The Cubs continue their aggressive search for pitching depth, adding a control-specialist lefty. While lacking velocity, his pinpoint accuracy provides a safety net for an injury-depleted roster.
The Chicago Cubs have signed another pitcher in free agency.
The Cubs have reportedly signed left-handed pitcher Josh Fleming to a Minor League deal. Fleming was released by the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday and quickly found a new home just a few days later.
It seems like the Cubs are signing a new pitcher almost every week. They have signed Liam Hendriks, Aaron Bummer, Drew Pomeranz, Jake Woodford, and now Fleming over the past few months.
Fleming is an interesting pickup by the North Siders because he hasn’t thrown many innings in the big leagues over the last few years. He spent the entire 2025 season in the minors and only appeared in one game for the Blue Jays this year.
That one appearance with Toronto came all the way back on April 6 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fleming allowed four earned runs on six hits with two walks and one strikeout across three innings in that outing.
Outside of that relief appearance earlier this year, the 30-year-old has spent the majority of the season pitching down in the minors. His numbers at Triple-A Buffalo were solid on paper. He had a 3.08 ERA, 1.212 WHIP, and 51 strikeouts across 13 appearances (12 starts) for the Bisons before being released over the weekend.
One thing about Fleming is that he will throw strikes. He had a 4.2% walk rate, a 66% strike rate, and a 50.6% zone rate across 64 ⅓ innings pitched at Triple-A this season. All three of those metrics rank in the top 20% of the league.
However, this signing seems to be just a pure depth move for the minors.
Fleming likely won’t contribute much in the majors unless the Cubs really need him. His average fastball velocity sits at just 88.9 mph, and the left-hander has a poor 19% whiff rate and 19.2% strikeout rate in the minors this season.
The veteran doesn’t throw hard, doesn’t miss many bats, and has never really been a quality big leaguer in his career. He has a career 4.86 ERA across 257 ⅔ innings and has thrown more than 55 innings in a season just once (2021).
Fleming will give the Cubs some much-needed pitcher depth in Triple-A. They definitely need some healthy arms in the organization since the team currently has 12 pitchers on the injured list.
This isn't a signing to get totally excited about. He is a heavy groundball pitcher who doesn't strike out many batters. Fleming had just an 11.9% strikeout rate and a 16.5% whiff rate in the minors last year.
Cubs fans shouldn’t expect much from Fleming if he ever gets his shot in the big leagues again.
