This former Cubs pitcher looks like a revenge candidate after joining the Brewers

This just feels like it's going to end poorly for the Cubs. A staple in the Chicago bullpen in 2023 who battled injuries last year and was ineffective early on this season, Julian Merryweather has latched on with the division rival Milwaukee Brewers via a minor league deal.

The Cubs designated Merryweather for assignment and released him back in May after he got off to a rough start: a 5.79 ERA and 1.821 WHIP in 21 appearances. The veteran latched on with the Mets from there, signing a minor league deal, but never cracked the 26-man roster, pitching just a dozen innings of 4.50 ERA ball that comes with an impressive 28.8 percent strikeout rate.

It's usually feast or famine when it comes to Julian Merryweather

The strikeout rate is intriguing and is likely part of the reason the Brewers took a flyer on him. However, it was accompanied by what has long plagued the 33-year-old: an unsightly walk rate (17.3 percent). Control woes (and injuries) have been major thorns in the side of Merryweather, but as we saw two years ago, when he puts it all together, he can be a very effective reliever.

In 2023, he was a go-to guy for manager David Ross, making 69 appearances and averaging more than a dozen strikeouts per nine on the year. That year, he ranked near the top of the league in both strikeout rate and whiff rate - showcasing some elite swing-and-miss stuff. Chicago hoped he'd come back from an injury-shortened 2024 campaign to be that guy again this year, but that's not how things have played out.

But given how the Brewers' season has gone to this point, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he puts on that uniform and catches lightning in a bottle, looking like a future Hall of Famer. Milwaukee pulled off another unbelievable win on Friday, winning their sixth straight game and pushing their lead in the NL Central to five games - so Merryweather returning to form would just be salt in the wound for a Cubs team desperate for answers.