SEPTEMBER 21: Maples cleared waivers and has been sent outright to Triple-A Iowa, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times was among those to pass along. He doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse an outright assignment, so he’ll remain in the organization for the rest of the season. However, Maples will qualify for minor league free agency this offseason unless he’s reselected to the 40-man roster before the end of the year.
SEPTEMBER 19: The Cubs have activated Nico Hoerner and Keegan Thompson from the 10-day injured list. To create two roster spots for the returning players, outfielder Nick Martini was optioned to Triple-A while right-hander Dillon Maples was designated for assignment.
Maples is out of minor league options, which is why Chicago had to take the DFA route to remove the 29-year-old from the active roster. A veteran of parts of five MLB seasons, Maples had an 8.49 ERA over 23 1/3 career innings for the 2017-20 Cubs before posting a 2.59 ERA in 31 1/3 frames in 2021.
However, Maples has benefited from a .203 BABIP, as his SIERA is 4.64 and his walk rate is an ungainly 18%. Control has been a persistent issue for Maples at both the Major League and minor league levels, and the Cubs seem to have seen enough.
“There’s some people in the organization that feel like we’ve just run out of time,” manager David Ross told NBC Sports Chicago’s Gordon Wittenmyer and other reporters. “We wish [Maples] the best in his career and hopefully for his sake he catches on with somebody, and he’s able to have a long, successful major-league career. It just doesn’t look right now at this time like it’s going to be with us.”
Thompson will start today’s game against the Brewers after missing a little over two weeks due to right shoulder inflammation. The right-hander has shuttled up and down from Triple-A Iowa a few times this season, with a 3.54 ERA to show for his first 48 1/3 career innings in the big leagues. Working mostly as a reliever, Thompson has managed that respectable ERA despite some unimpressive peripherals, including a 12.8% walk rate.
Hoerner suffered a right oblique strain at the end of July, and thanks to previous IL trips due to a left hamstring strain and a left forearm strain, Hoerner has played in only 39 games. The former top prospect has at least hit decently well (.312/.388/.388 in 152 PA) when he has been able to play, and the Cubs will certainly be interested in evaluating Hoerner over the season’s last two weeks to help determine his role with the 2022 team and beyond.
Good riddance, Maples. My son was born when he was drafted in 2011. My boy is now in fourth grade and Maples still hasn’t figured out where his stuff is going. Should’ve dfa’d him years ago.
Guessing you didn’t name your son Dillon…
No, he named him Maples
Sometimes I want to put my son on outright waivers too.
Thank goodness. He must have been a great guy
to have lasted so long.
Do those waivers taste like Maple?
Shemp was the best stooge
He’s Baaaaack
I don’t get this. He’s actually been good this year, ERA under 2.6 (Admittedly seems to o be due for some regression with a FIP of about 4.6) but I bet someone will claim him off waivers. Maybe the Rays
Have you watched Maples pitch?? Every freaking appearance is a high wire act. He’s got no control. His walk rate is abysmal. He’s had many chances to harness his stuff to no avail, and he was useless in high level situations. It’s about damn time they moved on.
Yes he’s baaaack!
I’m not sure I’ve seen a guy with better stuff who has constantly been as up and down as this guy. He’s unhittable one day and throwing BP the next. Unreal. It’s been time to move on for awhile now.
Carlos marmol had the nastiest slider, and he had 2 excellent years. That was it though. Maples will have one here at some point. Just not sure what team it will be for
Who cares. There the cubs
they’re*
Or if unsure- They are. Hide that ignorance a little bit longer. Too late now though!
Kinda BS move too, agree with the ERA showing hes getting the job done in the end.
Hopefully now that he’s been fired he can stop worrying so much with his next club and just full embrace Mitch Williams style relief pitching. Was hoping he could have come out of the bullpen one of these days to “Wild Thing” but he wasn’t comfortable in his own skin.
Will never forget that AB buckling Lorenzo Cain!
There is absolutely no reason to have retained Rex Brothers, or even Martini. Maples should have gotten his chance and been trotted out night after night and yes THEN DFA him if and when his numbers catch up to the reasons. Even a Davies DFA makes more sense at this point in time of the season.
10 years in the system isn’t enough chances?
I for one was looking forward to year 13 of pretending Dillon Maples was the future lol
I think we can all agree that some team will give him a shot. Some team will see if they can fix his control issues.
Minor league contract in a few months.
Cub together
Dumpster diving brought Wisdom, The Tank, Ortega. Looks like someone does it well