2:08PM: Harvey’s deal is a one-year pact, as per Jon Heyman of the New York Put up.
1:03PM: The Cubs and right-hander Hunter Harvey have agreed to a contract, based on The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Sahadev Sharma. The deal will turn out to be official as soon as Harvey (a Beverly Hills Sports activities Council consumer) passes a bodily.
Harvey is seeking to bounce again from an injury-plagued 2025 season that noticed the reliever make simply 12 appearances out of the Royals bullpen. A teres main pressure in early April stored Harvey out of motion till late July, and he pitched in simply six extra video games earlier than being sidelined for good by a Grade 2 adductor pressure. The frustration of those two important accidents was compounded by the truth that Harvey was wanting nice when wholesome — he didn’t permit a run over his 10 2/3 innings pitched, whereas issuing one stroll towards 11 strikeouts.
Between these accidents and the again issues that marred the top of his 2024 marketing campaign, Harvey ended up pitching solely 16 1/3 innings in a Royals uniform after Kansas Metropolis acquired the righty from Washington in July 2024. Sadly, well being considerations are nothing new for Harvey, as his time as a top-100 prospect within the Orioles’ farm system was steadily interrupted by stints on the injured listing.
It wasn’t till the 2022 season that Harvey (now with the Nationals) lastly acquired an prolonged style of MLB enjoying time. He proceeded to put up a 3.17 ERA, 27.83% strikeout charge, and 6.36% stroll charge over 145 aid innings throughout his time in D.C., working in a high-leverage function and infrequently as a better with the Nats.
Harvey has been liable to permitting a whole lot of onerous contact, however his management and strikeout means has allowed him to get out of jams when permitting baserunners. Harvey has at all times been a tough thrower, although his 96.1 mph fastball in 2025 was the slowest velocity he has posted in his MLB profession. After all, it’s onerous to attract conclusions from that pattern measurement of 10 2/3 IP, and it’s actually doable that Harvey will regain a tick or two on his heater as soon as wholesome.
Availability is the lingering query for Harvey, but there’s loads of upside for the righty as he enters his age-31 season. He is a perfect match for Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who has historically shopped for lower-cost bullpen arms who can (if every thing works out) present loads of bang for the buck.
Chicago’s two-year, $14.5MM cope with Phil Maton counts as a relative splurge by Hoyer’s bullpen spending requirements, however the Cubs have now signed Maton, Harvey, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and previous good friend Caleb Thielbar in what has quietly turn out to be a reasonably intensive transform of the aid corps. Daniel Palencia stays because the Cubs’ first alternative for saves, however Harvey now supplies some backup as a reliever with some ninth-inning expertise.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see the staff pursue extra veteran relievers on comparatively cheap contracts, as a way to give the Cubs as a lot depth as doable prematurely of what Chicago hopes is a deeper postseason run. The Cubs have been linked to plenty of bigger-ticket place gamers and beginning pitchers, however Maton’s deal stays their largest funding in a brand new participant this offseason.
