CHICAGO -- The Cubs have declined a $7.5 million contract option on pitcher Colin Rea for next season, sources said.
Rea, 35, made 46 starts for the Cubs over the past two years, moving between the bullpen and the rotation. He finished second in innings pitched in each of his two years with the club.
Last season, he was 8-8 with a 4.34 ERA over 137 innings. He pitched out of the pen during the second half after the Cubs acquired starters Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes at the trade deadline in early August.
Rea has a 4.40 ERA over his eight-year career, which included stops in San Diego, Miami and Milwaukee. This was his second stint with the Cubs, after pitching for them in 2020.
Rea joins Gausman, Holmes, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and David Peterson as key free agents from the Cubs' pitching staff last season. He gets a $1 million buyout as part of his deal.