Cubs right-hander Bryse Wison went unclaimed on waivers following his recent DFA, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa, but Wilson has the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency.
The Cubs originally added Wilson via waiver claim from the Phillies, who’d designated him for assignment themselves. He appeared in two games with the Cubs, both of them long relief appearances. The first could scarcely have gone better. The 28-year-old righty held the NL Central-leading Brewers scoreless over 4 1/3 pristine innings, punching out four batters without issuing a walk. Chicago went on to eke out a 4-3 victory. The second appearance played out in near-opposite fashion. Wilson pitched 3 1/3 innings against the Cardinals but was torched for seven runs on eight hits and a walk — although that eventual 17-1 drubbing was already well out of hand by the time he took the mound.
Wilson has pitched in each of the past nine major league seasons. He had a nice run with the 2023-24 Brewers (3.42 ERA in 181 2/3 innings) but has otherwise struggled more often than not. In 470 2/3 innings between Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Chicago (both teams), he’s logged a 4.86 ERA with a well below-average 16.6% strikeout rate. Wilson typically has good command (career 7.4% walk rate) but gives up too much hard contact and is too susceptible to home runs.
While no team was willing to claim the out-of-options Wilson and plug him right onto the big league roster, he could still appeal to teams looking to stockpile bullpen length and/or rotation depth on a minor league deal if he chooses to elect free agency. Wilson does have a solid track record at the Triple-A level, where he’s spent parts of six seasons and logged a 4.21 earned run average in 337 2/3 innings.
