Cubs weighing a reunion with Drew Pomeranz after breakout 2025 season

Benny Sieu - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 1 hour ago

There were plenty of surprise/breakout performances that led to the Cubs' success a season ago. Arguably, the biggest surprise of them all came from the Cubs bullpen, in particular, the backend of the pen, as Jed Hoyer did a phenomenal job rebuilding the pen on the fly.

Granted, most of the players added to fix the pen were on one-year deals, and are once again free agents for this offseason, but that shouldn't come as a surprise when you look at how Hoyer has gone about his needs the past few seasons. Well, the time is now for him to get away from that aspect and start putting some stock in multi-year contracts in an effort to keep this bullpen as strong as possible beyond one season.

One way to do that would be to bring back some of their options from last season, and Drew Pomeranz remains a distinct possibility for this team. With no lefties currently in the pen, and their only internal options being Jordan Wicks, Luke Little, and Riley Martin, it is almost a guarantee that the Cubs will add one lefty if not two.

Coming off the season Pomeranz had and given his previous relationship with Craig Counsell, don't be surprised to see him back with the Cubs on another one-year deal, or possibly a two-year contract if the money is right. Normally, you couldn't care less to let a 37-year-old walk, given that their career may not have much left in the tank, but Pomeranz is coming off one of the best years of his career and emerged as an actual weapon out of the Cubs pen to pitch in a variety of roles.

The former starter turned reliever was signed to a minor league deal last season, where he performed well enough to earn a call-up to the majors in May. Not only did Pomeranz make the most of that opportunity, but he refused to go back down to the Minors as he went on to post a 2-2 record across 57 games with four of them coming as an opener.

Looking beyond appearances are the actual underlying numbers: his 2.17 ERA was his lowest mark since 2021, which was also the last time he pitched on a Major League mound. You read that right, Pomeranz hadn't pitched on a Major League mound for nearly four years before this season as a series of shoulder injuries derailed what was a promising career as a starter before having to make the move to the pen.

Even before the injury, you saw the type of pitcher Pomeranz could be as a reliever, as he made the move to full-time reliever as part of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019, which is where the Counsell connection falls into play. During that season, Pomeranz was used sparingly, appearing in 25 games, but with a 2.39 ERA and an eight-walk to 45-strikeout ratio, Pomeranz was dominant for the Brewers down the stretch.

Following a strong showing in Milwaukee, Pomeranz wound up latching on with the Padres ahead of the 2020 season and spent the next few seasons pitching for them out of the pen. Although limited to 47 games in those two seasons, Pomeranz was about as good as advertised as he combined for a 1.60 ERA during those seasons, walking 20 and striking out 59 across 43 innings.

The high strikeout numbers were what caught many teams' eyes back then, but it was in the 2021 season that the injuries began to sink in, putting his professional career in jeopardy. Over the next three-plus years, Pomeranz worked his tail off to remain in the game but never reached the majors, which left him wondering whether that dream was no longer a reality.

Then came the 2025 season, where Pomeranz was initially part of the Seattle Mariners Minor League system before latching on with the Cubs. It was the Cubs who gave him an opportunity to prove his worth once again, and not only did he do that, but he may have pitched himself into one more contract, as his overall body of work was impressive.

Not only did he appear in the most games he has ever appeared in during a season, but his 49 innings were also the most he has thrown since 2019, and the second most as a reliever. His walk numbers were low at 15, while the strikeout numbers continued to rank in the upper third of the league with 57 as Pomeranz continued to baffle hitters most of the season.

In an era where you need at least one lefty in your pen for matchup problems, Pomeranz can be that guy, as he proved last season. He is also a former starter and can handle both righties and lefties, which is why there will be plenty of teams interested in him. With an expected one-year contract of five million dollars, perhaps the Cubs could sweeten the pot and give him a second year for eight million as both sides appear interested in making something happen.