what is Colin Rea’s role on the 2025 Cubs

This is another solid backend starter or bullpen piece

Earlier today the big news on the Cubs front was a reunion of sorts with Colin Rea. Look I totally understand if you blanked out during the 2020 pandemic shortened season. That is understandable. But Rea was a Cub that season. He pitched 14 innings for the Cubs in 2020. He appeared in nine games and started two. He wound up with a 1-1 record, a 5.79 ERA and a 4.98 FIP, not exactly a lot to write home about, but who among us wants to be held to the standard of anything we did in 2020?

Speaking of players who can never leave, what is the reasoning behind the Cubs reunion with Colin Rea? I can think of a couple.

First, in the interim period between his use as a swingman in the pandemic shortened season and now, Rea has become a pretty useful pitcher for the Brewers. He threw 124.2 innings to the tune of a 4.55 ERA off a 4.90 FIP in 2023, he threw 167.2 innings to the tune of a 4.29 ERA off a 4.75 FIP in 2024. For reference the league average ERA and FIP was 4.08 last season, so honestly, Rea pencils is as a steady back of the rotation type.

The thing is, the Cubs have better options at the back of their rotation. Javier Assad had a 3.74 ERA and a 4.64 FIP in 2024, Matthew Boyd had a 2.72 ERA off a 3.29 FIP in 2024. Rea fits somewhere between or after Boyd and Assad.

And look, you can never have too much starting pitching, so a one-year $5 million deal for Rea is probably fine. The question is, is this a signing for a reliever, a starter or a swing man?