Cubs exploit Craig Counsell's long-standing ties with sneaky minor-league signing

The Chicago Cubs snuck in a very under-the-radar minor league signing this week, bringing him veteran right-hander Adrian Houser and assigning him to Triple-A Iowa, where he tossed 2 2/3 innings in his first start with the organization.

If the name rings a bell, it's because Houser pitched for the division rival Milwaukee Brewers from 2015 to 2023 before joining the New York Mets this year. That gives him an obvious connection to current Cubs skipper Craig Counsell, who managed Milwaukee that entire time before coming to Chicago in a shocking move last fall.

Houser was always a steady middle-of-the-rotation presence with the Brewers, taking the ball 129 times over parts of seven seasons, including 97 starts. Never a big strikeout guy, he's always focused on keeping the ball on the ground and, despite a rocky start to the 2024 campaign in Queens, he's continued to do that - evidenced by a well above-average ground ball rate.

Cubs have little to lose in bringing in Adrian Houser on MiLB deal

Opening the year in the rotation to less-than-stellar numbers, Houser shifted to the Mets bullpen and was far more effective in a relief role. But given his first appearance at Iowa comes as a starter, it seems safe to say the Cubs want to make sure he's stretched out for spot starts if needed. Given how his time with New York ended, Chicago is only on the hook for a prorated portion of the league minimum, making this a very low-risk move.

The hope is that reunited with Counsell, Houser can get back to what he did earlier in his career. It was just three years ago that he turned in a career 3.22 ERA in a personal-high 142 1/3 innings of work. That's valuable depth to have, even with the Cubs' rotation being a major point of strength.