6:59pm: Wick is indeed coming up, the Cubs announced.
12:17pm: The Cubs have optioned right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. to Triple-A Iowa, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reports (via Twitter). The team has yet to formally announce the move, but Rogers adds that righty Rowan Wick is a possible replacement for the struggling Edwards.
It’s been a rough season for Edwards, who has missed time due to a thoracic strain and hasn’t generated quality results when healthy enough to take the mound. This is the second time he’s been optioned to Iowa, and while Edwards has performed well in Triple-A in 2019, he’s sporting a 5.87 ERA with nine walks, a hit batter, two wild pitches and a balk in 15 1/3 innings. Edwards does have 17 strikeouts, but he’s actually seen his swinging-strike rate dip precipitously (14.4 percent in ’18, 10.2 percent in ’19). His average fastball velocity is also down a half mile per hour from 2018 and 1.2 mph from 2017.
In 154 1/3 regular-season innings from 2016-18, Edwards turned in a 3.03 ERA with better than 12 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, so getting him back on track would be a boon to a Cubs ’pen that has been, at best, a middle-of-the-pack unit. Chicago has yet to receive so much as one inning from projected closer Brandon Morrow in 2019, and the front office felt strongly enough about the need to add bullpen help that it signed Craig Kimbrel to a $43MM contract following the June draft. President of baseball ops Theo Epstein, GM Jed Hoyer and the rest of the Cubs’ front office are reported to be on the hunt for bullpen upgrades between now and the July 31 trade deadline.
In the meantime, if Wick is indeed the corresponding move, he’ll get his second look with the Cubs. The catcher-turned-outfielder-turned-pitcher gave up five runs (three earned) in seven innings with the Cubs earlier this summer and has been excellent in Iowa. Through 35 innings there, the 26-year-old Wick has a 1.80 ERA with a 44-to-9 K/BB ratio and just three homers allowed.
The kid looks scared to death and has no confidence. Hard to watch him come in the game and struggle so mightily on the mound. I don’t know the answer, but every Cubs fan in the stands was face-palming yesterday.
No prob with this move. I think Carl needs to hold the door open on the bus until Addison jumps on board with him. Clueless right now.
Don’t forget Descalso.
I know Descalso has had a rough year offensively. Last year’s success was an anomaly. But still he has a good track record. If the Cubs release him, he won’t be out of a job long.
and Almora! Unless he just sacrifices his bat, agreeing never to hit again and just play defense!
Almora will be fine – he is having a bad year at the plate (.239/.384/.659) but after batting .286/.323/.701 last year he does have the means to get it done.. .he is only 25, and personally, I think he has not been mentally in the games at the plate since the fowl ball incident. I know things happen, but he has not been the same since then.
What, as a coach? There is a reason why he only has 5 ABs in the ENTIRE month of July. He can’t hit – he’s simply filling the David Ross role right now and he at least had value on the field as Lester’s personal catcher. DD has no value.
He can’t hit lefties AT ALL. He doesn’t get on base, he isn’t a plus power or speed guy. He is very expendable. They’d be better off putting J-Hey in CF more, and getting a corner outfielder who can hit.
Naw, Almora won’t be “fine”. He can still be a solid defensive replacement, but he has never been able to be consistent at the plate. And last year’s numbers were after a solid first half. He completely nose dived in the second half. Like Russell, he’s had a more than a generous amount of time to figure it out. Hey, maybe somewhere else, he will. But for this team at this time, he’s just not cutting it.
The fact that Cubs fans consistently throw Almora, Heyward and Schwarber under the bus yet vote them into the top 9 in ASG balloting really speaks volumes about their fanbase…
Almora, since the first half of LAST season has been hitting in the .230’s. He won’t be fine. This is who he is. Dude can’t hit.
.701 is “getting it done”? He is a backup replacement for late inning defense, that’s it.
Almost is one 9f the best CF in baseball right now. Easily top 10
Carl Edwards Jr. needs a change of scenery. I just don’t see him morphing back into reliever he once was as a Cub. Whether it’s Joe Maddon, the carousal of pitching coaches (again on Maddon) or just the pitcher himself he needs a fresh start with another organization.
With the Cubs being in San Francisco to begin their 9-game road trip and with the July 31st trade deadline fast approaching, now would be a good time for the team to go hard after southpaw reliever Will Smith. Showcase whichever players the Giants may have an interest in on the Cubs active roster (Albert Almora, David Bote, Victor Caratini, etc.) and try to work out a deal before they head back to the Midwest and square off against division rivals Milwaukee and St. Louis.
Yes Maddon as he doesn’t hold his players accountable! He has no clue how to manage his bullpen. Last night pulled pitchers too soon and then kept Stropp in too long. Now he praises Stropp! Incredible…
Relievers are so fungible. This year’s stud is often next year’s dud.
I think he has officially hit the Neil Ramirez/Justin Grimm level. Good, good, good, good, terrible….done.
Couldn’t agree more. The one thing I can’t believe is that over the past few years, the Nationals have never really struck gold on a Minor League signing like many other teams have!
My goodness now that is a helluva word to be throwing out on this site. I had to look up fungible I’ll be honest. True.
He has always had wildness issues, nothing new. For the record the Cards let Wick go.
Edwards’ issue is strictly mental right now. It accounts for the drop in velocity and swinging strike rate. He’s trying so hard to get the ball in the Strikezone but batters know he won’t be able to so they’re not swinging.
Just don’t know how many chances this young man has left to put things together. At least with the Cubs. For the past 4 years Edwards Jr. has been advertised as the teams future closer.
It’s kinda like Maddon said after last night’s game, he’s gotta stop trying to guide the ball. Needs to just let it fly! He’s a head case right now trying too hard to throw strikes.
Change of scenery would do him a lot of good. Still has a nice future in the right environment.
Yeah. His trade value is in the toilet and wont bring anything back to the Cubs, but it’s best for both sides to move on at this point. He’s a waste of a roster spot. Carl may well turn it around in a low pressure atmosphere that has a track record of developing pitching, Oakland or Tampa Bay maybe. I cant watch him take the mound for the Cubs anymore though….
Maybe finishing out the season in AAA and starting anew in Spring Training next year would be good for him. He’s had stretches of dominance and I don’t see a reason to bail on him yet (unless they desperately need a 40 man spot).
I have to believe it’s all mental with this kid. He has all the tools but craps his pants whenever he takes the mound.
He needs to go see the lion King and like young Simba learns, eventually you need to just say “ Hakuna Matata “ it means no worries for the rest of your days.
Then take that attitude to the mound and just let it ffffiiinn rip.
Maybe he should go back to NASCAR
LOL! With his current state of mind and issues of wildness that might be even more dangerous to racing crews and fans than they were for baseball players and enthusiasts, especially those in and around the “infield”!
I really believe he is aiming and not throwing.
Might need a change of scenery and pitching coaches. Be a good candidate for trade bait if anyone would take him.
A lot of teams would take him. He still has excellent stuff. He’s just lost it for now.
Maddon had no business putting Edwards in that situation. 2 runners on and the game that close. To build his confidence, which apparently he has none, he should have been put in on a fresh inning with no one on base, and the Cubs either leading or losing by a lot. Again, poor choice of the way Maddon handles the bullpen. Now, Edwards will sit in AAA until September call ups. Maddon is also using Maldando too much, he can’t hit. He needs to use Caratini much more, the kid has done well this year. I never liked the Decalso signing, as he has never hit. Now, his fielding which was his calling card is way below average, he has no range anymore, his arm is now very weak, and he is not a sturdy fielder. Should have never signed him, it is way past the time to DFA him, and eat the remaining salary. Russell at least is better than Decalso, ut that is not saying much.
Edwards is either really on or really off – this year he has been so far off, it is not funny. As for Maldando – with the heat the way it was this weekend in Chicago, it would not have mattered if Willy was 100%, he would not have been catching the whole time – it was brutal. Descalso (nicknamed in our house as “des-out-so” is just a joke – never liked that signing. I’d throw him in any trade for a bag of batting practice balls and be good. My only thing with your comment that I shook my head at was the last line about Russell – the 5+ innings on Saturday was enough to just release him. Even Maddon (who has been vocal at ‘giving him a chance’ came out to say he has got to get his head in the game. I really think Russell could be a good player, but he needs out of Chicago – needs to be in a smaller market so he can get things in order personally and mentally – then baseball will come to him.
Excellent points, especially about the brutal heat, avschamps. Even if Contreras had been available, a third catcher to rotate through the conditions would have made a lot of sense. Maldonado is a plus defender – there ought to be enough offense in the lineup elsewhere to cover his deficiencies in that regard.. Also agree with you on Descalso – waste of a roster space at this point. And on Russell – I noted elsewhere, he needs the classic change of scenery if anyone will take the flyer. He’s young, might find his bat at some point in a different environment.
Russell and Almora have both had plenty of time to grow into their potential and they just plain haven’t. They could use Almora as a solid defensive replacement, but Russell needs to move on.
The Cubs don’t need their catcher to hit. Maldonado is a much better defensive catcher and game caller than Caratini.
They will be fine. Their SP has been quite good recently with the turnaround of Darvish
Gotta love relievers. One year they are one of the best in baseball, the next year they are in AAA.
Although it’s painful, I like Edward’s, he no longer is a reliable option out of the bullpen. Perhaps he can sort things out in AAA, but a change of venue may be in order.
I am away for 2 hours and, with 9 days to go, this is the only “Trade Rumor” this site has to report?!
Man, you have the suckiest comments.
Evidently, the suckiest life.
Cubs have probably 6 guys that should be released or sent back to AAA or AA.
Edwards is not worthy as news here.
And you, as usual, are not worthy of commenting on here.
Ha!
I get a rise out of you.
Indeed
He reminds me so much of Carlos Marmol (other than the fact that Marmol originally came into the league as a starter). Came into the league with electric stuff and was very good for a short period of time, but just couldn’t ever mentally figure it out after limited success.
To avschamps:
Thank you for your reply. I am not suggesting that Maldando not catch at all, or that Contreras would have caught all the games. What I am suggesting is that Maddon not split the catching as he has done. I think until Contreras gets back it should be something like 3:1 with Caratini being the 3. Caratini can hit, Maldando cannot and the Cubs already have too many weak links in their lineup. He could put Maldando in the game during the late innings as a defensive replacement for Caratini if the Cubs are leading. I think the reason Contreras is doing so well this year is he is getting more rest, and Caratini has stepped up. I think the main reason Edwards was sent down was to help him build some confidence and putting him in that situation in his first appearance back was dumb, I saw it as a no win situation the minute he took Ryan out. We both agree on Decalso he needs to go – ASAP, I don’t see anybody taking him with the way he has played. Right now other than Chris Davis of the Orioles, I think Decalso is arguably the worst player in the MLB. My point is between the two Decalso and Russell, Russell is the better of the two, and if gradually put in the right spots he can build some trade value. I agree with you eventually needs out of Chicago. I also think Epstein is missing an opportunity to unload Chatwood, as Philly is desperately looking for starting pitching and has said they prefer to take on pitchers where they do not need to give up quality minor leaguers but mainly invest money. The way I figure it is the Cubs have already paid a little over half of Chatwood’s salary this year say about 7mil, and if Epstein offers to pay down half of the remaining 6 mil, he could ask for a very low level minor league player to make the deal look reasonable and have 3 mil to throw to one of the players he is looking to trade for (helping to offset the Cubs money crunch) and he clears Chatwood’s 2020 salary off the books to use toward bringing back someone like Hamels. He not only clears Chatwood’s salary next year, but won’t have Brach or Morrow on the books, so he should have some cash to play with.
No way you eat chatwoods salary for a low level minor league prospect. If the Cubs are eating his contract they better had get something for him in return.
Agree with Erik to an extent. He is still owed about 20 mil for the remainder of this year and next. That is a lot for someone who is performing at his level. I think the Cubs could eat 5 mil of next years money and open up some cap space for this off season. Unless the Cubs are willing to eat some of his money I don’t think any team makes a deal. I do agree you don’t eat money just to get a nobody in return though.
If they can find someone to take on 8 mil of his deal next year then the Cubs will have about 45 mil in cap space to work with. Needing to add a starter and some bullpen depth for sure. (Loosing Strop, Kintzler, Cishek, and Hamels most notably, as well as most likely not picking up options for Brach, Barnette,and Morrow, ). they will loose a back up catcher in Maldonado.
That 8 mil could help us really be able to go after a great setup man, or help us get a quality 3 starter rather than a 5th starter
Run on sentences or, at least, poor use of paragraphs.
3rd grader I suspect.
What’s up with Happ? You’d think he’d be back up by now with Almora, Descalso, and Russell all struggling. I know he’s been killing it in Iowa lately. Where’s he at?
Happ is a junk bond right, like most of the cubs “star prospects”. Epstein should have traded these guys when they still had a little value two years ago. And Gleyber Torres should be the starting 2B for the cubs. He really screwed this team up royally holding on to these guys so long.
Gleyber Torres and Epstein already helped the Cubs win a WS.
Using the same logic, Fernando Tatis Jr should be playing for the White Sox right now. Hahn has been the GM for what, 7 years? 0 postseason victories and a sub 500 record.
Epstein has been the GM for 8 to 9 years, won a WS, been to 3 championships and the playoffs another time
.
We get it, you hate the Cubs and like the Sox. But come on. If you’re going to troll incessentaly on Cubs articles, get some perspective.
“We get it, you hate the cubs waahh waaahhh…” See here’s the problem with most cubs fans. You’re overly insecure/sensitive about a damn sports team. Childishly so. Telling a cubs fan the GM screwed up is like telling an 8-yr old the Easter Bunny doesn’t exist. An actual, real, true baseball fan would weigh in on the merits of my argument in a logical and rational manner. You, in contrast, whine about me identifying myself as a White Sox fan, and having the audacity to criticize aspects of the cubs. Hello? Isn’t that why we come to sports discussion forums and spend hours of our time daily reading and commenting on SPORTS? THIS ISN’T SOME MICKEY MOUSE FAN CLUB FOR THE CHICAGO CUBS. IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE OR TOLERATE VIEWS YOU DON’T AGREE WITH, GO TO A FAN BOARD. SIMPLE RIGHT?
That was easy. Respond to your reductive comments with reductive comments.
And I quote:
“Ha!
I get a rise out of you.”
And to act like you’re actually inviting “rational” sports talk! 😉 Cutie.
Exactly!
I think he would develop to his potential under a different organization
Yes find somewhere where Happ can be tolerated with 4 K’s per game.
In Bridgeport because whoever plays 2b over there is horrible…
Let’s not forget Edwards had to change his delivery because it was ruled by MLB that it was a balk. Hope he overcomes the mind games and gets back into the dominant set up role.
Wasn’t that something new he was trying this year? If so, that’s a pretty poor excuse.
He can take his illegal delivery to Japan.
How is Kopech, Dunning et al?
What does that have to do with Cub suckage?
Just a pleasant reminder on how the lousy rebuild is going…
Yes but the Cub suckage continues.
It’s all about expectations. I didn’t expect the Sox to win WS this year.
Meanwhile, Ian Happ…
Yes the Cubs are Happless.
The only thing this site is missing is an ignore function.
Go elsewhere if u cannot tolerate anti Cubs comments. Cubs suck!
@fourtfour—-it doesn’t need an ignore function….just choose to scroll past without reading if you don’t want his opinion. It’s not that difficult. It takes about one post of practice and you’ll get the hang of it.
Is he related to John?
Sounds like he needs to go see a Dr for anxiety.. He’s thinking too much and needs something to take the edge off and not give a ****.
His name always makes me want hardees.
maybe carl can hook up with roush in iowa
Maybe he should change his name back to CJ?
The pitcher who got the last out in the WS just got traded. The guy who got the two prior outs gets sent down. Tough stretch for us nostalgia folks.
Yes it’s a “what have you done for us lately” world!!
Get with it.
Cubs won’t win WS with what they have.
That’s awfully rich, coming from a White Sox fan.
Whoever deals for Sox’s SP Nova will win WS.
He is hot lately!
What if I told you that the Orioles were deep into talks to acquire Nova?
SuperNova!
It’s about time. I think it’s all in his head. Whatever the case he needs to figure it out.