Spencer Turnbull lands with World Series contender after Blue Jays ended experiment

Earlier in the 2025 season, when the Toronto Blue Jays were slightly floundering, they made a pair of plays for veteran pitching help, bringing in both Spencer Turnbull and Jose Ureña on the same day. The Jays felt somewhat directionless and open to anything, hoping to perhaps strike silent gold and eventually flip one (or both) of them to contenders at the trade deadline.

Smash cut to mid-July, and the Jays are instead gearing up to significantly buy in two weeks' time, having surged to the top of the American League East. Small-time dreams like Ureña and Turnbull are long in the rear view.

Ureña moved to both the Dodgers and Twins, persisting on a minor-league deal. Turnbull, after posting a 7.11 ERA and 2.526 WHIP in three outings with Toronto, was formally released three weeks ago.

But somehow, those limited efforts didn't stop the "Turnbull-to-contender" pipeline from coming to fruition anyhow. On Friday, just ahead of the second half, Turnbull left the scrap heap and joined the Chicago Cubs.

Toronto Blue Jays will now watch Spencer Turnbull join the Chicago Cubs

Best-laid plans of mice and men, huh?

Turnbull, with a no-hitter to his name and a solid chance of joining the Hall of Pretty Good someday, posted the best season of his career ... in Philadelphia last season, projecting Michael Lorenzen vibes as a valued swingman. He ended the season with a 2.65 ERA, but was only able to appear in 17 games/seven starts before fading, coming down with a lat strain in June and winding up on the 60-Day IL, his campaign finished prematurely.

The Jays' gamble didn't work out (to say the least), but the Cubs will now get a chance to rejuvenate an arm who's proven in the very recent past that, if you manage his workload properly, he can be unlocked and valuable.

Odds are we won't see him in MLB until he's built up once more and ready to contribute in the middle innings, but he's now twice as likely to finish 2025 with a ring, attaching himself to a pair of likely playoff teams.