free agent reliever Phil Marton Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation reports that he is signing with the Cubs. The deal is a two-year deal with a club option for the third year, according to Will Salmon of The Athletic. The team has not yet announced the deal.
Marton split time between the Cardinals and Rangers last season. He joined St. Louis on a one-year, $2 million deal and had a stellar first half of the season. After 38 1/3 innings with a 2.35 ERA, the Cardinals sent him to Texas at the trade deadline for minor league pitchers Mason Molina and Skylar Hales. Mattoon’s ERA rose to 3.52 with his new team, but his strikeout rate improved to 36.7% and he recorded three saves in 23 games.
Chicago will be Marton’s eighth team in 10 major league seasons. He was drafted by the Padres in 2015. Eye-popping strikeout numbers helped the right-hander develop quickly in San Diego’s system and reach the majors in 2017. Mattoon was a solid contributor for the Padres in his first two seasons, although he missed time in 2018 with a strain. After bouncing between the Padres and Triple-A El Paso for half the following year, Marton was traded to Cleveland for cash.
Marton first showed off the swing-and-miss dominance he had shown in the minor leagues against Cleveland. He had a 33.3% strikeout rate in 23 games during the shortened 2020 season, then improved that to 34.3% in the first half of 2021. Marton is on the move again before the 2021 trade deadline to Yana Diaz Fly to Houston Miles Straw. The trade proved to be a huge win for the Astros, even before taking into account Diaz’s contribution. By 2023, Mattoon had a 3.67 ERA in 157 innings with Houston. He performed well in the 2021 playoffs, allowing just one point in 12 games. Marton held serve three times in the playoffs that year, including two in the World Series.
Maton hit the open market after the 2023 season and landed in Tampa Bay on a one-year, $6.5MM deal. He struggled with the Rays and was eventually traded to the Mets in early July. Mattoon posted a 2.51 ERA in 28 2/3 innings in New York, but struggled in the postseason. The veteran allowed six earned runs, including four home runs, in 6 1/3 innings in the postseason.
Velocity isn’t Maton’s strong suit, as his fastball barely tops 90 mph. The veteran found success with his curveball lead and a mix of cutters and sinkers. Marton has used the hook as his primary pitcher in two of the past three seasons. He hit 38.2 percent of his pitches last year and recorded a healthy +10 run average. Last season, Marton’s cutter, curveball and clearing field goal percentages all exceeded 32%.
Mayton excels at limiting hard contact on every stop. Over his career, he has limited hitters to a 29.9 percent hard-hit rate. Last season, Marton ranked in the 98th percentile or better in hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity.
and Brad Keller and Andrew Kitteridge Coming into free agency, Chicago clearly needed to find a right-hander in the back end of the bullpen. Daniel Palencia He could return to closer duties after battling injury late last season, but Marton should be considered with the back end Porter Hodge. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool shows the Cubs’ 2026 payroll to be around $177B. The club’s payroll has been above $200 the past two seasons, so there may be more room in the bullpen. Luke Little and Jordan Weeks There isn’t much major league experience between them, so pursuing a veteran lefty might make sense.
Photos by Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
