Cubs To Sign Ben Heller To Minors Contract

The Cubs are signing Ben Heller to a minor league contract, reports Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The right-hander is represented by Onyx Sports Management.

Heller, 33, was a 22nd-round draft pick in 2013, signing with Cleveland for a mere $2,500 bonus. However, he quickly began turning heads with his high-velocity fastball. From 2013-16, he moved up the ranks of Cleveland’s farm system from Low-A to Triple-A, pitching to a 2.77 ERA and 2.58 FIP. In 172 1/3 innings, he gave up just six home runs while striking out more than 30% of the batters he faced. All the more impressive, those numbers aren’t inflated by a dominant performance at the lower levels. He pitched to a 0.81 ERA and 1.59 FIP in 22 1/3 innings at Double-A Akron and a 2.49 ERA and 3.01 FIP in 25 1/3 innings at Triple-A Columbus.

Due to his age (he was approaching 25 by the time he was promoted to Triple-A) and the fact that he was always a reliever, Heller rarely earned much attention from prospect evaluators. However, he started to generate some buzz when he was included in the package Cleveland sent to the Yankees to acquire Andrew Miller at the 2016 trade deadline. Heller made his MLB debut for New York later that year. Unfortunately, his results were poor for just about the first time in his pro career. Over 10 appearances, he gave up five runs on 11 hits in seven innings, striking out six, walking four, and hitting two batters.

Despite his poor debut with the big league squad, Heller continued to thrive at Triple-A in his new organization. He put up a 2.73 ERA and 2.97 FIP in 62 2/3 innings for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders from 2016-17. Even better, he looked more effective in a handful of appearances in the majors in 2017, tossing 11 frames and giving up just one run.

Sadly, Heller lost almost all of his 2018 and ’19 seasons to Tommy John surgery. Since then, he has struggled to find consistent success. He made just six appearances in 2020, and the Yankees released him the following offseason. The Diamondbacks signed him to a minor league contract not long after, but a stress fracture in his elbow kept him out for the entire 2021 campaign.

Since then, he has bounced between the Twins, Rays, Braves, and Pirates organizations. He has a 6.75 ERA in 30 2/3 MLB innings for Atlanta and Pittsburgh and a 3.78 ERA in 78 2/3 innings at Triple-A. He has continued to generate high strikeout rates in the minors, but control issues have plagued him in the big leagues. Of the 148 MLB batters he’s faced over the past two years, 16.9% have reached on either a walk or a hit-by-pitch. What’s more, arm injuries were a problem again in 2024; Heller landed on the IL at the end of August with right shoulder inflammation and did not return.

At the end of the day, Heller is a no-risk, high-reward signing for the Cubs. His four-seam fastball averaged 96.3 mph in 2024 and topped out at 98 mph, while his sinker averaged 95.3 mph and topped out at 97 mph. He also throws a changeup, a cutter, a slider, and a sweeper. That’s an unusually deep arsenal for a reliever, which gives the Cubs plenty to work with if they want to adjust his pitch mix. Presumably, Heller will compete for a spot in Chicago’s bullpen during spring training.