Inside The Cubs

Chicago Cubs Quietly Sign Promising Lefty Pitcher to Deal

The Chicago Cubs quietly added left-handed pitcher Christian Winston to the team on a minor league deal. The lefty offers plenty of upside in a low-risk deal.
Ryan Sikes|
Chicago Cubs Quietly Sign Promising Lefty Pitcher to Deal
Chicago Cubs Quietly Sign Promising Lefty Pitcher to Deal

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Chicago Cubs

According to the MLB transactions log, the Chicago Cubs have signed left-handed reliever Christian Winston to a minor league contract.

Winston, 23, played four seasons of collegiate ball at San Diego State University, spinning a 4.94 ERA largely in a relief role.

The Barstow, Calif., native made nine spot starts during his time on campus and pitched in a career-high 23.0 innings of work as a senior in 2021.

He spent last season with William Jessup of the Golden State Athletic Conference, making ten appearances, including eight starts, with a 5.81 ERA while fanning 52 batters in 48.0 innings of work.

The Cubs have just one left-handed reliever in the bullpen in Brandon Hughes. Still, the likelihood that Winston pitches meaningful innings at the Big League level in 2023 doesn't appear to be favorable.

He has been assigned to the Arizona Complex League Cubs, a Rookie-level affiliate of the organization, where he'll have the opportunity to work closely with the team.

Winston had the propensity to walk a few batters in college, so Chicago will certainly look to iron out his command issues so that he can become an effective asset to them.

But at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, there's plenty to be excited about as he continues to mature physically.

The early report on Winston is that he features a fastball that tops out around 95 mph complementing it with two offspeed pitches. According to his performance coach, Austin Roark, he offers an impressive curveball that regularly touches 87 mph.

In a sub-tweet to the above, Roark notes that Winston added a slider to his pitching arsenal this offseason, averaging in the mid-80s with 10 inches of horizontal break.

Winston is certainly a project, but it's a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Cubs. If their pitching lab can figure out a few things to develop his pitches and improve his command, he could be an impactful player down the line.

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Ryan Sikes
RYAN SIKES

Ryan is a Chicago Cubs writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside The Cubs, an IBWAA member, and has followed the Cubs since the mid-1990s. He grew up in the Rockford area and used to attend a handful of games every summer at Wrigley Field, including Aramis Ramirez's walkoff home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 after the Cubs trailed 5-0.He attended the University of Iowa and currently resides in the western suburbs. In addition to covering the Cubs, he covers the USHL for FloHockey and NCAA hockey for College Hockey News. When he's not writing or watching sports, he enjoys hanging out with his wife and three kids.

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