Chicago Cubs Attended Throwing Session of Future Hall of Famer

The Chicago Cubs were one of several teams to watch a free agent pitcher at a pro day this week.

Jul 14, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Coming into the winter, one of the areas of the team that the Chicago Cubs wanted to upgrade was their pitching staff.

Veteran Kyle Hendricks, the longest-tenured player on the team, was set to hit free agency. He ended up wasting little time finding a new home when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels very early in the offseason.

The team was able to fill his void by adding former Cleveland Guardians starter Matthew Boyd on a solid two-year, $29 million deal. He rounds out what can be a very solid rotation that also includes Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad.

Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown and Cade Horton are three youngsters to keep an eye on, as they could factor into the mix depending on how Spring Training goes or if an unfortunate injury occurs.

On paper, the team looks pretty set in the rotation, especially after adding veteran Colin Rea to the mix in free agency.

But, they may not be done adding to their pitching depth.

As shared by Pat Ragazzo of On SI, the Cubs were one of eight teams to watch free agent Max Scherzer pitch in a pro day at Cressey Sports Performance earlier this week.

Somewhat surprisingly, his most recent team, the Texas Rangers, was not in attendance.

The teams who sent representatives along with Chicago are the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

Sources: free agent RHP Max Scherzer threw in front of teams at Cressey Sports Performance’s pro day earlier in the week

I’m told Scouts liked what they saw: Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Phillies, Braves, Cubs, Red Sox were among those present

Scherzer has been in…

— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) January 24, 2025

The market for the three-time Cy Young Award winner has been slow to develop, but it's clear there is at least some level of interest in him given how many franchises were present at the throwing session.

At this point in his career, Scherzer is likely only going to receive a one-year deal, likely for somewhere in the area of $15 million. That is how much money Alex Cobb and Justin Verlander received from the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants, respectively.

Last season, the future Hall of Famer managed to make only nine starts as he battled several ailments. He recorded a 3.95 ERA across 43.1 innings with 40 strikeouts.

Over the last six campaigns, he has made 30 starts only once, so counting on him to carry a full workload is likely a recipe for disaster. But, as a complementary piece, he would provide the Cubs with some insurance and much-needed championship experience as they look to rise in the ranks and contend in 2025.