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After signing a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs earlier this season, veteran starting pitcher Spencer Turnbull has opted out of his agreement with the team and has elected free agency. Despite the injuries the Cubs have had on their pitching staff in recent months, there never appeared to be much of an inclination from the front office to give Turnbull a shot at the Major League level.
It was a disastrous start to the 2025 season for Turnbull, posting an ERA of 7.11 through 3 appearances. The struggles came after Turnbull found some success working as a swing-man for the Philadelphia Phillies last season.
Unfortunately, that success didn't return for Turnbull during his minor-league run with the Iowa Cubs. In 24 and 2/3 innings pitched with the I-Cubs, Turnbull had an ERA of 9.49 while only striking out 19 percent of the hitters he faced.
Even with recent injuries to Jameson Taillon, the Cubs appeared more inclined to complete the back-and-forth with Javier Assad than add Turnbull to the 40-man roster. Given the struggles that the veteran starting pitcher had in Iowa, it's hard to argue with that logic.
Cubs vet quietly dumped with zero path back to bigs
There likely will be a flurry of this type of move across Major League Baseball this weekend. Veterans like Turnbull will be looking to sign with a team before September 1, as they would retain eligibility to be on a team's postseason roster. Not that there will be many teams lining up to bring in a veteran who has struggled to get outs at every stop he's been at this season.
While Turnbull is out the door, it wouldn't be a complete surprise if the Cubs add another veteran pitcher as depth before the beginning of September. Andrew Heaney was recently designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Cubs have long been interested in his profile. Heaney struggled this season with the Pirates, but could still be depth to get the Cubs to the end of the season.