Chicago Cubs bring back familiar bullpen asset amid pitching scramble

The Chicago Cubs have been taking blows all season when it comes to their pitching staff. The recent one-two shot from losing Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown definitely felt like a knockout combo when it landed on Wednesday.

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The Cubs are doing their best to roll with the punches.

Also on Wednesday, the team went out and acquired right-hander Bryse Wilson off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. They then traded prospect Cole Mathis to the New York Mets for David Peterson.

Peterson and Wilson come to Chicago as possible rotation fill-ins and/or bullpen inning eaters.

On Thursday, the Cubs showed that they’re not done shaking off the cobwebs from Wednesday’s chin shot.

Drew Pomeranz, back on the Cubs

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Chicago has opted to bring back veteran lefty reliever Drew Pomeranz, who was released by the Los Angeles Angels on June 15.

The 37-year-old Pomeranz had managed to land a one-year, $4 million contract with the Angels following the success he enjoyed with the Cubs in a stellar turnaround 2025 season. Unfortunately, his production fell horribly and his 5.01 ERA through 25 appearances—along with peripherals that showed him heading even further south—prompted Los Angeles to cut him loose.

Bringing him back to Chicago, aside from being a feel good move, is another roll of the dice on a reclamation project to help bolster a pitching staff absolutely decimated by injury.

Currently, starters Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, Cabrera, and Brown are on the IL, with former ace Justin Steele’s return from elbow surgery pushed back indefinitely. Matthew Boyd is just coming back from his own stint on the IL.

Meanwhile, in the bullpen, closer Daniel Palencia is on the shelf, as is hard-throwing setup man Hunter Harvey and surprisingly effective call-up Riley Martin.

Hoping for a second rebirth in Chicago

Pomeranz had a career rebirth last season with the Cubs after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations in late April. At the time, the veteran hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2021 and was, by his own admission, pretty much at the point of giving up.

Instead of hanging up his glove, though, Pomeranz would end up having an outstanding bounceback year, posting a 2.17 ERA in 49.2 innings over 57 appearances in the Cubs bullpen. In the playoffs, he was also rock-solid with a 1.50 ERA in six innings pitched.

Chicago clearly felt that regression was a distinct possibility with the southpaw and they pulled back from making bids on what surely was going to be an inflated contract.

Ultimately, it appears that the Cubs were right in holding back. Pomeranz’s velocity and spin rate are down, as well as the movement on his pitches. The end result of the decline has been lots of hard contact.

But at this point, the Cubs pretty much have nothing to lose by bringing him back and hoping on a second career resurgence in Chicago.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-sign-drew-pomeranz-pitching-angels/