The Cubs have agreed to a deal with right-hander Trent Thornton, as first announced on Instagram by his trainers at Tread Athletics. It’s a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to spring training, MLBTR has learned.
Thornton, a Wasserman client, has pitched in parts of seven big league seasons, all coming between the Blue Jays and Mariners. The 32-year-old had more success with the latter, pitching to a combined 3.65 ERA in 140 2/3 frames from 2023-25. Thornton was sitting on a 4.68 ERA in 42 1/3 innings this past season, his numbers still recovering from a five-run meltdown early in the season, when he suffered a torn Achilles that ended his season.
Tread’s announcement on the deal noted that Thornton is “ahead of schedule” in his rehab from that season-ending injury. A source tells MLBTR he’s full-go off the mound already and will be healthy for spring training.
Thornton began his career as a starter with the Jays, taking the ball 29 times and tossing 154 1/3 innings as a rookie in 2019. He struggled in 2020 and was moved to the bullpen the following season. After a couple years of middling numbers in Toronto’s bullpen, Thornton landed in Seattle and turned his career around. He logged a 2.08 ERA with solid rate stats in 26 innings during the 2023 season and then tossed 72 1/3 innings with a 3.61 ERA the following season.
During that 2024 season, Thornton sat 95.5 mph with his heater but leaned far more heavily on a mid-80s slider, tossing it at a near-52% clip. Overall, during his Mariners stint, Thornton fanned 22.5% of opponents against a 6.6% walk rate. His 39.7% ground-ball rate was a bit lower than average.
Thornton won’t be guaranteed a spot in the Chicago ’pen but will hope to follow the Brad Keller model, parlaying a non-roster deal into a relief job and a hearty free-agent contract next winter. The bullpen at Wrigley Field has become more crowded after offseason signings of Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Hunter Harvey and Jacob Webb, as well as the re-signings of Colin Rea and Caleb Thielbar. Those six, along with holdover Daniel Palencia, will comprise the majority of Chicago’s bullpen. Thornton could compete for the final spot and, with a good showing in spring (or early in the Triple-A season) could be one of the first names up in the event of an injury.