The Chicago Cubs acquired veteran Colin Rea in January, signing the righty swingman to a 1-year, $5 million deal. At the time, it was almost considered an afterthought.
Rea was thought of as competent, solid, and versatile. As far as his role with the Cubs, he was set to be a long relief bullpen piece who could step up to spot start on occasion. Formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers, he had earned the confidence of Cubs manager– and former Brewers manager– Craig Counsell and was picked up as a known-commodity depth piece. His lifetime ERA in the mid-4s told the tale of a guy just good enough to be an asset, but not quite capable of stardom.
Despite some token mentions as the team’s possible fifth starter, the 34-year-old wasn’t seriously considered for the rotation until Justin Steele went down with a season ending elbow injury. The loss of Steele, preceded by the loss of Javier Assad for an extended period of time, pushed Rea from swingman to firm member of Chicago’s rotation.
Colin Rea Steps Up
And the veteran responded well to the sudden boost in profile and responsibility.
In his first four starts, he posted a 1.86 ERA, with an overall ERA of 1.46. Coming into the month of May, he was killing it with a combined 0.96 ERA. Best of all, the Cubs were 4-0 when Rea started.
His dominance was a head-turner and a head-scratcher for many fans and analysts. The Rea dealing like an elite-level all-star in 2025 had never been like THIS.
Whatever the case and whatever the reason, the Cubs were enjoying the fruits of his performances. His surprise emergence was especially appreciated after Japanese southpaw Shota Imanaga went down with a hamstring injury.
But Rea’s success has not rolled along, building momentum.
The Fall Of Colin Rea
In May, he posted a 5.61 ERA, even with a solid May 1, 6 inning/2 earned run, start to the month. On Friday, he allowed a trio of 2-run home runs and 10 hits in 5.2 innings pitched. In his last two starts, he has a 10.13 ERA.
Unfortunately, this slippage is going hand in hand with the floundering of Ben Brown, who has posted a 6.75 ERA in May and may be on the verge of losing his starting rotation gig, even with no clear competitor in line to assume the spot.
In the case of Rea, could this just be him settling into who he is? With a lifetime 4.51 ERA, his 2025 ERA is now 3.96 after a pretty bad month. Is he really and truly who everyone thought he was back in January– an inning-eater in the bullpen who can do alright as a starter over a limited period of time?
Maybe.
But the Cubs need more than that. Steele is gone until well into next season, Assad is just starting to play catch after two runs at fixing an oblique issue, and the time frame for Imanaga’s return is alarmingly vague.
Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon have held things together and rookie Cade Horton is doing well for a kid essentially learning on the job. Obviously, however, that’s not enough for a team hoping to play deep into the postseason.
So, where do the Cubs go if Rea can’t turn things around?
Chicago Cubs Plans For A Struggling Rotation
Some of the team’s strategy amounts to little more than crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. The return of Imanaga and/or Assad will beef up the rotation. The continued advancement of Horton will help as well.
A low-risk gamble on released veteran Kenta Maeda has, so far, not paid off.
Brad Keller, Chris Flexen, or Drew Pomeranz could be given a shot at a rotation spot, replacing Rea and/or Brown.
Then, of course, there’s the trade deadline option. The Cubs could pull themselves through to late July with hopes of targeting a front-of-rotation presence. However, with most every other contending team also looking for pitching, it might be hard to land that big name.
For now, the Cubs will have to make due with what they have and hope for the healthy, successful return of Imanaga and Assad.
Rea returning to April form would also be an absolute godsend.
Chicago Cubs get a strong performance from two of their pitchers
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