Speculation as to whether the Chicago Cubs will be big-time buyers or big-time sellers at this season’s MLB trade deadline will have to go on at least another day after Saturday’s move to acquire Nate Pearson to add a power arm to the Cubs arsenal. Pearson is brought in from the Toronto Blue Jays, who like the Cubs, find themselves under .500 in years they should be competing, but unlike them do not have a strong farm system.
In the deal the Toronto Blue Jays acquired OF Yohendrick Pinango and IF Josh Rivera. Both players were with the Cubs AA affiliate and having tough seasons. Pinango is the more accomplished of the pair, but Rivera is younger, more highly touted, and has ascended levels at a quicker pace. The deal gives Chicago a chance to fix Nate Pearson, a former first-round pick who has yet to turn his upside into production at the major league level. To accommodate Pearson, Chicago designated recently acquired reliever Jesus Tinoco for assignment.
MLB Trade Deadline Starts for Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays reached an agreement on a trade that sends RHP Nate Pearson to the Cubs in exchange for two minor leaguers. The former first-round pick, Pearson, is dealt after starting his career off with little success over his first four-plus seasons. Chicago acquires the fire-throwing right-hander amid another complicated MLB trade deadline for the club.
The team has mulled over their MLB trade deadline aspirations in back-to-back years, and this move answers few questions about where they will go in the coming days. For now, they add Pearson to a pitching staff that has been inconsistent beyond their top starters and unable to rely on any offense to support them on the mound. Support is going to be needed in more ways than one for Pearson, who despite having an impressive pitch repertoire, has yet to find his groove in the major leagues.
In his time with the Toronto Blue Jays, Pearson was transitioned from a starter to a reliever due to injury setbacks and in the hope that he could build some momentum before eventually making it into the rotation. This hope never came to pass and the Blue Jays shipped the hurler after he made it known that he would like to return to the starting rotation. As he caps his Toronto campaign, Pearson carries a career 5.21 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. The Cubs are hoping that Pearson, with his raw tools and ability, can make use of a fresh start in a new city and help bolster their bullpen.
Return for the Toronto Blue Jays
In the deal for Pearson, the Toronto Blue Jays bring back a pair of position players. Both lifted from Chicago’s AA affiliate, the Tennessee Smokies, Yohendrick Pinango, and Josh Rivera are going to Toronto to buff up their moribund farm system. According to Bleacher Report, the Toronto Blue Jays own the league’s worst farm system. Adding a pair of the Cubs’ top 30 prospects is a step in the right direction to improve it, especially after getting very little out of Pearson, their first-round draft pick in 2017.
Pinango is an outfielder who some see as potentially being able to move to first if need be. Lacking natural power, Pinango has used the last couple of seasons to try and generate more power in A ball but has struggled to do so, while compromising on contact and line drives. The 22-year-old has bucked that strategy thus far in his first season at the AA level and will look to construct good plate habits in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Pinango is ranked as the Cubs’ 29th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
Rivera was a third-round pick in the 2023 draft, leading to a fast track to AA. The jump might’ve been too much for the 23-year-old from the University of Florida, as he is hitting below .200 with the Tennessee Smokies and has struggled to adjust to the professional game. The Toronto Blue Jays are hoping that after adjusting he will be a good prospect and maybe eventually a member of their infield. Rivera is ranked as the Chicago Cubs’ 23rd-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
