Chicago Cubs Give Veteran Relief Pitcher Another Look After His Season-Ending Surgery

Almonte, 30, made his major league debut on June 21, 2018, with the Rockies and spent his first four seasons in Colorado. Before the 2022 season, he signed a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who traded him to the Cubs along with infielder Michael Busch for outfielder Zyhir Hope, ranked by Baseball America this season as the No. 51 prospect in baseball, and left-hander Jackson Ferris, who is No. 82 on the same list.

Almonte made 17 relief appearances with the Cubs in 2024, finishing 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA and one save. He threw just 15.2 innings, with his final appearance coming May 7 before he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in July.

The 6-foot-5 pitcher has a career record of 8-6 with three saves and a 4.44 ERA in 213 career relief appearances. He has totaled 223 innings pitched with 215 strikeouts and 95 walks for a 2.26 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He is at least the fifth pitcher with MLB service time signed to a minor league contract, joining Phil Bickford, Ben Heller, Brandon Hughes and Trevor Richards.

The team also brought in veteran relievers Ryan Brasier, Ryan Pressly and Caleb Thielbar in the offseason.

The Cubs are coming off of consecutive 83-79 seasons and have not made the postseason since 2020. They open the regular season on March 18 in Tokyo with a two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodges and will make their domestic season debut on March 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.