Cubs signing lefty pitcher Thomas Pannone |
As we inch closer to the Holiday season, the best Christmas gift Cubs fans could ask for is for the Cubs to be aggressive and start making some moves. Here we are now, roughly two months into the offseason, and apart from Craig Counsell, the Cubs haven't done anything to their major league roster.
To go further, they have only made minor league moves as they continued to add depth to their minor league system. I'm sorry that the trend continued on Monday as the Cubs added Thomas Pannone to their minor league roster with an invite to spring training. Once again, this isn't the signing anyone was hoping for, but it is a signing nonetheless, which proves the front office at least has a slight pulse this offseason. This time, it is left-hander Thomas Pannone coming to the Cubs minor league system as he will be the newest bullpen arm added to the pipeline. While most fans will hate this signing, you can't help but notice the track record for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs over the past two seasons. These are the types of signings he has known for the past few years; more often than not, at least one or two pan out in his favor. That is the goal when making pickups like this, as you can never have enough arms at your disposal in case injuries happen. Pannone is 29 years old and came up through the Cleveland Guardians system. Given that is where Carter Hawkins spent his time before joining the Cubs, it makes you wonder if he had some background insight on the left-hander to make it easier for Hoyer to pull the trigger. Pannone has been around the game for a decade and was a ninth-round pick in the 2013 draft. That was when Hawkins was a scout for their organization, and at one point, Pannone proved his worth by reaching the top 20 prospect list in the Guardians organization. After spending four seasons in the Guardians organization, Pannone was traded at the 2017 Trade Deadline to the Blue Jays in a deal for reliever Joe Smith (whom you may remember from his time on the 2016 Cubs). From there, Pannone worked his way to the big leagues with the Blue Jays as a starter, saw mixed results, and was eventually converted to the bullpen. When you look at his numbers in the bigs, Pannone had issues as he appeared in 50 games, with 13 coming as starts. He went 7-7 in those games, but with a 5.46 ERA and a 47BB/102K ratio, he left a lot to be desired. On the other hand, his minor league numbers were much more consistent as he made 168 appearances across 10 seasons, with 133 coming as starts. His record was a solid 46-34, while the 4.39 ERA was sometimes hit or miss. The one thing that stood out for him in the minors, as opposed to the bigs, was his command, as he had fewer than 280 walks and more than 700 punchouts at the minor league level. The success at the MILB level didn't translate into MLB success, so Pannone did what many pitchers in the game do: head to Korea to try and revitalize his career. In two seasons in the KBO, Pannone showed a lot of great things, going 9-7 with a 3.49 ERA. The 47BB/139K was also a good sign, as his command was starting to get back to the level he was familiar with. Not only is Hawkins familiar with him, but so is Counsell, as Pannone was in the Brewers organization for parts of 2023 and made one big league appearance. No one expects much from Pannone this season, but you at least have to look at what he did in the KBO and think about it. He does have some good tools in his repertoire, but whether he can put them together is the next question. This is the type of player that the Cubs look to sign and try for some improvement. Perhaps this is one of those deals to add a lefty to the pen as a potential fill-in guy should they need one. You also have to look at the possibility of him being added to the roster as a starting depth and getting a chance to start some games for Iowa this season. It's always good to have fill-in options throughout your organization, and the Cubs must see something in him that no one else does to be worth giving a shot to.
