AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea

Cubs Sign Versatile IF Scott Kingery to Minors Deal

Photo of Jacob Zanolla Jacob ZanollaDecember 3, 2025

The Cubs made their big signing of the offseason on Tuesday, which should put all the restless fans at ease. I’m only joking, of course, but the Cubs did indeed sign free agent Scott Kingery to a minor-league deal. It’s the first of many such deals the team will make this winter, although very few of them will actually see time in the major leagues.

Kingery was the Phillies’ second-round draft pick in 2015, making his debut in Philadelphia in 2018. Entering that 2018 campaign, the Arizona native was listed as the 35th best prospect in baseball, No. 2 in the Phillies’ system. The team signed him to a six-year, $24 million deal before that season.

Even such a modest contract didn’t age well, though the versatile infielder posted a 100 wRC+ in 126 games during the 2019 season. That remains the only season he’s posted a positive fWAR, as he’s been on a downhill trajectory ever since.

After spending 2023 and ’24 in Philadelphia’s minor league system, the Angels traded for Kingery in hopes that they could salvage what seemed like a lost career. He played in Triple-A most of the year, appearing in just 19 games for the Angels.

What the Cubs see in Kingery is yet to be known, but his positional versatility is quite attractive to front offices. He’s kind of like a modern-day Ben Zobrist, just without the bat. Not many players can truly give you innings anywhere in the field, but Kingery can. In those 19 games with the Angels during 2025, he played second base, center field, shortstop, and right field. That’s a perfect option to have sitting in Des Moines in case of an emergency.

The Cubs are searching for bullpen arms, but maybe they found their answer in Kingery? He still owns the record for the slowest strikeout pitch in baseball history.

Photo of Jacob Zanolla Jacob ZanollaDecember 3, 2025
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