Before the Chicago Cubs signed veteran lefty Hoby Milner to a one-year deal the team added the most hated type of free agent. Former Seattle Mariners reliever Collin Snider shouldn't take it personally because every fan base can't wait to furiously type out "bargain bin" or "dumpster diving" when their team signs a player to a minor league deal. Happens every year on every team.
Will Snider put it together again after a down 2025 season? Who knows, but the Cubs pitch lab has a new project to work on as the 30-year-old has agreed to a minor league contract. The big takeaway from this specific signing is that Snider has been working with Tread Athletics, the same organization associated with Cubs pitching guru Tyler Zombro, who was recently promoted by the Cubs.
Snider broke into the majors with the Kansas City Royals, but never got much traction as the right-handed pitcher posted a 5.93 ERA in 54.2 innings between 2022-23. Then, he started to train at Tread Athletics with Zombro and Snider came out as a brand new pitcher in 2024.
The Mariners claimed Snider off waivers a couple weeks before the start of spring training and the righty earned a spot on Seattle's Opening Day roster. A knee injury in April derailed Snider's momentum in 2024, but after a stint on the injured list and a few months at Triple-A, Snider returned in June and was spectacular. He ended the season with a 1.94 ERA in 41.2 innings and had a 27.8 K%.
Of course, there's a reason Snider is now signing a minor league deal. He was really bad in 2025, as the Mariners eventually saw enough and demoted him to Triple-A. Snider finished the year with a 5.47 ERA in 26.1 innings with Seattle.
So, what does Snider need to work on? It may seem simple enough, but he has to get his velocity back. After having an average fastball velocity of 95.9mph and 94.2mph in 2023 and 2024 respectively, Snider's velocity declined to 92.6mph in 2025. His strikeout rate was below average and Snider was also getting crushed, posting a 47.1 hard hit%.
Are the Cubs going into spring training next year counting on Snider to be a key pitcher in the bullpen? No. Yet, you take chances on these guys because once in a while you get a Brad Keller, Mark Leiter Jr., Julian Merryweather, pitchers that can suddenly pop for a period of time and become important.
If not, oh well. You get someone better.
