The Chicago Cubs are reporting to Spring Training this week. Their goals for 2026, of course, are overtaking the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League as a whole. Indeed, despite finishing 2025 92-70, Chicago still ended up second in the division. Additionally, they fell to the Brewers in the NLDS.
One of the biggest areas of focus this off-season for the Cubs has been shoring up their pitching depth. While their pitching was stellar last season, injuries forced them to get creative at times in terms of who started games.
As such, they have brought in a plethora of fresh new arms, including a former Chicago White Sox pitcher who has been around the block quite a bit.
The Chicago Cubs signed Vince Velasquez to a minor league contract
May 4, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Vince Velasquez (27) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
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According to the Cubs’ transactions page, they signed nine-year veteran pitcher Vince Velasquez to a minor league contract back on February 3.
As of now, he has not been invited to Major League spring training. However, that does not mean he is not capable of carving out a spot on the Cubs’ roster eventually.
In nine Major League seasons, Velasquez is 38-51 with a 4.88 ERA. He last appeared in the Majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023, when he was 4-4 with a 3.86 ERA (in eight starts).
Velasquez was with the White Sox in 2022 and appeared in 27 games (nine starts) for them. He was 3-3 with a 4.78 ERA with them that year.
After not pitching at all in 2024, Velasquez was just 1-4 with an 8.23 ERA in the KBO last year. However, he also pitched in the Clevaland Guardians’ minor league system, going 5-4 with a 3.42 ERA in 18 starts at Triple-A.
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