Everyone loves a good comeback story, and baseball tends to offer some inspiring stories. Veteran Red Sox pitcher Drew Pomeranz is scripting a fairytale return with the Chicago Cubs, one that could hardly be believed if it were not unfolding in front of our eyes.
Having played for almost a decade and a half in the big leagues, Pomeranz seems to be only getting better with age. But all that seems even more extraordinary considering that he had not played at the top level for the past three years.
Former Red Sox Reliever Making Incredible Comeback With the Cubs
The 37-year-old was part of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants before ending the year with the Seattle Mariners. However, he did not feature in the major league for any of the teams.
The Mariners re-signed the former All-Star on a minor league contract at the start of the 2025 campaign. He made nine appearances for Triple-A Tacoma, posting two saves from 9.2 innings with a 4.66 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
On April 21, the Cubs traded for Pomeranz, exercising an upward mobility clause in his contract that mandated the Mariners promote him to their roster or trade him to a team willing to offer him an opportunity in the major leagues. The journeyman right-hander has grabbed that chance to make a terrific comeback to the MLB. He is yet to allow an earned run in his 12 appearances for the Cubs, allowing just four hits and three walks in 12.1 innings with 14 strikeouts and one save.
“I mean, it just doesn’t feel real,” Pomeranz told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment for years. It’s tough to keep pushing through mentally, physically, and all of it, especially when, over and over again, nothing is working. Now, just being healthy in the big leagues, throwing as hard as I can, and having this kind of success,” Pomeranz explained. “It’s really a dream come true.”
HOLY DREW POMERANZ pic.twitter.com/mPBpWoCnuF
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) May 1, 2025
Pomeranz had been a starting pitcher the vast majority of his major league career, which began as the fifth overall pick of the 2010 MLB Draft. He made his debut the next year before getting traded to the Oakland Athletics after three seasons with the team. In 2016, Pomeranz was shipped to the San Diego Padres and made a strong start to the season to earn his maiden All-Star Game selection.
He was moved to the Boston Red Sox later that year and went on to win the World Series with the team in 2018. The following year, Pomeranz agreed to a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants but had a terrible time with the team. He got traded to the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline and posted a strong second half to the season.
Pomeranz signed a four-year deal with the San Diego Padres in 2020 after converting himself to a full-time reliever. He became one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the game, posting 44.1 innings over the first two seasons with a 1.62 ERA and 59 strikeouts.
The 2022 season for the Padres began with Pomeranz on the 60-day IL, and ultimately, he missed the entire season. He started the next season in the IL as well and underwent an additional surgery before becoming a free agent at the end of the year.
After three years of struggling in the minors, Pomeranz has come out of nowhere to put himself back among the top relievers in the major leagues. He is going to be a contender for Comeback Player of the Year.