Cubs sign Trevor Williams to one-year deal

After being overshadowed by the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs added to their starting rotation on Saturday.

Remember when little to nothing happened in the NL Central? Yeah, we do too. The Chicago Cubs broke the silence on Thursday after signing pitcher Kohl Stewart to an MLB deal and former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson to a one-year deal on Friday. The spotlight was then swiftly taken away from them by the St. Louis Cardinals, who re-signed veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina, before pulling off the blockbuster trade with the Colorado Rockies for star third baseman Nolan Arenado.

The Cubs didn’t respond with a big splash move of their own following the Arenado trade, but they did add to their starting rotation on Saturday.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Cubs have signed former Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams to a $2.5 million contract. The length of the deal is for one-year, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.

Williams gives Cubs much-needed rotation depth

It came as no surprise that the Cubs weren’t going to be big spenders in free agency. That was proven after the team traded ace and 2020 NL Cy Young finalist Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres with the purpose of get his contract off the books and letting veteran Jon Lester walk to the open market, who went on to sign with the Washington Nationals. Williams gives the Cubs a back of the rotation option for the 2021 season.

Williams had a career-best year in 2018, where he posted a 14-10 record, 3.11 ERA, 1.178 WHIP and one shutout in 31 starts (170.2 innings). The right-hander couldn’t replicate that success in subsequent years. In 2019, Williams carried a bloated 5.38 ERA in 26 starts. 2020 was even worse for him, as he carried a 6.18 ERA and allowed a league-high 15 home runs in 11 starts, resulting in him being designated for assignment at the conclusion of the campaign.

The Cubs are going with the cost-effective strategy for the upcoming season and hope that Williams can return to his 2018 form. Williams could even get an expanded role this season if the Cubs continue to shed salary by trading top pitcher Kyle Hendricks. Either way, Williams has a great opportunity to prove himself in the Windy City.