Nate

Pearson

The umps decided it was intentional since Jeimer Candelario had just homered in the previous at-bat. That seemed like a stretch from here, but oh well. Stephenson was fine, fortunately, and he remained in the game. Pearson was making his Cubs debut after being acquired Saturday.

The trade is now official. The quintessential modern-era “does not work, but could be fun to fix” meme personified as a change of scenery reclamation project, Pearson will at a bare minimum provide a lift to Chicago’s relief corps moving forward since he won’t reach free agency until after the 2026 season. The 27-year-old former top pitching prospect boasts a lackluster 5.63 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 51/17 K/BB ratio across 40 innings (41 appearances) this season, but is absolutely talented enough to make an impact at the highest level for Chicago over the next few years. His career played out vastly different relative to scouts and evaluators lofty expectations, but he’ll continue to get opportunities over the next few years because of that prospect pedigree.

If there was any doubt the Blue Jays were going to be sellers at next week’s trade deadline, this represents the latest indication that they’re headed for a full-scale teardown. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Arden Zwelling report a pair of prospect — infielder Josh Rivera and outfielder Yohendrick Pinango — are heading back to Toronto. It’s a solid acquisition for the Cubs since Pearson has a few years left before reaching free agency and should help bolster their high-leverage mix. The 27-year-old former top pitching prospect never quite blossomed into the elite fantasy starter many envisioned, but he’s made an impact as a solid reliever the last few years.

Garcia is expected to undergo additional testing after being removed from a save situation with two outs in the ninth inning of Sunday’s win, which was eventually closed out by Nate Pearson. It’s unclear where Toronto manager John Schneider will turn for saves moving forward, with veteran stopper Jordan Romano (elbow) still on the injured list, but veteran Chad Green would presumably be the add in all fantasy formats here. It’s possible Pearson will get a look as well given his raw stuff.

We’ll have more when there’s an update on Garcia’s status. He left the mound with trainers with two men on and two outs in the ninth inning. Nate Pearson got the final out to earn his second save of the year. It’s unclear what the timetable could be for Garcia, who seemed to have a grip on the closer’s role in Toronto with Jordan Romano (elbow) out.

The 27-year-old right-hander took the place of the injured Chad Green (shoulder) in the Blue Jays’ bullpen prior to Friday’s game against the Padres. Pearson has already made six appearances out of the team’s bullpen this season, firing 6 1/3 innings of shutout baseball with a 1.11 WHIP and a 9/3 K/BB ratio. He’ll continue to give manager John Schneider another strong option in the middle innings.

Pearson heads back to the minors with Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano back on the active roster. The 27-year-old didn’t allow a run in his 6 1/3 innings and posted a 9/3 K/BB ratio. He’ll be one of the first guys to come back to the active roster if there are any injuries to Toronto’s bullpen.

Not great. Pearson has been working on a splitter this spring, but he used it just once in today’s 26-pitch outing. He has one more option year remaining, making him an underdog to claim a spot in Toronto’s pen.

Walker also indicated that the new offering is a work in progress, so it remains to be seen if the new pitch will be used in regular-season games this season. The former top prospect split the 2023 campaign between Triple-A and the majors, posting a 4.85 ERA and 1.27 WHIP while with the Blue Jays. Pearson is competing with righty Génesis Cabrera for a spot in Toronto’s bullpen this spring.

Pearson heads back to the minors with Toronto bringing up a fresh bullpen arm ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Yankees.