The Chicago Cubs did not need to look far to find their latest pitching addition.
The Cubs are signing veteran pitcher Chris Flexen to a minor league contract, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Sahadev Sharma. The deal is pending a physical.
Flexen tallied the second-most starts for the 41-121 Chicago White Sox last season. But the 6’3″ right-hander had far less success on the mound than the man ahead of him, All-Star Garrett Crochet.
Flexen tallied a 3-15 record for the historically bad White Sox. Only the Boston Red Sox’s Kutter Crawford had more losses than Flexen. While some of those losses were due to poor hitting or fielding, Flexen’s 4.95 ERA over 160.0 innings pitched did not help his own cause.
The California native enjoyed his best years with the Seattle Mariners from 2021 to 2023. In two and a half seasons with the Mariners, Flexen had a 4.13 ERA with 249 strikeouts across 81 appearances (57 starts).
The Cubs are hoping Flexen can regain some of that form when he moves to the North Side of Chicago. After missing the postseason for four straight seasons, the Cubs have added veteran pieces this offseason for a potential playoff push.
