Cubs to sign Hunter Harvey

[Rex Buckingham]

46 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

Where are you getting the money for Bregman?

From the Ricketts Family's giant pile of money?

[gocubs218]

6 million for 2026. Nice deal. 

Edited December 28, 2025 by gocubs218

[PackLandVA]

What type of pitch mix does Harvey have? Is he a power pitcher given the injury history?

[mk49]

I didn't expect the Cubs would sign this many bullpen guys.  That's a lot, assuming Assad, Rea, Brown and Hodge will be there.  I guess that's good, because Brown, Assad and Rea can be swing men.  I think Ben could be a really decent reliever,, though.

Edited December 28, 2025 by mk49

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

3 hours ago, PackLandVA said:

What type of pitch mix does Harvey have? Is he a power pitcher given the injury history?

At his best in 2023:

For some reason he abandoned his slider in 2024 and was pretty bad, maybe because of an injury?

Edited December 28, 2025 by Tangled Up in Plaid

[Papa Cub]

19 hours ago, Dfan25 said:

As of now there seems to be 1 open spot in the pen :

 

Palencia

Harvey

Maton

Webb

Thielbar

Milner

Rea 

Thank you for the layout of the bullpen thus far. Did I miss something…is Ben Brown sent down again, or did they release him? I thought he was still on the roster. 

[Papa Cub]

19 hours ago, Hortonhearsawho said:

That spot would likely go to Brown or Assad someone who can give them innings.

I was reading the comment before regarding the open spot of the bullpen, and I was wondering about Brown or Assad. I haven’t heard much about how they’re going to shape the bullpen. Seems like there are a lot of arms, so the structuring of it all will be interesting. 

[Papa Cub]

19 hours ago, Jason Ross said:

Love this. Health barring, the bullpen has really shaped up well. 

Interesting to see the team enter with a far more settled BP situation. Ben Brown and JVier Assad  feel much more moveable today than yesterday, not that it means anything (nor am I shoving them out the door, only that they are more viable to be traded with the way the BP is settled)

That’s a good take - with their additions to the pen, someone has to be getting moved you would think. 

[CubUgly]

On 12/27/2025 at 5:53 PM, Rcal10 said:

 some have suggested the Cubs may go over the LT by a little. 

They absolutely should.....but I have little expectation they will. 

[Bull]

5 hours ago, CubUgly said:

They absolutely should.....but I have little expectation they will. 

prepare to have your expectations shifted.

[CubUgly]

41 minutes ago, Bull said:

prepare to have your expectations shifted.

Bull, I'm not going to prepare for that as I don't want to do that to myself, but I would be ecstatic to be wrong I can assure you. 

[Rcal10]

21 minutes ago, CubUgly said:

Bull, I'm not going to prepare for that as I don't want to do that to myself, but I would be ecstatic to be wrong I can assure you. 

This is me, exactly. I don’t expect the Cubs to go over. But would be thrilled to be wrong. But until they do, I am sticking to doubting it will happen. 

[Stratos]

I like the Harvey signing, assuming he's healthy.  Pretty happy with what Jed has done with the pen so far on the cheap.

[Neuby]

Kirby Yates to the Angels for $5M.  I'd rather have Yates over Harvey..... but the Cubs could have and should have gotten both.

[Tryptamine]

15 minutes ago, Neuby said:

Kirby Yates to the Angels for $5M.  I'd rather have Yates over Harvey..... but the Cubs could have and should have gotten both.

Yates will be 39 on opening day and coming off of a bad season. He still misses bats but gives up a really high hr/fb and basically depends on extremely low babip.

[thawv]

16 hours ago, Stratos said:

I like the Harvey signing, assuming he's healthy.  Pretty happy with what Jed has done with the pen so far on the cheap.

Has it been on the cheap?  I have no idea what's considered cheap for a bullpen anymore.  They spent 22.5 million all off season.  All of it on the pen.  Maybe that's a little?  I honestly don't know.  

[BigbadB]

33 minutes ago, thawv said:

Has it been on the cheap?  I have no idea what's considered cheap for a bullpen anymore.  They spent 22.5 million all off season.  All of it on the pen.  Maybe that's a little?  I honestly don't know.  

Edwin Diaz will make 17m this year and 26m each of the next two years after that. To fill your bullpen up on less than what LAD's closer will average over the next three years seems reasonable.

[thawv]

1 minute ago, BigbadB said:

Edwin Diaz will make 17m this year and 26m each of the next two years after that. To fill your bullpen up on less than what LAD's closer will average over the next three years seems reasonable.

Yeah, I don't know what a lot of money is to fill a pen.  I'd guess that the Cubs have spent more money on the pen this off season than just about every team in the league. 

 

[BigbadB]

1 minute ago, thawv said:

Yeah, I don't know what a lot of money is to fill a pen.  I'd guess that the Cubs have spent more money on the pen this off season than just about every team in the league. 

 

Bullpen and the bench is the only place that absolutely needed upgrades. They could certainly use a SP and possibly one more starter on offense, but those are more luxuries than absolute needs. I think they will add a SP, but I'm not expecting many more moves outside of that.

[thawv]

7 minutes ago, BigbadB said:

Bullpen and the bench is the only place that absolutely needed upgrades. They could certainly use a SP and possibly one more starter on offense, but those are more luxuries than absolute needs. I think they will add a SP, but I'm not expecting many more moves outside of that.

I agree.  But I'm starting to think there won't be one needle moving signing all off season.  In the end, I think it will just be roster filling moves.  Nothing impactful.  

[Jason Ross]

10 minutes ago, thawv said:

I agree.  But I'm starting to think there won't be one needle moving signing all off season.  In the end, I think it will just be roster filling moves.  Nothing impactful.  

I think there is a lot of doom and gloom across the Cubs landscape right now. They have made needle moving deals every off-season in some fashion. The Cubs are not going to lose Kyle Tucker, off of a 92 win season, with their biggest addition being Phil Maton. 

I get that people are a little apprehensive that the Cubs are going to sign a $200m deal (I would be too) but they're going to make a needle mover and we don't need to fall that far down the rabbit hole of doom bonering, either. 

[thawv]

18 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

I think there is a lot of doom and gloom across the Cubs landscape right now. They have made needle moving deals every off-season in some fashion. The Cubs are not going to lose Kyle Tucker, off of a 92 win season, with their biggest addition being Phil Maton. 

I get that people are a little apprehensive that the Cubs are going to sign a $200m deal (I would be too) but they're going to make a needle mover and we don't need to fall that far down the rabbit hole of doom bonering, either. 

Any guesses on a needle moving signing?   There's only a handful of "top" FA's available.  The top 3 pitchers, Bregman, Tucker, and MAYBE Cody.  Then there's a drop off.  But unless they are a "value signing," I don't see us landing any of the needle movers.  

I wish I was wrong.  I just don't have the faith in Jed as you do to make an impact move. 

Edited December 31, 2025 by thawv

[Rcal10]

15 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

I think there is a lot of doom and gloom across the Cubs landscape right now. They have made needle moving deals every off-season in some fashion. The Cubs are not going to lose Kyle Tucker, off of a 92 win season, with their biggest addition being Phil Maton. 

I get that people are a little apprehensive that the Cubs are going to sign a $200m deal (I would be too) but they're going to make a needle mover and we don't need to fall that far down the rabbit hole of doom bonering, either. 

I do believe they will end up with a solid pitcher this off season. And, yes, I am including Gallen as a solid pitcher. I am not saying it will be him, but if it is, I would still consider that strengthening the team. What I am not certain about is adding a bat if any significance. They may be done there. Maybe they add a utility guy. I don’t see Bregman, as an example. I thought the highest they would reach is Okamoto, but that appears to not be happening. While that wouldn’t be exactly what I had hoped for the off season, I do think stretching the pen and the rotation is needle moving.

[Rcal10]

3 minutes ago, thawv said:

Any guesses on a needle moving signing?   There's only a handful of "top" FA's available.  The top 3 pitchers, Bregman, Tucker, and MAYBE Cody.  Then there's a drop off.  But unless they are a "value signing," I don't see us landing any of the needle movers.  

I wish I was wrong.  I just don't have the faith in Jed as you do to make an impact move. 

So none of the pitchers are needle moving? I agree that I don’t see it in the line up. But, including Imai there are still several pitchers via FA or a trade. 

[Jason Ross]

7 minutes ago, thawv said:

Any guesses on a needle moving signing?   There's only a handful of "top" FA's available.  The top 3 pitchers, Bregman, Tucker, and MAYBE Cody.  Then there's a drop off.  But unless they are a "value signing," I don't see us landing any of the needle movers.  

I wish I was wrong.  I just don't have the faith in Jed as you do to make an impact move. 

I think "impact" move and "needle mover" are subjective. I don't think any one of us thought Matthew Boyd was an "impact" move, but he was great last year; he was 15th in ERA and 18th in fWAR, so looking back on it, Matthew Boyd was an impact move. He was a "value" move but also an "impact" one. And I don't think that was luck, either - he was great with Cleveland when he came back. The Cubs identified him and signed him.

We are jumping the shark around here where people seem to just want to see the Cubs spend money more than they do win baseball games. And listen, the team is cheap and I'll scream from the rooftops too that the team should do that, but there have been pockets of Cubs fans across the internet who have decided that now if the Cubs sign Imai and it's not for like $125m than he must not be very good - it has everything to do with the money and not the player. 

The Cubs are still $40m or so away from the LT. The bulk of money is getting spent somewhere, on something. We all have our preferred impact signing, but I think we have to move past this idea that it has to be some massive contract for it to be impactful. 

Said another way, if the Chicago Cubs sign Zac Gallen for 3/$60m, they're letting you know they think that's an impactful signing to them. I might have reservations on his fastball shape, I'd rather have Dylan Cease, etc, but the Cubs aren't dropping $20m a year on a guy who's there to eat some innings. And frankly, the Cubs have probably earned the benefit of the doubt a bit, too.