TRADE: Cubs & Mariners Swing Deal For ex-All-Star Pitcher

The Chicago Cubs have added a former All-Star left-hander to their bullpen, swinging a trade with the Seattle Mariners for an 11-year veteran who hasn't pitched in the big league in four years. Drew Pomeranz heads to the Windy City.

REPORT: The Cubs are acquiring LHP Drew Pomeranz from the Mariners, per @Ken_Rosenthal. pic.twitter.com/bnGLHA2toK
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 21, 2025

Pomeranz had been pitching with Tacoma in Triple-A, where he has 14 strikeouts against 6 walks, along with a 4.66 ERA in 9 2/3 innings.

As reported by insider Ken Rosenthal, the Mariners needed to make a move with the 36-year-old, or he could have opted out of his contract.

Pomeranz had upward mobility clause. Mariners needed to offer him to every other club. If a team was willing to bring him to the majors, they either had to promote him or trade him there. Pitched for Craig Counsell in Milwaukee in 2019.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 21, 2025

The clause in his contract is called an "upward mobility clause". It means that the Mariners needed to offer him to every other club if they weren't going to promote him to the majors. If another team was willing to activate him in the bigs, the M's would either have to promote him or trade him there.

The Cubs were the team that offered to put Pomeranz in their bullpen. He pitched for manager Craig Counsell when they were both with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019. Pomeranz fared very well for Counsell during that stint, posting a 2.39 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in 26.1 innings. He also had a tremendous 45:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, for a mark of 15.4 K/9.

The last few years have been a struggle with injuries for Pomeranz. After posting a 1.75 ERA in 25 innings with the San Diego Padres in 2021, he underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon. While rehabbing, he suffered a setback that led to another surgery in 2023, and he spent the entirety of 2024 in the minors again.

But he had pitched just 19.1 innings total over the three years from 2022 through 2024, and another 9.2 this year, as noted above. It remains to be seen just how much he can help the Cubs' bullpen, but they were definitely looking for pitching depth, and with their history together, Counsell was willing to give him a shot.

In his 11-year MLB career, Pomeranz has a 3.91 ERA across his 289 appearances (149 starts).