MESA, Ariz. — Part of the fun of spring training is trying to figure out which performances are real and which aren’t. The safe bet is to assume none of it carries over into the regular season, but there are exceptions.
The most recent for the Cubs was Brad Keller’s emergence last March. A dominant spring led the Cubs to add him to the roster, and the veteran righty went on to become a dominant force out of the team’s bullpen.
Stories like that are good for the Cubs for the obvious reasons on the field. As they continue to build their reputation as a good spot for pitchers, in particular relievers, it only helps their case as they search for the next one.
“There’s kind of two parts to the recruiting standpoint,” general manager Carter Hawkins said. “There’s talking about what you can do with that particular player, which our group does a really good job of. But what might be even more powerful is being able to point to stories of prior players that are similar and saying, ‘Look, what we’re saying is not BS. This is real. We can help you get better and optimize your performance at the major leagues.’ As we start to build those stories, it becomes easier to justify to a new player why they might be the best version of themselves with the Cubs.”
Before camp starts, here are three pitchers the Cubs would like to see find what made them good in previous years, and maybe even take a step forward.
Hunter Harvey
Harvey isn’t a non-roster invite and got paid handsomely (he’s guaranteed $6 million for 2026) to join the team, but he fits as a much-needed bounce-back candidate for the Cubs. He had multiple suitors and was compelled to join the Cubs by an intriguing sales pitch.
If Hunter Harvey can stay healthy, there seems to be little doubt that he can be a huge piece of the bullpen puzzle. (Ed Zurga / Getty Images)
“A lot of teams said they had things they thought they could mess with to get there,” Harvey said. “But I just felt like the way it was talked about here pulled me a little bit more.”
By “there” Harvey is talking about a healthy season. And what were those things the Cubs presented to Harvey?
“Some different stretching stuff that we added to my routine that we thought could help certain areas that weren’t moving as good,” Harvey said. “There were a few things mechanically that we thought we could clean up a bit. Help me get more health out of it. Small things they thought we could try and see if it helps.”
The Cubs showed Harvey his delivery when he was at his best, and years when injuries sidelined him or his stuff just wasn’t as crisp. When right, Harvey has a nasty splitter and a four-seamer that sits at 98 mph. Last season, that fastball was averaging 96.1. Those two ticks are part of what Harvey expects to get back.
“One hundred percent,” Harvey said. “That was one of the things we talked about. Going into last year, I had the back stuff to end the season. I didn’t get to have a normal offseason. Everything was pushed back two months from what I normally do. That was part of my mechanics getting out of whack, the velo (being down), just everything. But this (offseason) was back to normal. We’ve been working on some stuff, trying to see if we can get those couple ticks back up.”
If Harvey can stay healthy, there seems to be little doubt among people with the Cubs that he can be a huge piece of the bullpen puzzle. Maybe the most important one. That’s how good he can be when the arm is right.
Collin Snider
Snider singled out the Cubs early in the offseason as somewhere he wanted to end up. Snider unlocked something in 2024 with Seattle and hopes to get back to that guy after a rough season last year.
In his breakout year, Snider learned that despite not having a special spin rate or rise with his fastball, it was unique due to the release angle and height. Anything unique means that hitters aren’t used to seeing it, and that makes it harder to hit. Snider went from being sinker-heavy to leaning on the four-seamer. He went from never having a strikeout rate above 15 percent to an impressive rate of 27.8 percent and a 1.94 ERA in 41 2/3 innings.
What changed in 2025 when his ERA ballooned to 5.47?
“The main thing was health,” Snider said. “Then, paired with health, I got into some bad mechanical habits. One thing kind of fed into the other. But health is probably the overall issue.”
The Cubs suggested some minor mechanical changes, and Snider has already started making adjustments.
“It honestly was something very simple,” Snider said. “I was throwing in like an east-west rotation instead of a little bit more north-south thought to it — my shoulder plane. I was coming on the side of the baseball instead of getting behind it a little more. I was cutting a lot of stuff. Too much, a little cut would be fine. Cutting things too much, which (put) stress on the forearm, and my velo was down.”
Essentially, when in a set position, Snider’s shoulders were level. When at his best, his front shoulder is a little higher. That helps get everything moving properly and makes sure his arm is on time, the movement is right, and velocity is more in the 94-95 range rather than 92 mph. Snider said the first bullpen he threw after adjusting was the hardest he’s thrown in an offseason bullpen session.
Trent Thornton
For Thornton, the timeline is a bit longer, but again, health is the No. 1 issue. In 2024, his strikeout rate was 26.2 percent and the walk rate was at just 6.5 percent in 72 1/3 innings with Seattle.
Last season, though, he struggled and then tore his Achilles while trying to run to cover first base.
“In my mind, I’d like to be ready for Opening Day,” Thornton said. “Is that realistic? Possibly two or three weeks late. But if you asked me to get three outs right now, I could do it. Would I be able to cover first base perfectly? Probably not. But off the mound, I feel really good.”
Even before the injury, Thornton wasn’t right. His velocity was down a tick last season, and his strikeout rate dipped considerably. The Cubs believe that they can get him back on track with a slight adjustment to his trunk positioning, and he’s working on a firmer sweeper as opposed to slow one he had before.
The Cubs aren’t going to push it with Thornton. He’s throwing bullpens now, and his arm feels fine. His left calf is considerably weaker at the moment than the right, so building strength and really getting to a point where that’s not a worry will be key. There’s no reason to rush him at the moment, but this is a reliever who, with Snider, was a big part of the Mariners’ bullpen in 2024. If he can get healthy and regain that form, he’d be a nice midseason call-up for the Cubs should there be a need. And there’s always a need in the bullpen.