{"id":149289,"date":"2026-02-05T15:05:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289"},"modified":"2026-02-05T15:05:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:05:29","slug":"cubs-curse-breaking-savior-arrives-or-another-heartbreaking-bust-epic-trade-snags-phillies-battle-tested-veteran-ace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289","title":{"rendered":"CUBS&#8217; CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies&#8217; Battle-Tested Veteran Ace!"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Cubs Acquire 9-Year Veteran, Longtime Phillies Starter<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-1327905724.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=88\" alt=\"Cubs Acquire 9-Year Veteran, Longtime Phillies Starter\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Cubs are starting to develop a reputation for sparking career turnarounds with veteran pitchers.<\/p>\n<p>After Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz broke out in the Cubs\u2019 bullpen last year, a large group of veterans is joining Chicago\u2019s spring training in hopes of discovering a new secret formula. On Tuesday, a nine-year veteran whose last major league outing came in 2023 joined that crew.<\/p>\n<p>According to the official transactions log, the Cubs signed 33-year-old Vince Velasquez to a minor-league contract on Tuesday. Chicago has not updated its official list of non-roster invitees, but Velasquez should be a part of the proceedings at major league camp in Arizona starting next week.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.bleedcubbieblue.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2026\/01\/gettyimages-2255802679.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0.007055171440669%2C0%2C99.985889657119%2C100&amp;w=2400\" alt=\"Jed Hoyer, Carter Hawkins and Craig Counsell kicked off Day 2 of Cubs  Convention | Bleed Cubbie Blue\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Most baseball fans likely recognize Velasquez from his time in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform. The right-hander made 133 appearances in a Phillies uniform from 2016 to 2021, including 116 starts. He had a 4.93 ERA on the whole, but struck out 642 batters in 582 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n<p>After brief stints for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates, Velasquez underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2023. He missed the 2024 campaign, then returned last year to pitch for the Cleveland Guardians\u2019 Triple-A affiliate, then the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve never seen Velasquez consistently get batters out at the major league level, but the fact that he\u2019s consistently put up high strikeout totals makes him an interesting bullpen candidate.<\/p>\n<p>The Cubs are also bringing former major leaguers Trent Thornton, Collin Snider, and Corbin Martin to camp on non-roster invites, so there will be a lot of healthy competition going on for the final few spots in the bullpen.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cubs Acquire 9-Year Veteran, Longtime Phillies Starter The Chicago Cubs are starting to develop a reputation for sparking career turnarounds with veteran pitchers. After Brad Keller and&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CUBS&#039; CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies&#039; Battle-Tested Veteran Ace! - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CUBS&#039; CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies&#039; Battle-Tested Veteran Ace! - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cubs Acquire 9-Year Veteran, Longtime Phillies Starter The Chicago Cubs are starting to develop a reputation for sparking career turnarounds with veteran pitchers. After Brad Keller and...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-05T15:05:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-51.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289\",\"name\":\"CUBS' CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies' Battle-Tested Veteran Ace! - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-51.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-05T15:05:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-05T15:05:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-51.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-51.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CUBS&#8217; CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies&#8217; Battle-Tested Veteran Ace!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\",\"name\":\"XuanTan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"XuanTan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CUBS' CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies' Battle-Tested Veteran Ace! - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"CUBS' CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies' Battle-Tested Veteran Ace! - NEWS USA","og_description":"Cubs Acquire 9-Year Veteran, Longtime Phillies Starter The Chicago Cubs are starting to develop a reputation for sparking career turnarounds with veteran pitchers. After Brad Keller and...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-02-05T15:05:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-51.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"XuanTan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"XuanTan","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289","name":"CUBS' CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies' Battle-Tested Veteran Ace! - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-51.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-05T15:05:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-05T15:05:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-51.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-51.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=149289#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CUBS&#8217; CURSE-BREAKING SAVIOR ARRIVES\u2014OR ANOTHER HEARTBREAKING BUST? Epic Trade Snags Phillies&#8217; Battle-Tested Veteran Ace!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06","name":"XuanTan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"XuanTan"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=149289"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149291,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149289\/revisions\/149291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/149290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=149289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=149289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=149289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}