The Cubs made some roster moves today, with Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune among those to relay them on X. As was previously reported, the Cubs signed right-hander Vinny Nittoli. To open a spot for him on the active roster, fellow righty Javier Assad has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm extensor strain. Righty Yency Almonte was transferred to the 60-day IL to give Nittoli a 40-man spot. Assad’s move is retroactive to June 24, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times on X.
At this point, it’s unclear how severe Assad’s injury is or how long the club expects him to be out of action, but it’ll be a blow for them regardless. Assad has made 16 starts for the club so far this year, allowing 3.04 earned runs per nine innings. There’s probably a bit of good luck in that number, as Assad’s 83.3% strand rate and .276 batting average on balls in play are both on the fortunate side. His 4.16 FIP and 4.22 SIERA suggest he would have trouble maintaining that kind of run prevention going forward.
Regardless, it’s still less than ideal for the Cubs to lose yet another arm to the injured list. They recently had Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks land on the IL, which forced Kyle Hendricks back into a rotation role, after he struggled earlier in the year and got kicked to the bullpen. The bullpen has also been undercut by injuries, with Almonte, Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr. all on the shelf.
Around all of those injuries, the club has been falling in the standings. They were 18-12 at the end of April but have gone 19-32 since, putting them at 37-44 at the moment. That’s still just five games back of a playoff spot in the weak National League Wild Card standings, but they’re currently the worst team in the NL apart from the Marlins and Rockies. That gives them a slim margin for error with the deadline just over a month away and losing a solid rotation member like Assad for even just a few weeks doesn’t help.
Without Assad, the rotation consists of Hendricks, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga. They will need to come up with a fifth starter soon and also play seven games in six days just before the All-Star break, thanks to a July 13 double-header in St. Louis. Hayden Wesneski made a spot start yesterday, tossing four innings, and could perhaps get the ball again in the coming days. Drew Smyly has plenty of starting experience but has been in a relief role this year. Top pitching prospect Cade Horton is shut down with a subscapularis strain and unavailable at the moment. Thomas Pannone, Dan Straily and Kyle McGowin are in the system on minor league deals and stretched out in the minors, though none of that trio currently has a roster spot.
As for Almonte, he’s been on the injured list since May 8 due to a shoulder strain. This transfer means he can’t be reinstated until 60 days from that date, which would be July 7. He wasn’t going to be ready before then anyhow. A few days ago, manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Almonte would be getting a second opinion after hitting a wall in his recovery attempts. “We’re just not progressing,” Counsell said, per Montemurro on X. “We have to find out whether medically there’s something we have to address or we have to take a different path on the rehab.”
Looks like Jed is a seller.
Maybe a small sell. Definitely not a full fire sale. Especially only a year after the rebuild ended. No one is gonna want Bellinger when he can opt out at seasons end.
His opt out would not stop him from being traded, if would only stop the Cubs from getting maximum value for him.
The rebuild has not ended and it’s going to start all over again when Jed hoyer gets fired after the season ends
Could the Cubs be sellers at the deadline now that they are last in the division and the roster hasn’t improved?
Trade bellinger so PCA completely has center? Trade other pieces?
Hey now, the Reds are trying their best to beat the Cubbies for last place!! Sad because I follow the Reds and the combination of three guys missing time this year, poor follow-up seaons by the platooners and just a questionable FO, has led to the Reds having a wet noodle sort of lineup from about 5-9.
Bellinger would be a salary dump more than anything. He’s not worth what he’s getting paid. The Cubs don’t have anything of value to sell.
I was surprised to hear they had such few assets to sell until I read an analysis on it.. The pieces they could move arent playing well or have terrible contracts (too much money or messy options). Too bad, so sad.
Tom Ricketts loves jed too much to fire him. Borderline in love with him.
Even if he is fired a completely tear down would be asinine.
If the Cubs wanted to deal Bellinger, they could make something creative in terms of money and player(s) to be named later.
When the Cubs traded Rizzo to the Yankees, they are his entire remaining contract, the Cubs could do something similar with Bellinger (for this season) and then agree to pay x amount of Bellinger money if he opts into his deal, similar to the Rockies and Arenado, but the Cubs get additional prospects back in return.
I don’t know much about the Yankees farm system but a similar return to the Rizzo deal seems like a fair comp.
I think that Bellinger to the Yankees makes so much sense if the Cubs fall even more behind by the ASB. Ben Rice and JD Davis is not a playoff 1B solution if Rizzo is cooked. They can figure out the money so that it’s somewhat neutral depending on Bellinger’s option decisions. And being slotted into that lineup and ballpark will pump up his numbers to the point that barring injury he will decline the option and try to get a 5/150 type of deal on the open market without a QO. I forget what Goldschmidt’s deal was, but with a good second half and no QO Bellinger can get that in the open market.
Losing Assad is the last thing they needed right now. I watched a Cubs Mets game he pitched he got knocked around but only because he was getting squeezed by the plate ump his control is really really good. As far as the Cubs go I think they’re headed towards sellers even with a pitiful NL wildcard race. But it’ll be a great year to be a seller given how few clear sellers there will be and the Cubs having a few players teams will covet like a Bellinger as previously mentioned. With PCA a stud of a defender in center maybe the best in MLB Bellinger has greater value elsewhere. I don’t see a lengthy rebuild needed they should sell expiring contract veterans for near major league ready players. A starter to replace a guy who’s fallen off like Hendricks would make a big difference. But again Assad was a great find I won’t say he’s Maddux but he has a similar type skillset. Nice to see a guy who knows how to pitch again
yeah, that game was ridiculous…he pitched way better than his final line showed. (though the ump was awful on both sides…robo umps now!!!)
Too bad the Cubs really don’t have anyone to sell.
Bellinger is not going to bring back much in return. They could probably deal Nico for a fairly decent package of prospects, maybe they could deal Tailon, maybe Happ or Suzuki would be willing to waive their NTC but I think trading Suzuki would hurt the Cubs chances of signing the kid from Japan next year. Aside from that, who do you deal? Try to trade up on Wesneski? Maybe if Hendricks is vintage you can deal him? Maybe if Neris corrects himself you can deal him but the fact is the Cubs could be sellers with nothing to sell.
drasco, Hoerner is the one tradeable guy where they don’t have a decent replacement for him. Look at the dreck that played 2B when he had to move to SS for Swanson’s injury.
Eight of their thirteen best pitchers are on the IL – three relievers and five starters (I’m including Horton and Killian here as they are better than most of the current relievers). I’d look into trading Taillon, he has a 10 team NTC but we don’t know if it’s 10 playoff teams or 10 cellar dwellers.
The Yankees have resorted to JD Davis at 1B. There has to be a creative way to trade them Bellinger and get back at least a AA starting pitcher. Sure Bellinger has player options, but let’s face it the Yankees aren’t going to start 2025 with Ben Rice as their everyday 1B. So if Bellinger exercises his 2025 option it’s not the end of the world for the Yankees. And Bellinger should hit better tucked into the Yankee lineup, which will encourage Scott Boras to yell at him to go back into free agency without a QO this time.
The Cubs have two guys who could step in for Hoerner, Shaw and Triantos. Maybe not immediately but both seem like they could be given a look at the majors at some point next season.
But Shaw is going to have to step in at 3B, and Triantos is about as good as a defender as Morel.
Not if the Cubs target a 3rd baseman in free agency or even trade.
Also, Morel is a fairly decent second baseman. It’s the only position he plays relatively well defensively.
You mean he didn’t get the outside balls called strikes? can’t complain when an ump calls it right, just because other umps give it to you.
Nobody left to pitch! looks like a bad place to face my Brewers this weekend. Good Luck!
Eek, Assad has done well this year. He was squeezed in his last start–that ump was scr*wing both pitchers left and right.
But can someone, anyone, explain to me why mastrobuoni (sp?) is in the bigs? I mean, he pinch-hit yesterday lololol! There is really no one better in the minors??? If so, that is an indictment of their system. Cubs have really disappointed this year. That middle defense with Swanson, Hoerner, and PCA is the best in MLB period, but no catcher, little hitting, and a terrible bullpen…. Someone should be looking over his shoulder about right now (and it is not CC).
Mastrobuoni is here because he’s on the 40 man roster, No other reason. The REAL question is why are Mastrobuoni, Madrigal, Wisdom, Bote, Brewer STILL ON the 40 man roster? The prosecution rests.
Mike, some of their decisions at AAA baffle me. They can’t give one of their AAA outfielders reps at 1B so they’d be more valuable to come up as a bench piece? And why isn’t Vazquez playing 3B every day so that if they are sellers in July that he can come up and play 5 days a week and see what they have? I’m supposed to care about Matt Mervis and BJ Murray???? Send Mervis to Korea already where he will thrive and hopefully have an Eric Thames-type return and make a few $million in a few years.
This confuses me as well, not the Wisdom and/or Bote but why didn’t we DFA Mastrobuoni and bring in Ali Sanchez as a third catcher?
Catcher has killed us offensively all season, we can’t option Amaya and he still has enough upside not to expose him to waivers but he is borderline unplayable. IMO, and I’m in no way a huge three catcher guy, the Cubs should have had Sanchez brought up and push Amaya to the bench for more development as a receiver.
Well Vasquez is injured right now, Not badly but he’s not playing much if at all. BJ Murray is trying to hit homers and his AVG. has plummeted. But that’s what the new baseball is about I guess. Nobody cares if you strike out 5oo times if you hit HR’s. I don’t get it but it’s been trending that way for years. Murray would be a perfect Part Time Player, A SH with power but they ruined him. He’s Candelario 2.0. Guys are stuck because players aren’t moving up because the Iowa OF is stuck behind Veterans. Something has to give. Did anyone see the disgust on Steele’s face when Suzuki dropped that Fly Ball in S.F.? He’s no big time OF for sure. He’s made a lot of Gaffes out there that have cost games. He should be the one being taken out for defense in the last few innings.
Drascoo keeps saying it’s no problem to trade guys with NMC’s, It happens all the time. Well I say it’s time to make it happen. Hoyer is too emotionally attached to some of his boys. He doesn’t have the guts to pull the trigger. His plan of doing bullpen by piecemeal has finally blown up in his face. For every smart FA move he’s made, He’s made 2 bad ones. Sorry but that’s just the way it is. The Sheep still think he’ll figure it out. I’m not so sure. I’m finally starting to see articles around town who agree with me. That are saying maybe it’s time to move on. You can move him up because he’s not a bad guy or a bad exec. But maybe he’s a bad GM. And Hawkins is…..,What exactly? Clone? Answer? No idea.
I’m still not ready to sell because I really think this offense will get rolling but I fear Hoyer waited too long to address the bullpen so it won’t really matter.
I really think Happ and Suzuki have came back strong since their injuries, in June, both have OPS’s over .800. I also think Nico has been hurt and maybe a little distracted by losing his leadoff spot to a career fourth outfielder/fringe major leaguer who hit awful for two straight months. Swanson always starts slow, Busch adjusted to the way pitchers were pitching him and has looked really good. Morel had a ton of bad luck but I would still consider dealing him for a true third baseman. Bellinger has also been pretty hot lately.
The biggest issue of course has been their bullpen and why Hoyer didn’t do something to address it before is beyond my comprehension. They may get better, mathematically they cannot get much worse, but still they have a clear need for middle reliever help and the back end of the bullpen.
Anyway, I still think it’s a good team with a bad bullpen that’s been compounded by some epically bad luck/bad management.
Assad looked so good for 2 months
Assad has a 3.01 ERA in a little over a season worth of starts over his career. He’s effective at hitting his spots, changing speeds and knowing when to be aggressive.
Steele and Assad are pretty similar pitcher in the sense that neither have great “stuff” at initial glance but they know how to attack hitters, change each offering slightly so they are difficult to square up and are aggressive when they need to be.
The bullpen is the anti-Steele/Assad. Guys have great stuff but cannot control it. The pen would improve greatly if they would just learn to be more aggressive in the zone.
For the Cubs at this point-It’s 4th and 25 and you’re inside your own 10 yard line. Just punt and hope for a good wind behind it.
As far as selling? No one should be untouchable on this team. If pushed I would say Justin Steele. Move Happ and Suzuki for sure. Belli can go as well. So can Hoerner. No one’s taking Swanson. He’s is the most disappointing of them all. Obviously, easier said than done considering no trade clauses, opt outs, current salaries and performance. This is a boring, seemingly unmotivated team. It’s more exciting watching my two hound dogs chasing rabbits in my back yard.
Cubs not to embrace a fire sale. Move on from Bellinger, and dare I say Happ and Seiya (although they probably could not move them easily, if at all). They have a slew of AAA Of’s that appear ready to go.
While we’re at it, bring up Ballesteros and see if he can be a full time C. And you may as well bring up Shaw and plug him in everyday at 3B.
Lets’s get the 2025 core together now. This team isn’t going anywhere.
I am so enjoying the downfall of this team, even as a loyal fan since I was 5 yrs old in 1966. As long as the Ricketts are funding and supporting a convicted felon, rapist, tax cheat, insurrectionist and twice impeached fraudster who wants to destroy Democracy, I hope they never win again. Ever. I have worked with the Cubs on various projects for over 20 years and as conservative as the Tribune Co. was, they were decent business people to deal with. Current ownership are not decent, honorable people. Complete POS, all of them.
Love this post! It’s right on !
What jhanley really means is the Ricketts won’t buy his art when the Tribune Co would.