Chicago Cubs add righty and lefty relievers in wake of Edward Cabrera trade

The Chicago Cubs, in the wake of Wednesday’s big trade with the Miami Marlins for 27-year-old right-handed starter Edward Cabrera, have added two more pitchers to the fold.

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On Thursday, the team signed right-hander Jeff Brigham to a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to spring training, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

On Wednesday, alongside the Cabrera deal, the Cubs claimed lefty Ryan Rolison off waivers from the Chicago White Sox.

The two acquisitions are purely depth moves at this point, but both could deliver potential upsides for the major league roster in 2026.

Jeff Brigham, former Dodgers draft pick

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The 33-year-old Brigham has had limited big league play over six seasons with the Marlins, Mets, and Diamondbacks amid significant injury and consistency-related issues. Last season, in an especially injury-marred year, he posted an ugly 8.10 ERA in just four games and 3.1 innings pitched for the Diamondbacks before being released in August. Overall, he has a career 4.85 ERA over 94 big league games.

Drafted in 2014 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Brigham was once a well-regarded prospect, but has thus far failed to deliver on his promise above the Double-A level. The Cubs will be looking to round out some rough edges and make him a viable reclamation project if/when he passes muster in spring training, although his lack of minor league options may put him in an immediate do-or-die spot.

Ryan Rolison: Waived but wanted

Rolison, meanwhile, is clearly the more intriguing of the two under-the-radar Cubs pitching pickups over the last 24 hours.

The 28-year-old southpaw had already been claimed by the Braves from the Rockies before the White Sox claimed him from the Braves, as outlined by Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation. So, for those keeping track, the Cubs will be Rolison’s fourth team this offseason.

There’s plenty of promise to Rolison as a former first round draft pick in a Colorado Rockies organization not exactly known for their ability to develop high-end pitching. Despite posting a 7.02 ERA in 31 games with the Rockies last season, he performed well at the Triple-A level and still has enough promise to draw significant interest, even if three prior teams didn’t feel he was worthy of a 40-man roster spot at the moment.

The Cubs, however, currently have the roster space to accommodate a gamble while working on him as a Brad Keller/Drew Pomeranz-type rebound candidate– if roster demands don’t force the Cubs to lose him on waivers as well.

Depth for the re-stocked Cubs bullpen

Brigham and Rolison will be added to the backup relief corps, behind a re-stocked bullpen that may feature more new faces than 2025 holdovers. So far this offseason, Chicago has added free agent relievers Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Hunter Harvey to the depleted pen, while also re-signing lefty Caleb Thielbar, at a total cost of about $30 million.

Still in place are closer Daniel Palencia, Porter Hodge, and possible swingman candidates Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Jordan Wick, and Ben Brown, as well as some minor league assets that could be brought into the mix.

It’s not likely that the team will make any more big splashes this offseason when it comes to bullpen acquisitions, but expect more of these smaller pickups over the next couple months.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-add-righty-and-lefty-relievers-in-wake-of-edward-cabrera-trade