The Cubs reached agreement with reliever Zach Pop on a minor league contract, according to Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register. The right-hander was assigned to Triple-A Iowa.
Pop is on his fourth organization of the season. He has bounced between the Blue Jays, Mariners and Mets. Pop was on the injured list with Toronto and combined for five outings between Seattle and New York. He was tagged for 12 runs (11 earned) including four homers in 6 2/3 innings. Pop is out of minor league options, so teams couldn’t afford to give him much rope when he was struggling to that extent.
The 28-year-old has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons. He threw 48 1/3 frames for the Jays last year, working to a 5.59 ERA with a well below-average 15.8% strikeout percentage. Pop doesn’t have huge swing-and-miss stuff, but he sits around 96 MPH with his sinker and has posted a 55% ground-ball rate in his MLB career. He carries a 3.71 ERA in 80 career Triple-A innings.
Its clear from this move the Cubs saw a need in the pen and wanted to fill it. Good for them. This should help them get over the hump.
#championship
I detect sarcasm
I like his music. He did a pretty good job plying the open.
Opry^
Brewers have to counter. Should be interesting. Who says Hoyer doesn’t have stones, now?!!! …….
Cubs look soft today without Tucker in the lineup and Reece McGuire at C. Colin Rea got nailed too.
They need Amaya back.
Surprised Ballesteros hasnt gotten another look. Cassie hitting in AAA. Jonathan Long looks like he can hit some and they have him at 3B on Fangraphs.
Bieber could be a high risk high reward add. They should grab Houser from the White Sox too for some depth. We’ll take a look at Long. Houser for Long sounds like a good trade for the ChiSox.
The Cubs have looked flat lately. Some of the things that have been working up to now are not working as well. The Brewers are in their heads too, I think; it is kind of amazing how the Brewers can string together hits the way they have been lately.
Hoyer needs to make the kind of move that adds energy to an offense. Remember when they got Castellanos at the deadline a few years ago, and he carried them for a while? Or when they got Daniel Murphy and he did the same? Hoyer needs to make a move like that.
And it would be good if he did it sooner than the last hour before the deadline. They have 6 tough games before that, against a White Sox team that is much better than the one they faced in May, and then the Brewers. I’m not saying it will happen, but they might get buried as far as the division goes by July 31.
Pop isn’t a bad minor-league add, btw. Not likely to be a difference-maker if he ever gets called up, but there’s really no downside to adding him at Iowa.
By the time the baseball calendar turns to September the cubs will be 5 games out even with pop on board.
Maybe by the time the calendar turns to August, Bruce. They have to play two hot teams between now and then.
It’s still to early to bury the Wisdom-Bote Era of Cubs baseball as August approaches. Too soon.
He’s on a mission to play for all 30 teams this year
Throw hard and always find work, no matter how bad you are.
Zach Pop is very useful. When you are losing 8-0 in the third inning, you bring him in. He can toas an inning or two of batting practice. Otherwise if you are in the 8th inning and winning 12-0 he might be able to get 3 outs against Pittsburgh or the White Sox.
Have a look at what the White Sox offense has been doing lately, Rob. It’s time to stop using them as a sort of archetype or byword for awfulness. They aren’t anymore.
At least this is the last time this season we have to read Alan tell us that Chicken Little has arrived again because the Cubs are playing the White Sox.
What is the purpose of this signing? One terrible stat after another, and 3 other organizations already dropped him.
With upcoming trade deadline this is backfill for Iowa. With any trade made, if not included in the deal, guys like Kriske, Neely, Flexen, Roberts, Holowell and a few others become instant DFA and free agent possibilities.
Just a minor signing to refill depth chart area in the late teens or twenties.
Same as all Hoyers other pitching signings. Stuff Iowa with pitchers to take innings away from prospects who might actually amount to something. You know like other clubs do. Cubs baby their prospects no end because they look pretty at Iowa I guess. God forbid they bring one up and you know, Give them a chance or something. Cubs pitchers don’t get injured in the minors. Because it’s hard to get injured when you don’t play.
Not Zach Poop. Sorry Cubs fans
An embarrassing signing, have fun watching the playoffs.
What is going with Luke Little? It seems like they have no use for him.