-
Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
The Toronto Blue Jays traded reliever Nate Pearson to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday for a pair of minor leaguers, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
The Cubs sent Yohendrick Pinango, an outfield prospect at Double-A Tennessee, to the Blue Jays as part of the deal, sources told ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. Chicago also sent shortstop Josh Rivera, a third-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft, to the Jays, sources added.
Pearson, 27, struggled with the Blue Jays after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2022. He had a 4.85 ERA last season while appearing in 41 games for Toronto this year, giving up 45 hits and eight home runs over 40 innings. His 5.63 ERA and 1.55 WHIP illustrate his lack of results out of the Blue Jays pen.
The 2017 first-round pick joins a Cubs team in flux as his addition more than likely means the team is preparing to trade some of their own relievers. Mark Leiter Jr, Tyson Miller and Hector Neris could be on the move as the team retools for 2025. Both the Cubs and Blue Jays have had underachieving seasons, giving both front offices reasons to think about the future.
Pinango, 22, was batting .263 with nine home runs, 40 RBIs and 10 stolen bases for the Smokies this season.
The Blue Jays will need to add Pinango to their 40-man roster by next winter to protect against the possibility of losing him in the Rule 5 draft
Rivera, 23, hit .169 with four home runs and 16 RBIs for the Smokies this season.