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Last year, Craig Counsell sent shockwaves through the industry when he left the Milwaukee Brewers in favor of their division rival, the Cubs. Year one of that resulted in an 83-win campaign, but Counsell and his new squad were left looking up in the standings at his previous employer.
In October of 2024, the Cubs also swiped Quintin Berry out from under the Brewers, signing him to their 2025 coaching staff. He'll be Chicago's third base coach in the upcoming campaign.
As the 2024-25 offseason marches on, nearly every single one of the Brewers' top free agents (excluding Wade Miley, who will be back any day now) have found new homes on the open market. The most recent one, Colin Rea, is heading south to join Counsell on those very same Cubs.
Free agent right-hander Colin Rea and the #Cubs have agreed to a one-year, $5MM deal, I’m told.
— Steve Adams (@Adams_Steve) January 10, 2025
It took a bit for Rea to find his next home this winter, but it's far from a surprise to see him get a guaranteed big-league contract. The right-hander just made the most starts and pitched in the most innings of his career that dates back to the 2015 season, and while he didn't exactly light the world on fire with any of his regular-season numbers, he still established himself as a serviceable starting pitcher.
Colin Rea is the latest ex-Brewer to join the Cubs
Rea, 34, is coming off of his best season as a big leaguer. Across 27 starts (and five relief appearances), he went 12-6 with a 4.29 ERA, 4.75 FIP and 98 ERA+. He stayed true to his reputation as a groundball pitcher, striking out just 7.2 batters per nine innings, but he set career-highs in nearly every other major category.
A potential reunion between Rea and the Brewers felt like a possibility this offseason, even after they elected to non-tender him just a few months ago. Instead, he'll jump ship and head to a rival.
It remains to be seen just how Chicago plans on using Rea, but it wouldn't be shocking to see him fill a spot in their starting rotation. However, it's worth noting that at this moment, FanGraphs' Roster Resource projects he'll be their sixth starter, so he may fill more of a swingman role if anything in 2025.