The Chicago Cubs have gone out and bought some talent ahead of the MLB trade deadline. One of those moves was to acquire relief pitcher Nate Pearson from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Pearson, a former top prospect, has struggled in the majors. However, the Cubs decided to take a chance on him and he made his debut with the team on Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
Unfortunately, his debut with Chicago did not go well at all.
He ended up pitching 1.1 innings and gave up a home run, hit a batter, and was ejected for doing so. Craig Counsell followed him out of the game, getting ejected himself.
Obviously, that wasn’t the start to his tenure with the Cubs that either he or the team was hoping to see.
Hopefully, things will get better moving forward for the 27-year-old relief pitcher. He has the potential and talent to become a good player, but he simply hasn’t been able to put it together so far.
During the 2024 season with the Blue Jays, Pearson appeared in 41 games. He compiled a 5.63 ERA to go along with a 1.55 WHIP, a 3.0 K/BB ratio, two saves, seven holds, and a blown save.
Back in 2023, he played in 35 games with Toronto. He racked up a 5-2 record, a 4.85 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, a 2.4 K/BB ratio, a save, three holds, and two blown saves.
Chicago’s move to acquire Pearson could end up being a major win. Or, he could end up struggling and not making any kind of difference for the team whatsoever.
Jed Hoyer decided to take a low-risk shot at a reliever with potential that hasn’t been realized just yet. Whether it pays off or not really won’t make a huge difference in the outlook of the team, unless he reaches his full potential and becomes an integral part of the bullpen.
Looking ahead to the future, Pearson has two more years of contract control left. At the very least, the Cubs have a reliever on a cheap contract that they can try to develop.
It will be interesting to see how Pearson fares throughout the rest of the season. Fans can only hope that he’s able to rebound strong from his horrific debut with Chicago.
