Ex-Brewers Hurler Off To Scorching Hot Start With Cubs

The Milwaukee Brewers opted to not bring back a starting pitcher from the last few years this past offseason.

Colin Rea was a solid piece for Milwaukee over the last few years. He signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee in 2021 but only made one appearance with the club that year before going to pitch in Japan for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2022.

Milwaukee brought him back for the 2023 season and he played a significantly bigger role. He made 22 starts and had a 4.55 ERA overall in total 26 appearances. He was better in 2024 as he logged a 4.29 ERA across 32 total appearance -- including 27 starts. He was a solid piece for the team, but Milwaukee opted to move on and declined his option for the 2025 season.

Former Brewers manager Craig Counsell and the Chicago Cubs opted to bring him to town and he has been great for them. So far this season, Rea has appeared in eight games overall for the Cubs, including five starts, and has a 2.43 ERA, 2-0 record, and 25-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29 2/3 innings pitched.

He allowed just two earned runs across his first six outings while logging a 19-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 2/3 innings pitched. Rea allowed six earned runs over his last two appearances over 11 innings pitched.

There's no way to predict that he was going to have a turnaround like this in 2025, but hopefully he can keep it up.