Cubs right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. has gone unclaimed on outright waivers, tweets Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. He’d been designated for assignment last week once Chicago finalized their one-year deal with Eric Hosmer.
Leiter, 32 in March, signed a minor league contract with Chicago last offseason. He cracked the big league roster by the second week of the season. Leiter held his spot on the 40-man all year and bounced a few times between Wrigleyville and Triple-A Iowa. Working primarily as a long relief option in the majors, he tossed 67 2/3 frames through 35 outings (including four starts). Leiter put together a decent 3.99 ERA with better than average strikeout and ground-ball marks (25.9% and 48.9%, respectively).
Despite that generally solid work, he was squeezed off the roster this winter. That’s presumably a result of some skepticism around the league that Leiter could maintain his 2022 form, as he carried a 5.53 ERA in 114 career major league innings headed into last year. He didn’t appear at the highest level at all between 2019-21 thanks to an intervening Tommy John surgery.
Leiter was previously outrighted by the Blue Jays back during the 2018-19 offseason. Clearing waivers a second time in his career gives him the right to elect minor league free agency instead of accepting an assignment to Iowa. The Cubs haven’t yet announced whether he’ll do so.
The Cubs roster is a little Leiter.
Lol…. Im not opposed to him staying in the organization on a minor league deal. He’ll probably want to test the waters and see what a new organization will do for his chances though. He wasn’t terrible as a relief pitcher, but honestly he’s destined for mop-up duty at best. His strength is his ability to spot start and eat some innings on a wasted day for his team.
I think it will come down to what the Cubs agreed to pay him before his DFA. If he had a guaranteed $1M salary or more, he may very well accept his assignment to AAA as I believe he has enough time/experience to choose to keep his major league salary and play for the AAA Cubs. If he was on a league minimum deal, he might take a chance and opt out, but he’ll lose that guaranteed ~$750K salary if he can only find a minor league deal for himself outside of Chicago. He’ll get a minor league deal with a large bump should he make it to the majors, but it may still be less than what Chicago had offered him overall.
He’s decent in relief couldn’t prove capable of doing the 3rd time through the order thing. Decent but not needed by the Cubs they have so may of this same guy and better
Maybe Jed Hoyer and Cubs can package both Mark Leiter and Nick Madrigal to the LA Dodgers for Diego Cartaya,
Only if Hoyer found some scandalous pictures of Andrew Friedman and Trevor Bauer together.
As a Cubs and Dodgers fan, I can say there is a better chance of Cubs simply releasing both. Madrigal might get a team top 30 prospect, but not a MLB top dozen prospect. Cartaya is worth more than PCA and Davis combined.
Nice try but the Dodgers are not giving up their top 21 yr old catching prospect for the perceived Cubs garbage.
The Cubs definitely need a catcher prospect in their system. I was suprised that they didn’t sign one at the 2023 IFA period. Definitely a trade priority or amateur draft coming up.
Would an invite to the Cubs’ ML camp be included?
Most likely… Regardless of who he plays for this season, he’ll be in camp for ST, he’s got too much MLB experience to sit it out.
If he’s smart, he rejects the assignment and signs with a team that has much better odds of him making a roster on opening day. A team like the Reds for example.
More likely an invite to a fantasy camp.
Nepo baby
I hope he accepts the assignment and he might knowing he likely won’t be in Iowa long if at all. Would love to have him around as depth for injuries and a veteran presence in Iowa but would totally understand if he wants to try to sign with a team where he would have a better chance of earning a chance to start or be more of a prominent part of the pen instead of a mop up guy.
Wasn’t he just at Cubs Convention?
Oh no, here comes another Pirates signing. Another recycled project to add to the collection this year. Might as well join Rich Hill. Need someone to help Mr. Hill with his scooter to help him get to the mound.
A bit over the hill Atchison point in his career, right? At least he’s rich.
*at this point in his career
He Loves being a Cub. He’ll stay in the org and be back in Wrigley for most of 2023
He’ll move on, He’s not going to get a 40 man spot with the Cubs. If you’re the kind of optimist that sees a 5 week stint against lame competition last year as currency over a 10 year period of mediocrity then have a go. I say, Best of luck in your future job search.
The good Leiter – the one Texas didn’t screw up
52 hits in 67 innings ain’t bad!
He’s a serviceable major leagu pitcher and a good guy. He will pitch plenty MLB innings this year