Cubs bolster bullpen depth with Trent Thornton, a comeback candidate recovering from Achilles surgery, eyeing a strong return.
It has been a busy offseason for the Chicago Cubs.
They have signed Alex Bregman, traded for Edward Cabrera, and have been extremely active in revamping their bullpen. Chicago has signed Phil Maton, Jacob Webb, Hoby Milner, Caleb Thielbar, and Hunter Harvey in free agency this offseason.
Despite all those additions, the Cubs aren’t done adding to their bullpen.
According to Tread Athletics, the North Siders have agreed to a Minor League deal with right-hander Trent Thornton. Thornton spent the last 2 ½ seasons with the Seattle Mariners, where he had a 3.65 ERA and 130 strikeouts across 140 ⅔ innings pitched.
Last season, Thornton was a bit up-and-down in Seattle’s bullpen. He had a 4.68 ERA in 33 games before suffering a torn left Achilles tendon injury on July 31 that effectively ended his 2025 campaign.
However, before that season-ending Achilles injury, the 32-year-old was starting to get into a groove on the mound. Thornton had a 2.28 ERA and 20 strikeouts over his final 15 appearances from June 16 to July 31.
Now, the biggest question mark surrounding Thornton is how he recovers from that Achilles tear. He is almost six months removed from that injury and faces an uphill battle to be ready for the start of the season.
The timeline for returning to play after an Achilles rupture is typically nine to 12 months. If Thornton is on the short end of that recovery timeline, the nine months would put him right around the end of March.
The good news for the veteran is that it appears he is ahead of schedule with his rehab. Tread Athletics uploaded a video of Thornton throwing a bullpen, and the right-hander looked solid on the mound.
Even though the Cubs signed Thornton to a Minor League deal on Monday, he has the potential to be a part of Chicago’s bullpen in 2026. He has an interesting eight-pitch mix and is just two years removed from a strong all-around campaign.
In his last full season in the Majors, the right-hander finished with a 3.61 ERA, a 1.134 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts across 72 ⅓ innings pitched. He became a reliable bullpen arm for the Mariners during that 2024 season and established himself as a setup man.
Assuming he continues to recover well from his Achilles injury, Thornton could be a part of the Cubs’ bullpen this upcoming season. The front office has done a good job of finding diamonds in the rough at the reliever position in recent years.