NEWSLETTER
Two more pitching signings to report for the Chicago Cubs, per the transaction register: righty Aaron Perry, and righty Carlo Reyes.
Aaron Perry, 24, was a Boston Red Sox pitching prospect through the 2023 season, but hit minor league free agency thereafter. He did not sign in the offseason, presumably falling victim to the org roster limits that were further squeezed in 2024. But once spots opened up, he found a home with the Cubs.
Currently assigned to the South Bend Cubs, Perry has already made a scoreless two-inning appearance. With the Red Sox, he was a relief-only prospect who appears to have missed a lot of time with injuries, and topped out at High-A. Strong strikeout rates at Low-A and High-A, though, so he may sport some good stuff.
Carlo Reyes, 25, is also a relief-only prospect who came up with the Phillies, and then pitched at Double-A in the Dodgers’ system last year. Like Perry, he was a minor league free agent, but unlike Perry, he did not become available until the Dodgers released him at the end of Spring Training (again, org crunch situation, probably). Huge strikeout rates at High-A in the Phillies’ system, but couldn’t get over the Double-A hump (and same thing with the Dodgers). It’s a pretty good guess that he’ll get another shot at Double-A after working with the Cubs in Arizona.
Both Perry and Reyes are true relief prospects in whom the Cubs must’ve seen something they wanted to work with, and now they’ll have most of the 2024 season to see if they can turn a corner in a new organization. The Cubs are taking A LOT of these swings.
Here’s what I said last week with the most recent signing before Perry and Reyes, because again, there have just been so many:
The Chicago Cubs are seriously going off on the minor league pitching signings here after the start of the season. Sure, you sometimes see one, but this is entirely different (and I suspect it’s because of the new stateside org roster limits, so the Cubs are smartly filling in new guys when they get a roster chance (as other guys get hurt)).
So, in the last couple weeks, the Cubs have signed big leaguer depth types Julio Teheran and Dan Straily, international pitcher Daniel Missaki, pitching prospect types Nico Zeglin and Mitchell Tyranski, and now they’ve also signed Triple-A/MLB border guy Jake Wong.
