busch, 1B Dansby Swanson, SS Nico Hoerner, 2B Miguel Amaya, C Advertisement Rotation Shota Imanaga Justin Steele Cade Horton Ben Brown Jordan Wicks Bullpen The reality is the Cubs are only guessing who will be in their projected bullpen when they leave for Japan in one month. And using previous seasons as a guide, that group could change dramatically by May. Pitchers get hurt. Relievers run hot and cold. It's a long season. But in looking toward the future, the Cubs are hoping that Porter Hodge will shadow Ryan Pressly this year and learn as much as he can about what it takes to be a closer for a World Series team. 'Bullpens are unpredictable,' Counsell said. 'We will have plans going into the start of spring and into the start of the season. And those plans will change.' (Top photo of Matt Shaw: Gene Wang / Getty Images)
