Cubs Claim Julian Aguiar

The Cubs have claimed right-hander Julian Aguiar off waivers, according to the Reds.  There hadn’t been any indication that Aguiar had been designated for assignment, but he’ll now look to continue his career with one of Cincinnati’s division rivals.  A corresponding move will need to be made since Chicago has a full 40-man roster.

Selected in the 12th round of the 2021 draft, Aguiar made his big league debut with the Reds in 2024 and posted a 6.25 ERA over seven starts and 31 2/3 innings.  An elbow sprain that September led to a Tommy John surgery, and Aguiar missed the entire 2025 season while rehabbing.  More injury problems led to some stops and starts to Aguiar’s 2026 campaign, limiting him to 58 minor league innings before he finally made his return to the Show last week.  Aguiar was charged with two earned runs in three innings of relief in the Reds’ 6-4 win over the Cubs on September 18, and he was optioned back to Triple-A the day after that cup-of-coffee outing.

Aguiar isn’t eligible for the Cubs’ postseason roster, so this claim may have just been made with an eye towards picking up some pitching depth for 2027.  It is possible Aguiar might get into Chicago’s season finale tomorrow, as the Cubs face the Red Sox at (of all places) Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the team might prefer to rest its more established pitchers heading into the playoffs.

Aguiar’s 6.23 ERA over 34 2/3 career MLB innings isn’t much of a sample size, but he did post considerably better numbers in the lower levels of Cincinnati’s farm system.  The jump up to Triple-A didn’t go as smoothly, as the right-hander has a 5.34 ERA, 20.88% strikeout rate, and 10.9% walk rate in 94 1/3 innings at the top rung of the minor league ladder.  That time in Triple-A was split almost equally before and after Aguiar’s Tommy John procedure, with the better numbers coming before his surgery.

It could be that Aguiar needed 2026 to shake off the post-surgery rust, and he can return to his past form if fully healthy next year.  Aguiar has started 87 of his 101 career games, so assuming this isn’t just a short-term pick-up, he can provide the Cubs with a depth option for their Triple-A rotation, or he might garner some consideration for a long relief job in the big league bullpen.