When the Chicago Cubs sign pitchers to minor league deals this time of year, they usually fit neatly into one of two buckets: a big league reclamation project (recent example: Trent Thornton), or a prospect/development play (recent example: Tyler Ras).
The latest minor league pitcher signing, however, is a bit of a mix of both:
Check out his Live AB at Tread's Pro Day ? pic.twitter.com/GF1IKQQyx0
— Tread Athletics (@TreadHQ) January 16, 2026On the one hand, Charlie Barnes is a 30-year-old left-handed starting pitcher who has appeared in the big leagues before. On the other hand, Barnes hasn’t pitched in the big leagues in five years, most of which were spent in Korea. Although you might be signing him as big league starting depth or a potential big league reliever conversion, the lack of recent time in MLB, paired with a rough go at Triple-A for the Reds in half a season last year, make this feel like something more of a development play. After all, if you can help Barnes make something work, he’d be up in the big leagues as, essentially, a rookie. Older than a typical rookie? More experienced than a typical rookie? Yes and yes.
Barnes had pitched exceedingly well in Korea from 2022-2024, before a rough go in 2025 that preceded the return to the States and a partial season starting for the Reds’ Triple-A club. This time around, he’ll open the year in the States, and get a full Spring Training with the Cubs – something he hasn’t had with an MLB team since 2021.
(via FanGraphs)It’s TBD whether the Cubs will keep Barnes starting or if this is an attempt at being the first MLB organization to see how the 6’2″, 190 lbs lefty would play in relief. You can see in the video that he was sitting around 90 mph at the pro day (at Tread Athletics, naturally), though he throws a diverse group of pitches beyond that fastball.
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