Cubs bet on upside with signing of Collin Snider |
Dustin Riese
· · 5 hours ago
Another year of the Winter Meetings has come and gone, and once again, the Chicago Cubs were one of the quieter teams when it came to making moves. This is an all-too-familiar feeling for the Cubs and their fans as they continue to operate at their own pace, hoping the market falls to them rather than going out and getting the guys they want.
There are some cases when that works in their favor, with the Cody Bellinger signing coming to mind, but how many times have we heard that a specific player wanted to come to the Cubs, but wasn't offered the right deal or a deal at all by this team? That can't happen for a big-market team, as the Cubs need to get out of this small-market mindset and get back to spending at the level they can. Little did anyone know, the Cubs did come away with one move before the Winter Meetings concluded, and it was another one of those Jed Hoyer specials as the Cubs and right-handed pitcher Collin Snider have agreed to a Minor League deal with a spring training invite. In other words, this is one of those flyer deals the Cubs are hoping to turn into a reclamation project, as they continue to hand out these deals no matter the situation. While Snider is a lesser-known arm, the Cubs have had their eye on him for a while, as they see plenty of upside in his abilities on the mound. What looks to be a low-risk late December pickup, it's often these types of moves that tend to reward the Cubs, as they are expecting him to compete for a bullpen role this Spring. The 30-year-old right-hander has been around for a while now and has pitched in 128 games since making his MLB debut in 2022. Things were shaky early on as Snider posted a combined 5.48 ERA in his first two seasons, which covered a span of 62 games and 55 innings. In 2024, Snider not only had his breakout season but also showed what he is capable of, emerging as one of the Mariners' key pieces in the pen. In 42 games compiling just under 42 innings, Snider went on to post a 3-4 record, but it was his 1.94 ERA that got the attention of everyone as he was one of the better relievers across the board. He walked 13 and struck out 47 as he was averaging better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings that season. Following his breakout campaign, Snider returned to the Mariners in 2025, as Seattle was expected to have another huge season from the right-hander. Instead, Snider took a massive step back, posting a 5.47 ERA across 24 games, walking six and striking out 24 in just over 26 innings of work. Any time you have a massive decline like that from one season to the next, it does bring the question as to whether or not Snider was a one-year fluke, but the Cubs feel he is worth the chance this Spring to see what he can do. When you look at the stat line, the Cubs are getting a guy who strikes out better than 27% of the hitters he faces while also walking right around 5 %. Those types of numbers would have drawn the attention of a lot of teams had he been more consistent, but the Cubs' interest in him goes beyond the numbers, as Snider is another one of those Tread Athletics pitchers whom the Cubs have come to love in the past few seasons. The connection with Tread falls solely on Tyler Zombro, who is expected to take on a higher role within the Cubs' infrastructure this year, especially when it comes to working with Minor League arms. The Cubs have plenty of trust in Zombro and his decision-making, so you have the idea they are putting the trust in his judgment when it comes to this pickup. Armed with a fastball that can reach the mid-90s, Snider has one of the weirder fastballs on the market, as it comes with unorthodox movement. They’ve consistently targeted arms with outlier traits - whether that’s spin, movement, or release point - and Snider fits that mold. If they can blend the swing-and-miss ability he showed in 2024 with the command he flashed in 2025, there’s a path for him to become a legitimate bullpen option in the months ahead.
