The Cubs have declined their $3.5MM club option on infielder Daniel Descalso for the 2021 season, the team announced. Descalso will instead receive a $1MM buyout and head into free agency.
Descalso was inked to a two-year, $5MM contract in December 2018 with the expectation that he would provide Chicago with multi-positional depth and some of the left-handed hitting pop he displayed with the Diamondbacks during the 2018 season. Unfortunately for the Cubs, Descalso hit only .173/.271/.250 over 194 plate appearances in 2019 and missed all of 2020 recovering due to an ankle injury.
A veteran of 10 big league seasons, the 34-year-old Descalso will surely have to settle for a minor league contract if he catches on with another team this winter. A career .235/.320/.362 hitter over 2893 career PA with the Cubs, D’Backs, Rockies, and Cardinals, Descalso has played mostly second base and third base in recent years, with some other experience as a first baseman, shortstop, and left fielder on his resume.
This is worse than Brad Hand’s option being declined!
Why!? He’s terrible
$1 million for a bad player to go away. But please go on strike because you’re treated unfairly.
Ha – no doubt!
What he said
What went thru Theos or Jeds head – to give this guy a one year deal – much less a TWO year option, is absolutely mind boggling.
And they got rid of Tommy LaStella to do it.
They traded LaStella a year after signed him …. so not a direct replacement
I guess you have a problem with the value of rare talent under capitalism? How do you feel about NBA and NFL stars? Movie stars? Music stars? We tend to value things we like highly, especially when they are rare. 800 players out of 330MM people? THAT’S RARE!
Finally, a worthy candidate to get his option declined. I can’t speak for Cubs fans, but I would hate seeing Daniel Descalso on my team for… *checks baseball reference*… 1 year!? I thought he had been on the team since the 16′ run?! Surprising, but he still deserves it lol. Forgettable guy, and deservedly so.
White Sox.
Can’t you see Tony go over Hahn’s head to Jerry in order to get him? It won’t happen, but it would be hilarious if it did.
How could they?!? But he provides such good “clubhouse leadership”. How could they let that go to some other team?!?
Should have been DFA’d last season!
Should’ve flat out released him. Complete waste of money and roster spot when he was healthy. The mendoza line should be the Descalso line with that tremendous .173 BA he had in 2019.
Unfortunately,I would love to have my name eliminated,but DD has a .235 lifetime average.
There are,However,,several players between my .215 and their .200 lifetime average who may volunteer.
I usually call it then bob uecker line. Since his career BA was .200. Madonza will only be known for that. At least we know Bob Uecker and Harry Doyle are both awesome
Thank you wrek.
Much more accurate.
But with my lack of hitting ability I was also a fine shortstop with sure hands.That is how I lasted in MLB.
I believe that they held onto him so that he could get 10 years of service time, as a courtesy to him. They were going to have pay him either way and that gesture should help the Cubs in the future with other free agents.
What the hell were they thinking when they signed him?
Who said they were thinking? It was the first year the ricketts started being really cheap. Other than kimbrel descalso might be their most expensive acquisition. Lol
So far there have been many surprising instances of options not being picked up. This is not one of those times.
Nooooooooo!!!!!
Shoeless Daniel!
He could be an excellent player in the NPB.
No biggie, what’s 5 million wasted on a free agent when Theo’s made way bigger mistakes before. Edwin Jackson, Jason Heyward (184 mil, OUCH), Brandon Morrow, Tyler Chatwood and Kimbrel to just a few recent wasted expenditures.
This guy literally turned into a pumpkin the moment the Cubs signed him. He never did snap out of it. Someone will give him a minors invitation, and the usual suspects will applaud such a brilliant depth move. Yeah, that will be a solid signing as long as you never have to use him.
So bad he should give the money back