The Cubs sent reliever Keegan Thompson outright to Triple-A Iowa earlier this week, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Chicago had designated the right-hander for assignment as they set their roster for the Tokyo Series.
Thompson had a tough Spring Training, surrendering three runs (all on solo homers) across 4 2/3 innings. He was one of a number of Cubs relievers who had exhausted their minor league options. His underwhelming camp squeezed him off the roster in favor of another out-of-options arm, Julian Merryweather, and non-roster invitee Brad Keller.
A former third-round pick, Thompson has pitched in parts of four big league seasons. He owns a solid 3.64 earned run average across 104 career appearances. That includes a 2.67 mark through 30 1/3 innings last year. Thompson posted an impressive 28.3% strikeout rate in that time, but he also handed out free passes at an alarming 14.2% clip.
Evidently no team was willing to carry Thompson in their middle relief group. As a player with between three and five years of major league service time, he’d need to relinquish his salary if he wanted to decline the outright assignment in favor of free agency. Thompson and the Cubs agreed to an $850K deal for his first year of arbitration eligibility. It’s likely he’ll report to Iowa to retain that salary.
Alan53 must be happy about this.
Yeah, I don’t know why the Cubs had to pick on Kenan Thompson, but they did.
@bucket
Because almost-Kenan Thompson has good numbers against almost -Kel Mitchell (Cal Mitchell), who is 0-7 with 3Ks against him.
I see I’ve made some friends. Actually, Thompson was DFA’d a week ago, so this isn’t really news. But you didn’t know about that, did you, Meat?
Every time one of you trashes me with a dumb remark like Steinbrenner’s, you’re tacitly admitting I’m right: There are no black faces on the Cubs, and it is weird and troubling. It is un-righteous, and it is also bad baseball.
In other news, it was an emotional moment a while ago: After giving up a home run to Eugenio Suarez, Steele committed his first AGH of the season. He led the league in that last season.
“Black faces”? Do you mean players?
Yes, and you know that. You are intentionally misunderstanding my locution as racist. But that’s the current tactic of those who want to maintain the status quo: the exposer of racism gets called racist for bringing the matter up. The fact that there are no black PLAYERS on the Cubs thus gets deflected.
Do you really think I am not smart enough to see what you are doing? Do you really think I am enough of a coward to be afraid of you?
Do you really think we care?
A few of you seem to care too much…I am amazed that my (or anyone’s) opinions get so many comments. The meanness doesn’t surprise me–I read the papers–but the attention does.
Comments of a racial nature will always bring more comments which is probably why you consistently do it. Because you make it almost 10 times a day without any actual proof. What you say can just as easily be chalked up as dumb player assessments than of a racial nature. Because Hoyer is an idiot.
Maybe–no proof, as you say–but aren’t the patterns suggestive?
Also, as I’ve often written but no one, even you, seem to register it–I’m not saying H is a frothing Klansman; I’m saying he seems to be a kind of “soft” racist. He subliminally seems to associate character, dependability, team play, etc., with an affluent white background. He reflects systemic racism, as so many of us do in our various spheres of life. And it is both bad morality and bad baseball, because he narrows the pool of players to draw on for the Cubs.
I don’t think that analysis is outrageous or even controversial. Or even interpretative. It is an obvious conclusion to draw from the makeup of the roster and the 40-man decisions and trade decisions he makes.
You do it to incite arguments, Then complain when you get them? Just admit it.
No. That’s not true. I do it because it hurts my heart that this is true of my team. I have loved the Cubs for a long time.
I think you are willfully misunderstanding me. In any case, I can’t express myself more clearly, so farewell.
@ Alan
“Do you really think I am enough of a coward to be afraid of you?”
um…. YES… LOL
Keep hiding behind your computer screen AL
Get over yourself. Nobody cares about your self-righteousness.
He’ll always have SNL
And Good Burger.
Or In and Out and now back in?
and Keegan and Kel
Nothing to do with any of this but why doesn’t Counsell set the batting order the way it should be? The Cubs were stumping about until PCA came up and started things moving. Should be PCA-Hoerner-Tucker-Happ-Suzuki-Busch-Swanson-Shaw-Catcher. Ray Charles can see the Cubs need the speed at the top. 8 million a year for this? LOL
Uncle–I know where you are going and it will get there— eventually—you can have all the speed in the world at the top–but if it doesn’t get on base, they all walk back to the dugout at the same clip.
PCA just isn’t ready to be at the top yet—he doesn’t take a lot of pitches, he doesn’t walk, and still has less than 450 plate appearances at the major league level. Not walking, getting on base at a .275 clip and batting in the .230 range isn’t leadoff material. Get him another 550-600 at bats this year and let’s see where he is at.
I do like your lineup construction—I’m a little old school and prefer my best player at #3, but have accepted the move to that guy batting #2 where Tucker has been.
What I do know is the Cubs offense looked pathetic until there were 2 outs in the 2nd inning, PCA walked, Stole 2nd then drove Gallen crazy forcing 3 walks and then the Cubs had 3 runs and the lead. That’s what I saw. What did you see? LOL
I guess I saw that PCA must be perfect in the 7th hole and that Happ guy in the leadoff spot drove in those runs with a double and hit a homer later and walked. LOL.
I said I do like your lineup construction (and maybe even agree) but with the lineup of actual baseball knowledge being:
1. Unclemike
2. Craig Counsell
3. Me
I will defer and just keep cheering for what comes up on my TV or at Wrigley next week.
Got that game back on the Brewers, Pirates and Reds yesterday so, all in all, good day.
Enjoy today.
What I see is Swanson has no business in the 5 hole. PCA and Hoerner don’t belong in the 6th and 7th hole and can cause pitcher destruction at the top of the line up. Tucker and Happ will get way more RBI’s with those 2 guys hitting in front of them. makes the Cubs line up perfect L-R until you get to 8-9 which you can change by tossing in Workman and make it perfect. If Tucker is the hero you all think he is doesn’t he need the most RBI opportunities on the team? I’ll keep watching what they put out there, But I don’t have to agree with everything I see. And when I don’t I’ll be glad to say so. I guess you’re happy since you keep paying for those season tickets, I only pay for Marquee during baseball season so your expenditure is much more than mine. So enjoy the odd and weird decisions, I’ll just keep beating my drum. Enjoy yourself and keep being led around and enjoy Tucker for his one year, They paid way too big a price for a 1 year rental to let him knock in hardly any runs. Blast off! LMAO
I’m glad to see you blowing the whistle on Swanson. My sophisticated, nuanced, analytic, sabermetric opinion of Swanson is: he can’t hit.(He is a good shortstop, probably their best since Don Kessinger.)
Yes. PCA should lead off.
Is he the fat dumpy dude from SNL that does the autotrade ad or jordan peeles partner
Really nice. I hope things work out for him. Iowa’s not a demotion—it’s a lab. They’re tweaking his grip or release to cut walks to 10%, pushing his K-BB% into elite territory (18-20%). A reliever with that profile—say, 60 innings, 2.50 ERA—nets 1.5 WAR, minimum. By mid-2025, he’s either a lockdown setup man or trade bait for a bat Chicago needs.
I love the optimism on Keegan Thompson’s outright to Iowa—calling it a lab is a perfect spin. You’re spot on that trimming that walk rate could unlock something special. His 28.3% K-rate last year was legit tasty (84th percentile among relievers with 30+ IP), but that 14.2% BB-rate was a glaring red flag (bottom 10%). If the Cubs’ pitching gurus can tweak his grip or release and get those free passes down to 10%, you’re looking at a K-BB% jumping from 14 around 14% last year to 18-20% like you said—straight-up elite territory for a reliever.
Your 60 innings, 2.50 ERA, 1.5 WAR projection is chef’s kiss—right in line with what a setup guy with those ratios could deliver. Last year, relievers with a K-BB% north of 18% and 60+ innings averaged around 1.4 WAR, so your math checks out. If Thompson pulls this off by mid-2025, he’s absolutely a lockdown 8th-inning guy or prime trade fodder for a bat—maybe a corner slugger to mash at Wrigley. Iowa’s his proving ground now. Can’t wait to see the Statcast data on his next stint!
Yes Keegan still has a good chance at being a very effective pitcher. I’m so glad we were able to keep him in the organization
If he gets called back up and needs to be sent down again can they do that?
Out of options and they’d have to add him to the 40 man roster again.
And waive him again to send him back down. Then nobody would have to claim him again. But his salary would then be less depending on when.
Cubs: you’re being sent down
Thompson: oOoOoOo-wee, what up with that, what’s up with that
It’s his birthday…… Birthday…,….. Birthday
Buckle up Cubs nation gonna be a fun summer and October.
GOOD NEWS !!
This will leave him more time for his regular job on SNL
And, of course, all of those TV Commercials he does.
Cubs are in mid season form already- no hitting with baserunners and in the clutch. Should be buried by Memorial Day if they were in decent division.