Looks like the Chicago Cubs have signed another minor league reliever for depth/development/upside, bringing lefty Blake Weiman into the organization.
That news comes via Driveline, where Weiman was throwing at a pro day and must’ve been scouted by the Cubs:
Hopefully Weiman’s offseason work unlocked something to get him over the minor league hump.
Weiman, 28, was a 2017 8th round pick by the Pirates, who dominated as a reliever up through the system until he reached Triple-A. He subsequently joined the Mariners’ organization in 2022, and although he’s consistently handled Double-A with aplomb, his four attempts at Triple-A have all had the same shape: strikeout rate drops, walk rate climbs, and home run rate explodes. It’s that last one that has been the primary issue, and it’s consistent across all four years at Triple-A. He’s definitely a fly ball pitcher, so it’s presumably an issue where his fastball up works against younger hitters, but with more established guys at Triple-A, they aren’t swinging and missing as much and the fly balls are hit just a bit harder.
You can expect that Weiman is more of a true minor league signing than the “minor league signing, but coming to Spring Training with a good chance to win a job” type. Sure, if Weiman totally transformed this offseason – it does happen sometimes! – then it’s possible he blows the doors off in Spring Training. But I think it’s more likely he heads to Triple-A Iowa to open the year as lefty relief depth (the Cubs don’t have much), and they see how he fares after an offseason of work and a Spring Training in the Pitch Lab.
I expect we’ll hear more on Weiman next month as everyone heads to Arizona.
(Feature photo by Lukas Flippo/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC/USA Today Sports)