Cubs sign former veteran pitcher Spencer Turnbull |
Dustin Riese
· · Saturday, July 19 2025
After being discussed behind closed doors for several weeks, the Cubs and Spencer Turnbull have reached an agreement on a Minor League deal for the remainder of the season. This was something that was discussed immediately following his release from the Toronto Blue Jays, and now that it has become official, the right-hander can now settle in with his new team.
The 32-year-old righty has had quite an up-and-down MLB Journey, and after it seemed like he was coming into his own the past few seasons, his time with the Blue Jays was a struggle, which is the reason for his mid-season release. Although he would have liked to secure another MLB deal, Turnbull knew that his best way to return to the show was to sign a minor league contract, and the Cubs seem to be his best option. When you look at his career as a whole, Turnbull has been one of those guys loaded with potential, but has been plagued with injuries since day one. Across 81 career games, 68 of those have been starts, where Turnbull has posted a 16-30 record with a 4.31 ERA. Record aside, the ERA isn't terrible, as it falls right in line with the MLB average in today's game. Turnbull began his career with the Tigers, spending his first five seasons with them. While there were some ups, including his 2.88 ERA in nine starts during the 2021 season, there were also plenty of downs, as he led the league with 17 losses in 2019 and went 3-17 last season. Take that season out of the equation, and he has been a .500 pitcher since, as one bad season has drastically impacted his overall success. After missing all of 2022 with an injury and going out and posting a 7.26 ERA in seven starts with the Tigers in 2023, Turnbull latched on with the Phillies in 2024 and put together arguably his best career season. Granted, he only appeared in 17 games with the Phillies (7 starts), but you could make the case that this was the first time he started to utilize his entire arsenal on the mound, and that proved crucial to his success. Sure, the 1-3 record may not indicate that, but a career-best 2.65 ERA does, as he walked 20 and struck out 58 across 56 innings. His 2024 performance alone was all the proof anyone needed that he was healthy, as Turnbull wound up signing a one-year deal with the Blue Jays this past offseason. Hoping to keep his comeback story alive, the right-hander has struggled in the 2025 season, appearing in only three games and posting a 7.11 ERA in those games. Looking even further than that, Turnbull made five Minor League appearances, all starts so far this season, and posted a 7.65 ERA. Clearly, something has been off with the right-hander this year, but that won't stop the Cubs from bringing him in to give him another chance. No one knows what the plan is for Turnbull at this point, but what we do know is that he is currently in Mesa working out with the team and should be on his way to an affiliated site shortly. Could that be Iowa taking the roster spot of Jake Woodford, who recently opted out of his deal? Perhaps, as the Cubs feel he still has something to offer this season. When Turnbull was coming through the Tigers' system, he was not only seen as an up-and-coming prospect but also as one who had front-of-the-rotation potential. After all, any time you have a fastball in the 95-96 MPH range mixed with a lethal slider and change-up combination, the tools are there to be successful, but as is the case with a lot of pitchers, injuries have derailed him most of his career. Now with the Cubs, Turnbull's first goal is to stay healthy as he wants to help the Cubs in any way possible. When it comes to the Cubs, they want to get him into their pitching lab as soon as possible, as they feel he has something to work with in terms of stuff and are hoping to maximize what they see. Appears to now be official, the Cubs signed Spencer Turnbull to a minor league deal. He’s in Arizona. Turnbull fits a lot of what the cubs have targeted in recent seasons and could provide depth or even a boost down the stretch.
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