Cubs snag high-upside bullpen arm in Braylon Myers

Photo courtesy: Alabama Athletics

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 24 hours ago

Not only did the Chicago Cubs have a plan during the 2025 MLB draft, but they also appeared to have a plan when going on the undrafted free agent market. With the MLB draft now a week behind them, the Cubs continue to stockpile their minor league roster, having added three undrafted free agents.

All three of those pickups happened to be pitchers, including their most recent addition in Alabama right-hander Braylon Myers. Initially seen as a late-round selection, the 6-2, 205-pound righty fell into the undrafted market, where several teams inquired about his services. The Cubs were one of those teams, and after careful consideration, he ultimately chose the Cubs as the team he wanted to play for.

Whatever happens from here is more so on Myers as he has an opportunity to build up his arsenal to become a long-term piece to their puzzle. Unlike many of the pitchers the Cubs have pursued, who are typically starters with relief potential, Myers has only been a reliever — and a very good one.

After posting a 7.62 ERA as a freshman, Myers went on to play in the summer league before turning the corner to make himself one of the better relievers on the college circuit. Across his final three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Myers posted an ERA of 5.08, including two consecutive seasons with ERAs under 3.00. Those seasons occurred in 2024 and 2025, during which he posted ERAs of 2.73 in 2024 and 2.63 in 2025.

That is a combined 2.65 ERA over 43 games while totaling 75 innings during that time. Along with the solid production comes the high strikeout and low walk numbers, as he walked just 24 hitters in those seasons while striking out 87. That alone is something worth noting, as high-leverage relievers with good walk-to-strikeout rates are hard to find at the college level.

Knowing that Myers has been a relief first guy his entire career, you can bet the Cubs are going to keep him in that position as they try to figure out what role he is best suited for and how to get the most out of him from that role. That's what this winter and the rest of the season will be for, as the Cubs want him in their organization as soon as possible to see what he can do.

Before becoming a dominant reliever, Myers was a two-way player who put up some solid numbers as a third baseman and shortstop prospect. Those days are long gone, as he is only going to pitch from here on out. When it comes to his arsenal, as tough as it may be to believe, Myers isn't one of those blow-you-away relievers and instead lives on a fastball that sits in the 92-93 MPH range while focusing on location more than anything.

With the fastball comes an ever-improving changeup that sits around 86, while he is starting to use his breaking ball much more frequently. Once he can start to control that breaking ball consistently, it will be the beginning of what could be a lengthy professional career, as he has the makeup of being a very good reliever for a long time.