Cubs have finalized restructured deal with right-hander Colin Ray“, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports. Guaranteed is $6.5, which includes a club option for the 2027 season, with a maximum guaranteed of $13 over two years if exercised. Rea is represented by Joe Speed.
Chicago previously held $6MM in options or a $750K buyout for the upcoming season. The new deal replaces the acquisition, so Rea technically received $5.75 in new funding. That’s more than the 5.25MM difference between the option price and the callout price. Rea received a total of an additional $500,000, and the Cubs received an extra year of team control.
Rhea, 35, is coming off a solid season. He signed as a swingman and was forced into the rotation due to injury in mid-April. Justin Steele. Rea usually goes 5-6 innings every time he gets out. He had a 3.95 ERA and ranked second on the team with 159 1/3 innings. Rhea’s strikeout rate was only 19.2 percent, but he rarely threw free passes and did a decent job of keeping the ball in the field.
This is Rhea’s third straight season as a capable fifth/sixth starter. He spent the 2023-24 season with the Brewers, posting a 4.40 ERA and a strikeout rate of nearly 20% in less than 300 innings. only Freddy Peralta Pitched more innings for Milwaukee both years. Rhea’s flexibility clearly endeared him to Craig Counsell, who coached Rhea with the Chicago Brewers in 2023 and this year.
Sophomore right-hander Cade Horton Project is currently the team’s No. 1 starter. They may bring Steele back at some point in the first half. Matthew Boyd, Jameson Tyrone Mixed with Rea in the middle and backend. Javier Assad, Jordan Weeks and Ben Brown There could be competition for the back-end spot (although the Cubs may commit to Brown as a full-time reliever sooner or later).
This is obviously a lightweight group for a playoff team. The Cubs hope to acquire at least a second or third high-end player via trade or free agency. That’s even truer after they declined their three-year option. Shota Imaga. While the chances of Imonaga returning if the Cubs extend him a qualifying offer are slim, the decision seems to indicate the Cubs have higher rotation targets.
The Cubs started the 25th season with a player salary of just under $193. RosterResource projects the fee for next season to be approximately $154MM, including arbitration fees. They are more than $700,000 below the luxury tax threshold. Rea’s extension pretty much closes the book on team option decisions. The only thing they have left is a $10MM mutual option Justin Turner. The Cubs could easily have declined their decision in favor of a $2MM buyout.
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone of Imagn Images.
