CHICAGO -- Part of the Cubs’ process for building a bullpen in recent seasons has been identifying reclamation projects with high-ceiling potential. In hard-throwing right-hander Hunter Harvey, Chicago has added a late-inning-caliber arm coming off multiple seasons plagued by injuries.
On Wednesday, the Cubs announced the signing of Harvey to a one-year deal, continuing a busy offseason of reconstructing a relief corps that lost a considerable number of pitchers. Per multiple reports, the pact includes a base salary of $6 million plus incentives.
In Harvey, the Cubs see a pitcher who boasts elite stuff with a pitch mix that could be fine-tuned further under their pitching infrastructure group. The key for the North Siders will be to keep the 31-year-old Harvey on the mound, given his recent history of injuries in stints with the Royals and Nationals.
Last season with Kansas City, Harvey was limited to 12 appearances, with 11 strikeouts and one walk in 10 2/3 scoreless innings. Harvey went on the injured list on April 11 with a right teres major (shoulder) strain, and only six games after returning on July 25, he suffered a right adductor strain and went back on the IL on Aug. 11.
Harvey missed the bulk of the final two months of the 2024 campaign due to a back injury.
Per Statcast, Harvey averaged 98.3 mph with his four-seamer in the 2022-23 seasons, but he saw the velocity drop to 97.8 mph in ‘24 and 96.1 mph in ‘25. In his abbreviated MLB showing last season, Harvey led with his heater (53.3%) but balanced things out with a splitter (19.2%), slider (18%) and curveball (9.6%).
A first-round pick by the Orioles in the 2013 Draft, Harvey has pitched in seven big league seasons with Baltimore, Washington and Kansas City. In 182 career outings, he has logged a 3.11 ERA with 11 saves, 34 games finished and a 26.8% strikeout rate vs. a 6.8% walk rate.
Harvey follows the Cubs’ offseason bullpen additions of right-hander Phil Maton (two-year deal), righty Jacob Webb (one-year deal) and lefty Hoby Milner (one-year deal). Chicago also re-signed lefty Caleb Thielbar and righty swingman Colin Rea to one-year pacts. The Cubs added righty Collin Snider on a Minor League deal as well, and they will surely continue to look for ways to add to the depth chart.
Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz and Andrew Kittredge -- three of the Cubs' primary arms at the end of last season’s 92-win campaign -- are no longer in the picture. Kittredge was traded to the Orioles on Nov. 4, while Keller signed with the Phillies and Pomeranz reached a deal with the Angels.
Harvey was acquired by the Royals on July 14, 2024, after an impressive run with Washington the previous two years. Across the ‘22-23 seasons, Harvey spun a 2.70 ERA with 112 strikeouts against 25 walks in 100 innings (95 appearances).