The Chicago Cubs officially announced the signing of free agent starting pitcher Colin Rea on Monday and to make room on the 40-man roster the team let go of one of their hard-throwing pitching prospects. Right-hander Michael Arias, who reached Triple-A during the 2024 season, was DFA’d.
Arias, 23, struggled last year as he recorded a 4.77 ERA in 60.1 innings. It was his first full season as a reliever after having success in the lower levels of the minor leagues as a starting pitcher. Arias made 33 appearances once he was promoted to Triple-A in 2024, and the numbers were not pretty. He had a 5.45 ERA with 46 strikeouts, while walking 36 batters in 36.1 innings.
Yes, Arias had previously shown some nasty stuff, baffling hitters with his change up, but as he pitched against better competition he was exposed on the mound. I’ll admit that when I first saw that the Cubs DFA’d Arias, I found it a bit surprising, given his age and arm-talent, but the scouting report probably wasn’t kind to the right-hander following his regression.
Cubs announce they have agreed to terms with right-hander Colin Rea on a one-year deal with a club option for 2026.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) January 13, 2025
To make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Michael Arias was designated for assignment.
So, what now? Well, the Cubs could try to pass Arias through waivers and if the pitcher goes unclaimed the team could outright him to Triple-A, essentially retaining Arias on a minor-league deal. There’s a chance that the Cubs may have a trade in the works and they picked Arias to DFA because they know a team is interested in making a deal for the righty.
Arias is a converted shortstop, who only started pitching four years ago. So, who knows, maybe he has plenty of room to grow with the Cubs or with a different organization. We’ll see in a few days where Arias eventually ends up.
Cubs Sign Colin Rea
In theory, signing free agent pitcher Colin Rea is perfectly fine, but if he ends up being the final piece added to the team’s starting rotation this offseason, then Cubs fans should rightfully be pissed off.
Who knows, maybe the Cubs are still working on a trade for a guy like Pablo Lopez and adding Rea to the pitching staff ensures the roster remains properly equipped with depth in case other guys get moved. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported on Friday that the Cubs and Rea agreed to a contract that includes an option for the 2026 season.
One year plus a club option for 2026. https://t.co/Pn0Ha5EgLL
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) January 10, 2025
Rea, who has pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers the past two seasons and three of the last four (Rea spent 2022 in Japan) is guaranteed $5 million with the Cubs. Right now, it’s not clear if a buyout for the 2026 option is included in that $5 million salary.
Free agent right-hander Colin Rea and the #Cubs have agreed to a one-year, $5MM deal, I’m told.
— Steve Adams (@Adams_Steve) January 10, 2025
Rea was briefly with the Cubs, appearing in nine games with the club during the 2020 season. The righty struggled in 14 innings, posting a 5.79 ERA that year.
The 34-year-old is coming off his best year in MLB, recording career highs in innings pitched with 167.2 and starts with 27. He made an additional five relief appearances for the Brewers in 2024.
Rea put up decent numbers, a 4.29 ERA accompanied by a 3/1 K/BB ratio. He’s a serviceable back of the rotation pitcher and could be used as a swingman as well. The problem is, the Cubs have supposedly been looking for a bigger impact arm for the starting rotation and well, Colin Rea is not that.
You obviously hope that this isn’t it for the rotation because although the team now has plenty of depth, you certainly wouldn’t say the front office accomplished their goal of adding a premier starter with 1-2 upside.
So, fingers crossed that the Cubs are indeed still working to add another starting pitcher because otherwise this would be a giant disappointment entering spring training next month.
A quick look at the starting caliber pitchers on the Cubs’ current roster: Justin Steele, Shōta Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown. Plus, the Cubs have top pitching prospect Cade Horton and rising pitching prospect Brandon Birdsell waiting in the wings at Triple-A.
