Chicago Cubs sign former Toronto Blue Jays first round draft pick

Ari Alexander of 7News Boston has reported that the North Siders have added right-handed pitcher Tyler Beede on a minor league deal.

Now 33 years old, Beede has had a very unusual and circuitous route in his major league career.

Older fans of the Toronto Blue Jays may remember that the organization selected Beede as the 21st overall pick in the 1st round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Beede however, chose not not sign, forgoing a $2.5 MM signing bonus to attend Vanderbilt University, where he became a standout pitcher.

Three years later, he was again a first-round pick, this time by the San Francisco Giants, who selected him 14th overall. He ended up signing for just over $2.6MM, slightly higher than what the Blue Jays offered him three years previously.

He finally made his major league debut with the Giants in 2018 and had a decent couple of years before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020. After another couple of seasons in the bay area, he was designated for assignment partway through the 2022 season.

After a subpar year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Beede ended up in Japan, where he went 0-6 with 3.99 ERA with the Yomiuri Giants. He returned stateside in 2024, struggling to an 8.36 ERA with the Cleveland Guardians.

While he spent 2025 in the Minnesota Twins organization, he has not appeared in a major league game since.

Like most minor league contracts signed during this part of the offseason, Beede's includes an invite to Spring Training.

While he has experience in the rotation, if he makes the team, he likely figures to be a factor out of the bullpen.

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