Wait, Cubs Signed Former Brewers RHP Adrian Houser?

In news that went more or less unnoticed, the Cubs have signed former Brewers and Mets righty Adrian Houser. That information has not yet reached his FanGraphs page, even though Houser was assigned to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs and even pitched 2.2 innings for them on Tuesday. He struck out three and allowed two earned runs on four hits in his first action since being released by the Mets in late July.

Originally drafted by the Astros with the 69th overall selection in the 2011 draft, Houser was traded to Milwaukee in 2015 as part of the deal for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers. For what it’s worth, Josh Hader also went to the Brewers in that trade. Working mainly as a back-end starter, Houser put up decent numbers even though he exceeded 111.1 innings only once (142.1 in ’21).

The Mets didn’t feel a need to roster a guy whose 5.84 ERA was the same as his K/9, particularly when his walk rate was less than good and he gave up a ton of hard contact. This is an inexpensive insurance policy for the Cubs as they head into the final weeks of the season with several young pitchers still on the IL. Perhaps reuniting with his former manager in Chicago will be better for Houser than playing for his former GM in New York.

Barring a serious turnaround in his performance, however, I’d say it’s not a great sign if we see him pitching in a Cubs uniform this season.