TRADE: Cubs Acquire Left-Handed Reliever Taylor Rogers from Pittsburgh Pirates

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Caleb Thielbar has been legitimately marvelous. Drew Pomeranz's magic is less about a tingle in the fingertips and more about smoke and spin mirroring, though, so the Cubs have snatched up another lefty to help them navigate the middle innings: veteran (and former Thielbar teammate, with the Minnesota Twins) Taylor Rogers.

Rogers, 34, is enjoying a career resurgence over the last two seasons. He's pitched 93 innings since the start of 2024, with a 2.42 ERA and a 24.8% strikeout rate. He's a sinker-sweeper specialist, but saying that really doesn't convey the thing as thoroughly as it deserves. Here, look at this.

You can probably guess the problem Rogers runs into, from here: home plate is only 17 inches wide. Rogers has walked 10.4% of opposing batters over this season and a half of brilliance, but in fairness, the approach is still essentially working. He induces weak contact; he works his way out of whatever jams he creates.

Rogers joins Andrew Kittredge to give the Chicago bullpen two more mid-30s middle relievers, and while that description sounds uninspiring, the presence of two reliable hurlers like these should stabilize the team's relief corps nicely. 

The Cubs sent back North Side Baseball favorite Ivan Brethowr in the deal, a fair price given Rogers's clear but limited upside as a rental relief arm. Brethowr is a real prospect, but not a star prospect. Rogers's job is important enough to this team the rest of the way to make such a player expendable.

 

Speaking of making players expendable, Rogers's arrival also had to come with someone's departure. In an unsurprising but weighty move, the team designated veteran righthander Ryan Pressly for assignment to make room for Rogers. It will be a meritocracy in the Chicago bullpen, the rest of the way. Rogers slots into what looks like a deep and improved pitching staff; Pressly's departure is (bittersweet) addition by subtraction.

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[Arlen]

Thank you for the really nice reporting.

But seriously, what's wrong with Luke Little and Riley Martin, still with Iowa? 

BTW, God bless you in your new employment, Mr. Pressley.

Edited July 31, 2025 by Arlen