Former Cubs pitcher Tyler Chatwood is taking his talents to Japan

There aren’t going to be too many folks upset to hear that Tyler Chatwood, who inked that ill-fated three-year, $38 million with the Chicago Cubs back ahead of the 2018 season, is headed to the Nippon Professional League in Japan to continue his career overseas.

Chatwood didn’t make my recent four worst free agent signings of all-time list (although you can make the case he warrants serious consideration) but no matter how you slice it, his time in Chicago didn’t go well.

His first year with the Cubs was just a disaster – there’s no other way to put it. Despite pitching just once after Aug. 18, the right-hander led Major League Baseball with 95 walks. He limped to a 5.30 ERA and 5.60 FIP with an 1.804 WHIP. Anytime you have a pitcher walk more guys than he strikes out, it’s a problem that’s awfully hard to work around.

Largely out of the bullpen in 2019, the Cubs were able to at least extract some value out of Chatwood. He bounced back nicely, putting up a 118 ERA+ across 76 2/3 innings of work. He also halved his walk rate from the year prior, which allowed him to at least be a serviceable member of the team’s pitching staff.

He quietly closed out his final year with the team during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but it was pretty clear the clock had run out on him in the Windy City. He wound up splitting the 2021 campaign between Toronto and San Francisco and, now, will test his abilities in Japan.

Chicago Cubs: The Tyler Chatwood signing never made a lot of sense

Look. There are guys who come in, underperform and become a drag on the entire clubhouse. Chatwood was never that guy. The contract made more than a few folks scratch their heads before he even threw a pitch with the Cubs – and by the time it ended, very few people could understand why Theo Epstein handed out that kind of a deal to a guy who’d been pretty so-so to that point in his career.

We’re seeing quite a few former MLB players headed to the KBO and NPB this winter, with them seemingly preferring the stability and resolution to all the questions that come with being a free agent to playing the waiting game with the lockout.

Hopefully Chatwood, a guy who’s always showcased good stuff (without much in the form of results) can re-establish himself overseas and potentially make a return to the Show down the road. At just 32, there’s still time for him to turn the narrative around in a big way.