Cubs might solve a lingering issue if this mock draft pick comes true

The Chicago Cubs are expected to add a starting pitcher to their Major League roster before the MLB Trade Deadline, and the team could target a pitching prospect in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. While the Cubs have been linked to college hitters in recent mock drafts, the latest mock draft from Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline has the team adding a pitcher to their array of top prospects.

With the No. 17 selection, Mayo has the Cubs taking right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner. In 14 starts with UC Santa Barbara this season, Bremner posted a 3.49 ERA. It was his first full season as a starting pitcher at the collegiate level, and his scouting report reads as if he is a Ben Brown carbon copy. With a fastball that can approach 98 MPH and a plus changeup, Bremner is fully capable of missing bats. The issue, as outlined in his scouting report on MLB.com, is with his third pitch.

"One of his bigger issues this spring has been that his 86-88 mph slider with gyro-type shape has backed up -- he's struggled to throw it for strikes -- and he’s been more of a two-pitch pitcher," as notated in his scouting report.

Cubs might solve a lingering issue if this mock draft pick comes true

At No. 17, Bremner would be a worthwhile gamble for the Cubs' pitching infrastructure. Especially when you consider Brown's struggles notwithstanding, the success the organization has had with developing pitchers.

Selecting Bremner would also give the Cubs another arm who could be slotted near the top of their prospect rankings. With Cade Horton graduating to the Major League level, Brandon Birdsell and Jaxon Wiggins are the next best pitching prospects in the Cubs' system. Birdsell's 2025 season is on the verge of being wiped away due to injury, leaving Wiggins as the only pitching prospect among the top names of their farm system. As a whole, the Cubs are thin when it comes to pitching prospects throughout their entire organization.

The Cubs have leaned toward college bats in recent drafts, but short of a college bat falling to them, it would make sense for the Cubs to address pitching with their first-round pick.

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