One of the more surprising moves this past trade deadline was the Blue Jays moving on from former top prospect <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pearso000nat">Nate Pearson</a>.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander was highly touted early in his career for his triple-digit fastball and his ability to strike out batters at a high clip with the makeup of potential &#8216;ace&#8217; qualities on the mound. Injuries and inconsistent performances on the mound saw Pearson transition into a reliever over the past couple of seasons and the Jays front office decided to trade him to the Chicago Cubs for two prospect position players.

Pearson isn&#8217;t <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id/23237/nate-pearson">free agent eligible</a> until after the 2026 season and had another MiLB option at his disposal for next season, making the decision of this deal all the more interesting as the Jays didn&#8217;t need to move the right-hander and could have kept using him out of the bullpen this year and next.
<a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/could-blue-jays-nate-pearson-return-to-starting-duty-next-season/">Rumours</a> were floating down that the club might try stretching him out as a starter again this winter, adding some more depth to the starting corps in the farm system that has seen its fair share of arm injuries. That is now no longer an option following the trade, again another point for the &#8216;why did we trade him&#8217; category.
<h2>Nate Pearson finding early success with the Cubs</h2>
Now, with the Cubs, Pearson continues to work out of the bullpen mainly as a middle reliever who can go multiple innings. Of the eight appearances so far with Chicago, Pearson has gone more than one inning on six occasions, pitching in either a mop-up capacity or when the club needed some innings from the relief corps after a rough start. <a href="https://twitter.com/JustBB_Media/status/1818095202239697391">His debut</a> with Chicago was entertaining considering the home run allowed and the subsequent ejection after hitting Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson in the head but the 28-year-old has settled in nicely following the first outing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
In Nate Pearson’s Cubs debut, he gave up a home run to Jeimer Candelario and then immediately drilled Tyler Stephenson in the head on the next pitch
He was then ejected. <a href="https://t.co/pDiagiuG7K">pic.twitter.com/pDiagiuG7K</a>
&mdash; Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustBB_Media/status/1818095202239697391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Through 13 1/3 innings, Pearson owns a 2.70 ERA and has allowed just eight hits and four earned runs while striking out 13 batters. He has seen an early improvement in his command, allowing just two walks (1.35 BB/9) since the trade and has almost halved his H/9 compared to his time with the Blue Jays earlier this season. Opposing batters have also struggled against the Cubbies reliever, authoring just a .161 BABip and a .624 OPS with a .220 OBP mixed in.
The one knock on Pearson is the home runs, as he has given up three home runs since pitching for Chicago, which is the major reason for his earned runs on the board.
For Pearson, the biggest thing for his success moving forward will be consistency, regardless of whatever role he pitches in moving forward. Blue Jays fans are all too fond of the ups and downs that have followed the Florida product since he moved into the relief corps.
For comparison, through a 13-game stretch with the Jays earlier this season (May 22nd to June 22nd), Pearson was pretty much unhittable &#8211; posting a 1.88 ERA while striking out 19 batters through 14 1/3 innings &#8211; before the wheels fell off and he allowed six earned runs over his next three appearances. The biggest difference between these two samples is that with the Cubs, Pearson is finding more success in fewer outings but more innings per appearance given his multi-inning role &#8211; something to note and keep an eye on as he continues to work out of the pen.
After eight years in the Blue Jays organization, Pearson is finishing the campaign with a new club and is finding success out of the gate pitching in the NL Central &#8211; a move that may have been a<a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/former-blue-jays-top-prospect-pearson-thankful-for-change-of-scenery/#:~:text=In%20all%2C%20he%20made%2093,the%20bullpen%2C%E2%80%9D%2"> blessing in disguise</a> for the former top prospect.

One of the more surprising moves this past trade deadline was the Blue Jays moving on from former top prospect <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pearso000nat">Nate Pearson</a>.

The 6-foot-6 right-hander was highly touted early in his career for his triple-digit fastball and his ability to strike out batters at a high clip with the makeup of potential 'ace' qualities on the mound. Injuries and inconsistent performances on the mound saw Pearson transition into a reliever over the past couple of seasons and the Jays front office decided to trade him to the Chicago Cubs for two prospect position players.



Pearson isn't <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id/23237/nate-pearson">free agent eligible</a> until after the 2026 season and had another MiLB option at his disposal for next season, making the decision of this deal all the more interesting as the Jays didn't need to move the right-hander and could have kept using him out of the bullpen this year and next.

<a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/could-blue-jays-nate-pearson-return-to-starting-duty-next-season/">Rumours</a> were floating down that the club might try stretching him out as a starter again this winter, adding some more depth to the starting corps in the farm system that has seen its fair share of arm injuries. That is now no longer an option following the trade, again another point for the 'why did we trade him' category.
<h2>Nate Pearson finding early success with the Cubs</h2>
Now, with the Cubs, Pearson continues to work out of the bullpen mainly as a middle reliever who can go multiple innings. Of the eight appearances so far with Chicago, Pearson has gone more than one inning on six occasions, pitching in either a mop-up capacity or when the club needed some innings from the relief corps after a rough start. <a href="https://twitter.com/JustBB_Media/status/1818095202239697391">His debut</a> with Chicago was entertaining considering the home run allowed and the subsequent ejection after hitting Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson in the head but the 28-year-old has settled in nicely following the first outing.

https://twitter.com/JustBB_Media/status/1818095202239697391

Through 13 1/3 innings, Pearson owns a 2.70 ERA and has allowed just eight hits and four earned runs while striking out 13 batters. He has seen an early improvement in his command, allowing just two walks (1.35 BB/9) since the trade and has almost halved his H/9 compared to his time with the Blue Jays earlier this season. Opposing batters have also struggled against the Cubbies reliever, authoring just a .161 BABip and a .624 OPS with a .220 OBP mixed in.

The one knock on Pearson is the home runs, as he has given up three home runs since pitching for Chicago, which is the major reason for his earned runs on the board.

For Pearson, the biggest thing for his success moving forward will be consistency, regardless of whatever role he pitches in moving forward. Blue Jays fans are all too fond of the ups and downs that have followed the Florida product since he moved into the relief corps.

For comparison, through a 13-game stretch with the Jays earlier this season (May 22nd to June 22nd), Pearson was pretty much unhittable - posting a 1.88 ERA while striking out 19 batters through 14 1/3 innings - before the wheels fell off and he allowed six earned runs over his next three appearances. The biggest difference between these two samples is that with the Cubs, Pearson is finding more success in fewer outings but more innings per appearance given his multi-inning role - something to note and keep an eye on as he continues to work out of the pen.

After eight years in the Blue Jays organization, Pearson is finishing the campaign with a new club and is finding success out of the gate pitching in the NL Central - a move that may have been a<a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/former-blue-jays-top-prospect-pearson-thankful-for-change-of-scenery/#:~:text=In%20all%2C%20he%20made%2093,the%20bullpen%2C%E2%80%9D%2"> blessing in disguise</a> for the former top prospect.

Former Blue Jays reliever Nate Pearson is finding early success out of the Cubs bullpen

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Ernie Clement (22) beats the tag from Athletics second baseman Luis Urias (17) to slide safely to second base on a double during the eighth inning at Rogers Centre.

Recent articles from Tyson Shushkewich

Breaking News