Veteran reliever Trent Thornton and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to major-league camp for spring training, the team announced Wednesday.
The 32-year-old right-hander is recovering from season-ending Achilles tendon surgery with the Seattle Mariners. He was 2-0 with a 4.68 ERA in 33 appearances before he was injured coming off the mound on a ground ball against the Texas Rangers on July 31. The recovery was expected to take six to eight months.
Thornton is 14-19 with a 4.38 ERA in 235 appearances over seven seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and Mariners.
Meanwhile, veteran catcher Reese McGuire, who played for the Cubs last season, has signed a minor-league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers that includes an invitation to major-league camp.
McGuire, who turns 31 on March 2, batted .226 with a .245 on-base percentage, nine homers and 24 RBIs in 44 games for the Cubs in 2025.
He has a .248 average, .293 OBP, 25 homers and 106 RBIs in 399 career games with the Blue Jays (2018-21), Chicago White Sox (2022), Boston Red Sox (2022-24) and Cubs. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected McGuire with the 14th pick in the 2013 draft.
Two-time All-Star William Contreras and 23-year-old prospect Jeferson Quero are the only catchers on the Brewers’ 40-man roster. Danny Jansen, who had been Contreras’ main backup after arriving from the Tampa Bay Rays at last season’s trade deadline, signed a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the Rangers in the offseason.