The Cubs are headed into an offseason where pitching has to be the priority, and not just at the top. With a number of arms leaving through free agency, Chicago’s search is going to be wide-ranging, and if it wants to close the gap on the Milwaukee Brewers over the next few years, the work has to start now.
Jed Hoyer is going to have to sift through a lot of gambles, and the Cubs will need more than one of them to hit if they’re going to move past the pitching issues that have dogged the staff over the last couple of seasons. One possible low-cost swing is a name the Houston Astros just moved on from: Ryan Weiss.
Weiss signed a one-year deal with Houston last winter that also came with a club option for 2027. The Astros were looking for pitching help, and like Tatsuya Imai, Weiss didn’t give them the return they hoped for. On Thursday, Houston declined that option.
The fit never really settled in. Weiss spent the previous two seasons in Korea, and part of the appeal in signing with the Astros was his belief that he’d have a shot to join the rotation. Instead, he began the year in the bullpen, struggled there, and was sent down in May.
His results backed up the demotion. Weiss finished with a 7.62 ERA across 26 innings and walked more than 15% of the hitters he faced.
Even so, the raw stuff is still interesting. His fastball lives in the upper 90s, and he struck out more than 22% of the batters he saw.
There’s also a case to be made for the breaking pitches. Opponents hit .250 against both his curveball and sweeper, but the expected batting average on each pitch was below .200.
That doesn’t solve everything, but it does hint that a few adjustments could unlock something more at the major-league level. And because Weiss still has a minor-league option left, he gives a team some flexibility.
He’s not the kind of move that can define an offseason. The Cubs would still need bigger additions ahead of him. But as a cheap, low-risk flier, Weiss is exactly the sort of arm Chicago can’t afford to ignore.
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Cubs Face A Risky Offseason Debate They Cannot Afford To Botch
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For a club that has already lived through the pain of trades that did not age well, the lesson is pretty clear: if the Cubs are going to move a top prospect, the return has to fit both the present and the future. Pitching depth is especially valuable with more arms moving toward free agency, and the organization cannot afford to strip away too much of it while trying to patch holes elsewhere. The challenge now is finding improvement without giving up the kind of young talent that could matter just as much a year or two from now. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Offseason Just Became A Real Test For Jed Hoyer
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ESPNs early outlook underscores the challenge ahead, with the projected lineup and rotation leaning heavily on players who have not yet established themselves at the big-league level. For a front office that has talked for years about keeping Chicago in the race, this is the kind of winter that can define whether the Cubs simply patch holes or make the kind of moves that change the direction of the next season. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs May Be Signaling A Bigger Bullpen Plan Overseas
The Cubs appear to be looking beyond the usual winter bullpen market, with reports tying them to Tseng Jyun-Yue, a 24-year-old closer from the Fubon Guardians in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Chicago has been active in searching for relief help, and this kind of overseas interest suggests the front office is keeping an open mind as it tries to deepen a group that can never really have too much depth.
Tseng has built a strong track record in Taiwan, posting a career 2.36 ERA while handling the ninth inning for the Guardians, but he has not yet thrown a pitch in the major leagues. If the Cubs move forward, the expected structure is straightforward enough: a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, giving the organization a low-risk look at a pitcher who could become more than a flyer if the stuff translates. [Read more 🡒]