With the news that Javier Assad will miss the start of the 2025 season recovering from a left oblique strain, the Chicago Cubs suddenly have an opening in their starting rotation. A few internal options exist to fill that hole, but one likely stands out to manager Craig Counsell.
Colin Rea, who played for Counsell while managing the Milwaukee Brewers, joined the Cubs on a one-year, $5 million contract this offseason. Rea has some experience as a bullpen arm, but for most of his career—76 of 94 appearances—he has been used as a starter.
That includes 22 of 26 games pitched in 2023, when Rea and Counsell were together in Milwaukee. Rea sported a 4.55 ERA in 124.2 innings pitched for the Brewers, helping them secure the NL Central title. That quickly became his goal again this year, but now, as a member of a former division rival,
“We signed Colin knowing he is going to make a lot of starts for us,” Counsell told MLB.com's Cole Bradley. “He’s definitely a part of that answer.”
Rea is off to a great start this spring, with a 1.93 ERA and five strikeouts between his two appearances. He tossed 46 pitches over three scoreless frames on Saturday.
“I felt really good,” Rea said. “The goals were to get that pitch count going and to get to three innings, so I was happy about that.”
The Cubs are expected to give Rea at least one more spring training appearance before heading to Japan for the Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18 and 19. By then, the team hopes to have a more definitive timeline for Assad's recovery.
