New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs drew most of the baseball world’s attention last week by making one of the boldest statements of the entire offseason. In a head-to-head battle with the Boston Red Sox, the Cubs emerged victorious, landing star third baseman Alex Bregman on a massive five-year, $175 million contract. That deal instantly reshaped expectations on the North Side and signaled that Chicago is serious about contending in the near future.
Yet while the Bregman signing dominated headlines and talk shows, another move by the Cubs quietly slipped by with little fanfare. It didn’t involve a press conference, flashy contract numbers, or lofty predictions. Instead, it was a modest transaction that could carry enormous personal significance for the player involved.
According to journalist Francys Romero of BeisbolFR, the Cubs signed right-handed reliever Yacksel Ríos to a minor league free-agent deal. Ríos had most recently been part of the New York Mets organization, and the agreement gives him another opportunity to continue chasing his major league career.
Romero noted that Ríos has logged time in the majors over several seasons, appearing between 2017 and 2023 with a wide range of clubs, including the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, the Red Sox, and the Oakland Athletics. Romero also pointed out that Ríos is represented by the MAS+ Agency, a detail that underscores how professional and persistent his baseball journey has been despite frequent roster changes and uncertainty.
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The timing of the signing played a large role in why it barely registered on the radar. The deal came together during the annual Cubs Convention, a three-day offseason celebration that brings together fans, players, alumni, and executives to honor the franchise’s history and future.
This year’s event carried even more emotional weight, as it featured a reunion of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series team — the group that finally ended a 108-year championship drought and delivered the organization’s first title since 1908. With nostalgia, star power, and celebration dominating the weekend, it’s no surprise that a low-profile minor league signing didn’t generate much buzz.
For Ríos, however, the opportunity may be life-changing. Now 32 years old and originally from Gurabo, Puerto Rico, he is at a crossroads familiar to many veteran pitchers. His professional career began 15 years ago, when he was selected in the 12th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Phillies.
Since then, his path has been anything but straightforward. He has bounced from organization to organization, carving out a role wherever possible, often shuttling between the majors and minors while trying to prove he still belongs on a big league mound.
Pitching parts of six major league seasons with five different teams is both a testament to Ríos’s talent and a reminder of how fragile a baseball career can be, especially for relievers. One season can bring opportunity; the next can bring release or a minor league assignment. Through it all, Ríos has remained in the game, continually searching for the next chance.
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From the Cubs’ perspective, the signing is a low-risk move with potential upside. Veteran relievers with major league experience can provide organizational depth, mentor younger arms, and step into bullpen roles if injuries or performance issues arise. Chicago’s front office has made it clear that while splashy acquisitions like Bregman grab attention, championships are often built on a foundation of depth and resilience — qualities that players like Ríos can quietly contribute.
For Cubs fans, the signing might seem insignificant compared to the blockbuster moves of the winter. But for Ríos, it represents hope, perseverance, and one more door left open. After more than a decade in professional baseball, each new contract carries added weight, especially when the margin for error narrows with age.
In the end, while the Cubs’ offseason will be remembered primarily for headline-grabbing deals and star power, stories like Yacksel Ríos’s are a reminder of the human side of the sport. Beneath the big contracts and championship reunions are players still fighting for their place, grateful for one more opportunity to prove that their journey isn’t over yet.
Pitched for Playoff-Bound 2021 Red Sox
The most productive stretch of the right-hander’s professional journey—though it lasted only a short time—came during the 2021 season, when he unexpectedly found himself in the middle of a playoff chase with the Boston Red Sox.
That opportunity arrived after Boston acquired him from the Seattle Mariners organization in a modest cash transaction, a move that flew largely under the radar at the time but ultimately proved to be a worthwhile gamble, at least in the short term.
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Prior to the deal, Ríos had barely made an impression at the Major League level that year. His time with Seattle amounted to just three innings of big-league work, hardly enough to establish any kind of rhythm or define his role.
Still, the Red Sox front office clearly believed there was untapped potential in his arm. Whether it was his pitch mix, his experience, or simply the belief that a change of scenery could spark better results, Boston decided he was worth a look, especially as the season wore on and bullpen depth became increasingly valuable.
That belief translated quickly into action. On June 16, only two days after his contract was purchased, Red Sox manager Alex Cora wasted little time in testing the new addition. In a tightly contested matchup against the Atlanta Braves, Boston found itself locked in a 6–6 tie during the sixth inning. It was a pressure-filled situation, not exactly an easy introduction for a pitcher who had just arrived, but Cora handed Ríos the ball anyway.
The moment could not have gone much better. Ríos was asked to face just one hitter, but that hitter happened to be Dansby Swanson, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft and a key piece of Atlanta’s lineup.
Ríos calmly retired Swanson, halting the Braves’ momentum and allowing Boston to regain control of the game shortly thereafter. By the time the night was over, the Red Sox had pulled ahead, and Ríos was credited with the victory—a memorable and confidence-boosting start to his stint in Boston.
That outing proved to be a sign of things to come. Over the following weeks, Ríos settled into a useful role out of the bullpen, providing steady innings when called upon and doing his part to stabilize a pitching staff that was grinding through the long summer. He went on to earn two more wins for Boston, a notable accomplishment for a reliever who had entered the season on the fringes of the Major Leagues.
In total, Ríos appeared in 20 games for the Red Sox in 2021, logging 24⅓ innings. While he was rarely the headline act, his overall performance was quietly effective. He finished his time in Boston with a 3.70 ERA, a respectable mark that reflected his ability to limit damage and keep the team in games. For a club fighting to stay relevant in a competitive American League playoff race, contributions like his often make the difference between contending and fading.
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Perhaps most importantly, Ríos could legitimately say that he played a meaningful role in Boston’s push toward the postseason that year. His innings helped bridge gaps, protect leads, and give the Red Sox a chance to win on nights when the bullpen was stretched thin. In a season defined by resilience and unexpected contributors, his brief run fit perfectly into the team’s larger narrative.
Still, as quickly as that chapter began, it also came to an end. As the calendar turned toward late summer and roster decisions became more complicated, Boston made a move that underscored the transient nature of bullpen life. On August 14, Ríos was optioned to Triple-A, sending him to the Worcester Red Sox as the major league roster shifted priorities.
The demotion did not immediately signal the end, but it was a turning point. Five weeks later, the organization designated him for assignment, effectively removing him from the 40-man roster and bringing his time with the big-league club to a close. Just months after delivering key outs and earning wins during a playoff chase, Ríos found himself on the outside once again, a reminder of how quickly circumstances can change in professional baseball.
In retrospect, his 2021 stint with the Red Sox stands as a compact yet significant highlight in his career. Though brief, it showcased what can happen when opportunity, preparation, and timing align. For Ríos, that season remains a testament to perseverance and the impact a role player can have, even if only for a short window, on a team chasing October ambitions.
Ríos Out of MLB Since 2023
Since his brief and uneven tenure in Boston came to an end, Ríos has had only the lightest footprint at the Major League level. Over the past few years, his opportunities in the big leagues have been extremely limited, amounting to just three total appearances, all of which came with the then–Oakland Athletics during the 2023 season.
Outside of those outings, his most visible work on a prominent stage arrived that same year when he suited up for Team Puerto Rico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, an experience that at least briefly put him back in the spotlight against top international competition.
Despite his limited recent MLB résumé, Ríos continued to draw interest as a potential depth arm. In January of 2024, he signed a free-agent deal with the New York Mets, hoping the organization could provide a path back to relevance.
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What followed, however, was a difficult and frustrating stretch defined far more by time on the injured list than by innings on the mound. Over the next two seasons, Ríos remained almost entirely within the Mets’ minor league system, but his availability was inconsistent at best, as injuries repeatedly halted any momentum he attempted to build.
When he was healthy enough to pitch in 2024, Ríos showed flashes of why teams have remained intrigued by him. Working primarily at the Triple-A level, he delivered solid results before his season was cut short. As MLB Trade Rumors writer Anthony Franco detailed, Ríos compiled a respectable 3.30 earned run average across 30 innings in Triple-A action that year.
Those numbers suggested a pitcher who, while not dominant, could still provide reliable performance when called upon. Unfortunately, his progress stalled once again when he suffered another injury toward the end of June. That setback proved significant, as it sidelined him for the remainder of the 2024 season and effectively wiped out almost all of his 2025 campaign as well.
The long recovery process forced Ríos into a slow and cautious return. Rather than jumping immediately back into high-level competition, he spent time pitching in the lower levels of the minor leagues on a rehabilitation assignment. The goal was simply to get him healthy, consistent, and capable of handling a regular workload again.
Even then, the climb back was gradual. It wasn’t until the middle of September that Ríos finally returned to Triple-A, long after most players were settling into their late-season routines or preparing for the offseason. By that point, the focus had shifted away from results and toward proving that his arm could once again withstand the demands of professional pitching.
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Now, with those injury-plagued seasons behind him, Ríos appears to be entering a new phase of his career. Reports suggest he is finally healthy, giving him at least a chance to reinsert himself into a Major League conversation.
That opportunity may come through the Chicago Cubs organization, which could view him as a potential depth option. Still, expectations are measured. Franco notes that while a return to the big leagues is not entirely out of the question, the more realistic scenario has Ríos serving as organizational insurance rather than an immediate contributor at the highest level.
In practical terms, that likely means spending most of his time with Triple-A Iowa, where he would function as a hard-throwing bullpen or spot-start option capable of stepping in when injuries or roster moves create a need. For the Cubs, such pitchers are valuable over the long grind of a season, even if they rarely grab headlines. For Ríos, it represents another chance—perhaps his last—to demonstrate that he can stay healthy and effective long enough to earn another look in the majors.
The arc of Ríos’s career over the past several years underscores how quickly promise can give way to uncertainty in professional baseball. Once viewed as a pitcher with the tools to contribute meaningfully at the MLB level, he has instead spent much of his prime years fighting injuries and searching for stability.
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Yet the fact that teams continue to sign him and give him opportunities speaks to the underlying belief that something useful still remains there. If his arm holds up and his performance in Triple-A is strong, he could once again find himself on a Major League mound. If not, his career may ultimately be defined as one of persistence, resilience, and near-misses rather than sustained success.
Either way, the coming season figures to be a pivotal one. Healthy at last and armed with experience across multiple organizations and levels of competition, Ríos now faces a clear challenge: turn durability into opportunity. Whether that path leads back to the majors or settles permanently into a depth role, his story remains a reminder of how thin the margin is between lasting success and constant reinvention in professional baseball.
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