The Cubs are keeping their big moves on hold for later in the summer, but that hasn’t stopped them from poking around the pitching market. One name that fits the kind of low-risk look they seem to be taking is Gregory Santos, the former Giants reliever who is now a free agent.
Santos was once trending toward becoming a high-leverage arm in the American League. In 2023 with the Chicago White Sox, he put up a 3.39 ERA in 60 appearances, and his upper-90s fastball gave him real appeal. At that point, the profile looked straightforward: power stuff, late-inning upside, and a chance to keep climbing.
Then the injuries hit. A bicep strain and a lat strain cut into his time with the Seattle Mariners over the last two years, limiting him to just 16 appearances. His latest stop came with the Giants, but it didn’t last long.
In five innings with San Francisco this season, Santos allowed five runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks. He struck out only one of the 22 batters he faced. His velocity was down too, still sitting around 96 MPH, but not at the level that made him such an intriguing arm in the first place.
That was enough for the Giants to move on. Santos was outrighted a few days ago and has since chosen free agency. Francys Romero reported that multiple teams are trying to sign him, and the Cubs appear to be among them.
Gregory Santos has elected free agency. Several teams are attempting sign him.
Santos, 26, pitched five innings in MLB with the Giants, posting a 3.60 ERA with one strikeout.
- Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) July 8, 2026
There are obvious questions here. Santos has to show better command, and the velocity dip makes him more of a project than a finished product. But that kind of arm can still make sense for Chicago, especially when the Cubs are looking for pitching and their staff could use more velocity.
He also has one minor-league option left, which makes him even more interesting if the Cubs want to take a developmental swing. The ideal path would be a minor-league deal, some cleanup work on his approach, and then a chance to surface in the bullpen in the coming weeks. Still, with several teams involved, it may take a big-league deal to land him.
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