The Chicago Cubs have reportedly signed two more pitchers following their agreement with veteran right-hander Hector Neris. As always, these type of minor league signings come with very little risk and the Cubs, like every other team in MLB, are simply trying to find a hidden gem in one of these reclamation projects.
The first of the recent minor league deals is left-handed reliever Brian Weiman, who was working with Driveline this offseason. The 28-year-old was selected in the eighth round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of Kansas by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He dominated the lower levels of the minor leagues in the Pirates farm system, but was not able to replicate those results once he reached Triple-A. In 2022, Weiman joined the Seattle Mariners and pitched in their minor league system in 2023.
Unfortunately, Weiman’s fourth attempt at Triple-A in his second organization didn’t produce better numbers, as the lefty ended the 2023 season with a 5.17 ERA in 54 innings, with 53 strikeouts and 23 walks. To be fair, those numbers in the Pacific Coast League do get inflated because of the hitter-friendly environment in most of those ballparks.
Weiman has a career 3.89 ERA in 275 minor league innings during his pro career. Here’s to hoping to that Weiman was able to unlock something while training at Driveline this winter.
The Cubs have a bunch of relievers on their depth chart heading into spring training, so I don’t think Weiman will necessarily be competing for a job once camp breaks. Just good to bring him in and find out if the left-hander has found something that’s clicked on the mound. Nothing wrong with having depth relievers at Triple-A.
On Monday, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Cubs have signed right-handed pitcher Sam McWilliams. Similar to Weiman, McWilliams was taken in the eighth round, as the high schooler signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2014. McWilliams worked his way through the minor leagues as a starting pitcher and reached Triple-A during the 2019 season.
Unfortunately, like most minor leaguers in 2020, McWilliams lost a year of development with the canceled minor league season. He pitched for parts of two more seasons before McWilliams suddenly retired from the game in August of 2022.
However, McWilliams returned to pro baseball, posting a 3.55 ERA in 25.1 innings in Mexico prior to more action in the Dominican Republic.
Although McWilliams hasn’t reached the majors yet, he’s been in several organizations and has been traded twice. After getting dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015, he was traded again in 2018 to the Tampa Bay Rays. McWilliams signed with the New York Mets heading into the 2021 season, but he was released in late May after struggling in Triple-A.
McWilliams finished the 2021 season pitching at Double-A and Triple-A in the San Diego Padres organization. His last stop in the minors was with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022, but things didn’t go well, as McWilliams recorded a 10.13 ERA in 18.2 innings prior to his release in June.
Overall in his minor league career, McWilliams has posted a 4.41 ERA in 602.2 innings, making 101 starts and 154 total appearances.
