After finishing with 83 wins in each of the past two seasons, the Chicago Cubs made several offseason adjustments heading into this year — and they paid off. Chicago posted 92 victories and reached the postseason for the first time in a full 162-game schedule since 2018, making it to the National League Division Series before being eliminated in five games by the 97-win Milwaukee Brewers.
Now only a couple of weeks into the 2025–26 offseason, the Cubs are already signaling that they intend to stay active. No major moves are expected before the winter meetings, scheduled for Dec. 7–10 in Orlando, Florida, but the team has already begun making smaller, longer-term additions. One such move came Thursday, when the Cubs reached an agreement with Sam Mettert, an undrafted pitcher who graduated from St. John’s earlier this year, as reported by Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com.
Mettert, a 22-year-old right-hander, continued developing his skills at Tread Athletics — a training organization that offers both remote and in-person coaching. The Cubs have increasingly scouted players at Tread’s facilities, and Mettert becomes the sixth pitcher they’ve signed from the program on a minor-league deal. Standing 6’5″ and weighing 225 pounds, he impressed evaluators with a fastball that recently touched 98.5 mph at Tread.
His college numbers at St. John’s were less eye-catching: over 47⅔ innings across 39 relief appearances, he recorded a 7.17 ERA and 33 walks, though he did tally 51 strikeouts. He also pitched in the Cape Cod League for the Wareham Gatemen, logging a 4.50 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 11 innings.
According to Cubs HQ, Mettert hadn’t been fully committed to pursuing a professional baseball career and had planned to begin graduate school — until the Cubs’ offer redirected him toward pro ball.
