The Cubs signed Kyle Wright to a minor league deal Tuesday, bringing in MLB’s most recent 20-game winner on what’s essentially a lottery ticket.
Wright’s story is wild. He won 21 games for the Braves in 2022 with a 3.19 ERA, then basically disappeared from baseball.
The 30-year-old right-hander hasn’t made more than nine starts in any other major league season. He didn’t pitch at all in 2024. This year he managed just eight outings between Double-A and Triple-A in the Royals system, posting a 5.48 ERA.
That’s the reality of modern baseball – Jon Heyman reported the signing, which comes with a spring training invite but no guarantees.
Wright’s 2022 season feels like a fever dream now. A former No. 5 overall pick from Vanderbilt in 2017, he put together one of those years that come out of nowhere. The 21-5 record made him the first pitcher to reach 20 wins since Rick Porcello in 2016.
At this rate, Wright might stay the last 20-game winner for a while. Starters don’t get the innings anymore, and teams care more about keeping guys healthy than chasing individual milestones.
Injuries have been Wright’s biggest enemy. He’s appeared in six MLB seasons but has a 4.45 career ERA across 60 appearances. The talent that made him a top draft pick is still there somewhere – it’s just a question of whether his body can hold up.
The Cubs aren’t expecting miracles here. They’re betting on upside with minimal risk, hoping Wright can find some version of what made him special three years ago.
He’s got a World Series ring from 2021 and 24 career wins, 21 of them coming in that one magical season. Not a bad trivia answer, even if the story ends here.
