MLB

Cubs sign SP Colin Rea to one-year, $5 million contract

Chicago inking Rea marks a reunion of sorts. The 34-year-old pitched for the club in 2020 and also has experience playing for current Cubs manager Craig Counsell in Milwaukee in 2021 and 2023. Neither of those campaigns featured Rea’s best work — that came last season — but the familiarity won’t hurt.

Rea’s career-best performance in 2024 wasn’t full of swings and misses, but he got plenty of outs en route to a 12-6 record and 4.29 ERA. The right-hander probably won’t be relied on as much this year due to a deep collection of Cubs starters, which isn’t a bad thing given Rea’s somewhat limited track record.

This isn’t exactly my favorite signing of the offseason, but Chicago has a club option for 2026, so it can keep Rea around should he stack another productive season.

Grade: C