Colin Rea


Colin D. Rea is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball. He previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres and the Miami Marlins.

Career

Amateur

After graduating from Cascade High School in Cascade, Iowa, Rea played college baseball at the University of Northern Iowa before transferring to St. Petersburg College and then Indiana State University. In 2010, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 12th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.

San Diego Padres

He signed with the Padres and made his professional debut in 2011 with the Eugene Emeralds. He played for the Fort Wayne TinCaps in 2012 and Fort Wayne and the Lake Elsinore Storm in 2013. Rea played for Lake Elsinore in 2014 and started 2015 with the Double-A San Antonio Missions. Rea made his major league debut on August 11, 2015.

Miami Marlins

Rea was involved in a pair of transactions between the Padres and Marlins just before the MLB trade deadline on August 1, 2016. He was first traded along with Andrew Cashner and Tayron Guerrero to the Marlins for Jarred Cosart, Carter Capps, Josh Naylor, and Luis Castillo on July 29. He then made his Marlins debut in an 11-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Marlins Park the following night on July 30, but an injury ended his start after one out in the fourth inning. His right elbow strain landed him on the 15-day disabled list on July 31.

Second Stint with Padres

Rea's four-day odyssey ended on August 1 when he and Castillo were returned to their original ballclubs. NBC Miami reported that Miami felt it had been sent an injured player in Rea from the Padres.
On August 5, 2016, Rea was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow. After visiting Dr. James Andrews, Rea opted for a platelet rich plasma injection, but it was unsuccessful. During the month of November, Rea underwent Tommy John surgery, and was declared to miss all of the 2017 season. He was released on November 21, 2018.

Chicago Cubs

On January 7, 2019, Rea signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs selected Rea's contract on November 4, 2019.