What's truly wild about Wright's career is that he's got 24 total wins over parts of six seasons, and 21 of them came in one season. He went 21-5 over 30 starts for Atlanta in 2022, which means that season also saw him make more starts with more innings pitched than in the rest of his MLB career combined. His 3.19 ERA that season is also well over a run below his aggregate mark.
For reasons discussed only a little bit ago, a guy like Aaron Civale became a relatively poor fit for the Chicago Cubs over the last couple months. The rotation really filled up, the bullpen really filled up, and the reclamation group of pitchers became so robust that the competition to win innings will be fierce. If you're the Cubs, bringing Aaron Civale back on a guaranteed deal might not make a lot of sense, because who is he bouncing?
Spring Training is just about "officially" underway, but because there are still notable players available in free agency, we're not going to get quite fully away from the offseason talk just yet. I get it, and I do think that the Cubs front office is one that is always grinding behind the scenes trying to find value. But I am mostly focused now on the group the Cubs have available, and the potential for their success.
Though I wouldn't go so far as to say it is the predominant "identity" of the Chicago Cubs of recent vintage, I do think it's important to note that the Cubs have typically sported one of the better defenses in baseball going back at least a decade. Defense was critical to the 2026 championship run, as a lot of the excellent pitching was really an excellent combination of pitching and defense.
Miller, 29, has spent some time in the big leagues in each of the last five seasons, after coming up as a notable Padres and then Guardians prospect ( you may remember his name from the big pandemic season trade that saw the Padres sending him, Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, Josh Naylor, Gabriel Arias, and Joey Cantillo to the Guardians (then Indians) for Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen, and Matt Waldron).
There's a lot of young talent on the big league roster, and the Cubs have used prospects well in trade, but the natural thinning that has accompanied the trades and promotions tended toward a reduction in overall talent down on the farm. Combine that with relatively poor outcomes in International Free Agency going back a decade, plus not a whole lot of surprise breakouts
The story is about a little boy (inspired by my son, Leo!) who gets surprised with a trip to his very first Cubs game. And it follows his journey from getting the tickets, to being stuck in traffic on the way downtown, to reaching his seats, experiencing "the troughs" for the first time, making friends in the bleachers, getting nervous about the game, eating snacks, throwing the other team's home run balls back on the field, singing Go, Cubs, Go! (spoiler alert), and so much more!
I know that the big league moves draw most of the attention - and, for good reason, since they are designed to generate most of the big league impact - but I have been very pleased by the Chicago Cubs' front office continuing to supplement deeper within the organization throughout December and January. Plenty of reclamation pitching signings, as always, and a number of more development-inclined pitcher signings, too.
Ríos is a 32-year-old righty who has logged parts of six seasons in the majors. The Puerto Rico native got the majority of his work early in his career as a member of the Phillies. He saw more limited action with the Pirates, Mariners, Red Sox and Athletics between 2019-23. Ríos has spent the last two seasons in the Mets organization without getting a look at the MLB level.
Jesse RogersJan 15, 2026, 09:55 PM ET CloseJesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com. The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers got even better Thursday night, landing prized free agent Kyle Tucker, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. Tucker, who turns 29 on Saturday, was the top free agent bat on the market. He'll join a star-studded Dodgers team -- which could be the perfect fit for the laidback Tucker.
The Cubs have completely rebuilt their bullpen after saying goodbye to 2025 stalwarts Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz, adding Maton, Hunter and Milner. But their biggest addition comes at third base, where Bregman takes over for Matt Shaw. Shaw showed promise in the second half as a rookie, but he's not Bregman, who brings leadership and championship experience to the mix to go along with his hitting prowess.
Beede, 33 in May, has had a uniquely winding career but is not coming off a good year. He signed a minor league deal with the Twins in April of 2025. He made seven appearances for Triple-A St. Paul but allowed eight earned runs in nine innings via 12 hits and nine walks while striking out seven opponents. He was released in June and then landed a deal with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.
Arbitration filing deadline: Today is a big day on MLB's offseason calendar, as Thursday marks the deadline for teams and players to exchange figures ahead of salary arbitration. Most of those cases will end in the two parties settling on a salary to avoid arbitration, but any team that still has unsigned players after today will be scheduled for a hearing in front of a three-person arbitration panel.
