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Cubs Release Brandon Morrow

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The Cubs have released right-handed hurler Brandon Morrow, according to the latest transactions report from Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. He had been with the organization on a minor-league deal.

This would appear to bring an end to the saga of Morrow’s tenure with the Cubs. He had already wrapped up a two-year deal that began with immense promise and ended in disappointment. An attempted comeback this season ran into trouble from the jump, as Morrow was sidelined early in camp with a calf injury.

Soon to turn 36, Morrow last threw in the majors in the first half of the 2018 season. But it sounds as if he’s still hoping to take another crack at getting his roller-coaster career back on track with another organization. Morrow is presently recovering from a “minor nerve procedure,” per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link), but will attempt to play in 2020.

It may seem like an unlikely quest, but it’s worth remembering just how good Morrow was when last we saw him. In 30 2/3 innings for the Cubs, he racked up 22 saves and allowed just five earned runs with a 31:9 K/BB ratio. When he first experienced mid-season forearm issues, the hope was that he’d only be out for a brief stretch. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case.

Morrow’s entire career has been marked by ups and downs, with health generally playing a significant role. The former fifth overall pick showed ample talent at times with the Mariners and Blue Jays, but never consistently delivered results while dealing with intermittent arm problems. He had some moments in a halting attempt to get back in a groove with the Padres, but only managed to throw 49 innings over two seasons.

It all finally seemed to come together with the Dodgers in 2017, as Morrow emerged as a late-inning force over the course of the season and through a run to the World Series. The L.A. organization came to rely upon him heavily, calling upon him for 13 2/3 innings over the postseason — including appearances in every single contest of the seven-game World Series. Morrow answered the bell repeatedly, outside of a Game 5 blip. While that showing ultimately earned Morrow a two-year, $21MM deal, it may also have set the stage for the eventual recurrence of the arm issues that had limited him earlier in his career.

Cubs Add Hernan Perez To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Cubs have added veteran infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez to their 60-man player pool, bringing their total number up to 51. He’ll report to Wrigley Field to work out with the team’s infielders tomorrow, tweets Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

Perez, 29, has seen action in parts of eight big league seasons and is likely a familiar name for many Cubs fans after spending the past five seasons as a heavily used utility piece for the division-rival Brewers. The versatile Perez suited up for 572 games with Milwaukee, hitting .258/.288/.400 in just over 1700 plate appearances dating back to the 2015 season.

A poor walk rate has weighed down Perez’s on-base percentage throughout his career, but he’s shown off some modest pop and plenty of speed since establishing himself with the Brewers. That includes a 13-homer, 34-steal season back in 2016 (despite tallying just 430 plate appearances that year). Perez hasn’t approached those stolen-base levels since, but he still checked in with above-average speed in 2019, per Statcast.

On the other side of the ball, Perez has played everywhere on the field with the exception of catcher — including 7 1/3 innings of mop-up work on the mound (where he’s allowed six runs on 10 hits and four walks with three strikeouts). He’s been above-average at both third base and second base in his career, per Defensive Runs Saved, and while he’s not a good defender at shortstop he can at least handle the position should a need arise.

Perez isn’t on the 40-man roster and would need to be added if he’s to emerge as a legitimate Major League option in 2020. But given the expanded rosters early in the season and his ability to effectively play anywhere that manager David Ross asks, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him log some big league time at Wrigley Field in 2020.

NL Central Notes: Cubs, Castellanos, Holt

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The Cubs were among the many teams experiencing delays in COVID-19 testing, as today’s results from this weekend’s batch of tests were late to arrive, writes Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times. The delay proved to be brief, and general manager Jed Hoyer told the media this afternoon that all of the team’s tests came back negative. That’s obviously good news for the organization, though they’ll need to continue with caution and Hoyer acknowledged that they’ll likely be faced with positive results at some point.

With that in mind, Hoyer understandably opted not to discuss the possibility of extensions for core players or any trade that might eventually be on the horizon (Twitter link via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune). “At this point, our focus is on making sure this season is operating effectively,” Hoyer said. The Cubs have a number of potential extension candidates — Javier Baez and Kris Bryant among them — and could very arguably use some rotation help following Jose Quintana’s injury. There are obviously more pressing issues for the Cubs and other teams at the moment as they prioritize health-and-safety protocols in the buildup to this year’s shortened season.

More from the NL Central…

  • The designated hitter will be implemented in the National League for at least the 2020 season, but Reds slugger Nicholas Castellanos made clear this week that he hopes to remain in the outfield on a regular basis rather than serve a a primary DH (link via John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer). “I don’t want to DH,” Castellanos plainly stated. “…I like being in National League where I get to play defense every day. A goal of mine is to become a better and better defender every year that I play – every game that I play is probably a more appropriate answer.” Castellanos went on to note that he’d of course play wherever skipper David Bell asked him to on a given day, and he spoke optimistically about the Reds’ chances in 2020. At least occasional time at DH seems likely for Castellanos and others, though; the Reds have him, Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, Shogo Akiyama, Aristides Aquino, Phil Ervin and Scott Schebler all in the mix for outfield reps.
  • Brewers infielder Brock Holt tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that like many other players, he’s not particularly comfortable playing in 2020. However, Holt also feels that given his contractual status — he’s on a one-year deal after facing a surprisingly tepid market in free agency this past winter — he has little choice but to suit up if he hopes to continue playing. “If I didn’t play, it would be hard for me to find a job next year,” says Holt, who is making the difficult decision to leave his pregnant wife and child in Texas for three months rather than bring them to Milwaukee. “…If I was in a different situation contractually, it’s definitely something I would have considered with my wife being pregnant.”

Kris Bryant Not Comfortable About 2020 Season

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Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant has become the game’s latest superstar to voice his apprehension over a potential 2020 Major League Baseball campaign. Speaking to Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times and other reporters Monday, Bryant stated in regards to MLB’s COVID-19 testing problems: ‘‘What we agreed to was testing every day. We have had guys here that showed up on Sunday and hadn’t gotten tested again seven days later. And then you don’t get the results for two days, either, so that’s nine days without knowing. And I think if we really want this to succeed, we’re going to have to figure this out.”

Jose Quintana Undergoes Thumb Surgery

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Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana underwent surgery on his left thumb, the team announced today. According to the team’s press release, Quintana suffered a laceration on his left thumb last week while washing dishes at home. The cut required five stitches, and Quintana ultimately required microscopic surgery to “further determine the extent of his injury.”

“The procedure identified a lacerated digital sensory nerve in his left thumb,” according to the Cubs. Quintana will be shut down from throwing for two weeks, and the team will make a further determination on his timetable for a return at that point.

It now seems likely that the ultra-durable Quintana will open the season on the injured list. Remarkably, that’d be the first IL stint ever for Quintana, who has averaged 32 starts and 193 innings per season since becoming a full-time starter in the Majors.

Quintana, 31, would’ve headed into the season hoping for a rebound campaign of sorts after struggling to a career-worst 4.68 ERA last season. The lefty was perhaps hampered, to an extent, by a .326 average on balls in play (career .304 BABIP) and even more so by a career-low 65.9 percent strand rate, which resulted in a more optimistic 3.80 FIP. That said, Quintana has turned in three straight years of an ERA north of 4.00, so a return to his 2013-16 form might not be realistic to expect, either.

The timing of the injury is particularly poor for Quintana, as he’s slated to become a free agent for the first time at season’s end. If he’s able to make it back to the mound in relatively short order, it’s possible that the injury won’t have much of an impact at all. Its fluke nature shouldn’t create the same type of concern that might arise in the case of a more problematic elbow or shoulder issue. But if Quintana misses a substantial portion of the season or struggles due to ongoing complications from an injury in his pitching thumb, he’ll head into what could already be a bleak free-agent landscape for players with some unwelcome red flags. There’s already been widespread speculation that owners will look to recoup some of this year’s revenue losses by scaling back free-agent spending, and entering the open market with any type of injury issue would only exacerbate matters.

As for the Cubs, if Quintana is to miss time early in the year, they’ll need to get creative or hope for some unexpected production from their already thin stockpile of rotation depth. Yu Darvish, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks are locked in atop the rotation, and the team was already hoping for a rebound from righty Tyler Chatwood in the final season of his ill-fated free agent deal (three years, $38MM). Now, unproven Alec Mills becomes the favorite to take over the fifth rotation spot — barring any sort of outside addition.

There are still some unsigned veterans whom the Cubs could pursue on affordable deals — Tyson Ross, Marco Estrada, Clay Buchholz, Jason Vargas, Matt Harvey and Andrew Cashner among them — and teams are now free to trade once again. However, the Cubs have shied away from substantial spending in recent offseasons, and we’re less than a month removed from owner Tom Ricketts’ latest public comments about lack of resources and profitability in the game. A major financial addition doesn’t seem likely, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cubs pick up some depth. The team only included 50 players in its initial player pool submission, so there are as many as 10 spots to work with (plus another if Quintana requires a lengthy IL trip).

Cubs Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy Details COVID Bout

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Players and staff members are reporting today in order to re-launch the 2020 season. The first order of business will be coronavirus check-in testing.

One important member of the Cubs organization won’t be anxiously awaiting the results of his test. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy has already endured a bout with COVID-19, he tells 670 The Score’s Mully and Haugh (h/t Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, via Twitter).

While Hottovy is no longer positive for the virus, he says he is still not fully back to himself. He’s through the worst of it, which required some time in the hospital, but is still struggling with lung function and cardiovascular fitness.

In yet another reminder of how insidious this particular disease can be, Hottovy says he had acted quite cautiously in public before coming down with it. Fortunately, he was able to self-isolate and avoid transmitting it to his family.

Hottovy was able to work with Cubs pitchers remotely even while battling the infection, so he’s ready to hit the ground running. He says the organization’s hurlers worked hard during the lockdown and should be well-prepared to tackle the 2020 campaign.

Hoyer On Cubs’ Roster Plan

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Like all of their competitors, the Cubs have just launched into a whole new world of roster management with the introduction of a 60-man player pool for the 2020 season. The Chicago organization elected to open with just fifty slots filled — a decision that GM Jed Hoyer discussed with reporters including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. (Links below to Twitter.)

Different teams took differing approaches, with the Cubs among those wary of getting stuck with an over-stuffed 60-man unit. Hoyer says the Cubs elected to leave so many openings now to remain nimble as an unusual season unfolds. The idea is to have capacity to add depth as needed in a 60-game sprint. Ensuring adequate support for the active MLB roster is obviously the top priority, but Hoyer did note that the Cubs may ultimately add some more prospects to the pool for developmental reasons.

[RELATED: Explaining The 2020 MLB Roster Rules]

Of course, it may ultimately also be necessary to have prospects on the 60-man in order to structure deals for big league talent. Hoyer plainly believes there’s quite a lot of uncertain waters yet to be navigated. “I just don’t think we know what this is going to be like,” he said when asked about the August 31st trade deadline. 60-man pool flexibility could come in handy if the Cubbies end up being active in dealmaking, which Hoyer left open as a possibility. He says “it’s way too early to tell” how much mid-season player movement we’ll experience.

At the moment, anyway, it doesn’t seem the Cubs are holding spots open for any particular targets from outside the organization. Hoyer says the team is “not down the road” on bringing in any new talent.

That’s true even though the team now has a previously unknown need: filling out a DH spot. Flexibility will be the name of the game there as well, Hoyer indicates. While some National League clubs have added veteran hitters, the Chicago GM says his team intends to utilize its existing depth. Hoyer says the Cubs can manage the position in “a lot of different ways.” He specifically mentioned the possibility of rotating outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Stephen Souza and catchers Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini through the DH slot.

MLB, MLBPA Still Discussing Vesting Options, Retention Bonuses

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The length of the season, prorated salaries and protocols for health and safety are finally all set in place, but Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are still negotiating the manner in which contractual options, performance incentives/bonuses and escalator clauses will be handled, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).

Fortunately, an agreement is believed to be “within reach,” per Rosenthal. The league had initially sought to prorate the value of 2021 options using the same formula as 2020 salaries, although the MLBPA obviously pushed back against that notion. There’s still some debate over the handling of vesting options — particularly those that are triggered by reaching a set number of games pitched or plate appearances over the life of multiple seasons. The two sides also must determine how those options would be treated in the event that the season is canceled at any point due to health concerns.

There aren’t too many vesting options in MLB this year, although some of the notable ones include:

  • Jon Lester, LHP, Cubs: Lester’s $25MM mutual option ($10MM buyout) for the 2021 season would become guaranteed with 200 innings pitched in a normal season.
  • J.A. Happ, LHP, Yankees: Happ’s $17MM club option for the 2021 season would’ve become guaranteed upon making 27 starts or totaling 165 innings in 2020.
  • Andrew Miller, LHP, Cardinals: Miller’s $12MM club option for 2021 would have been guaranteed if he totaled 110 games between 2019-20. As Rosenthal explores, there are various ways to interpret how many more games he’d need to pitch to trigger that option — some more beneficial to Miller and others to the Cardinals.
  • Charlie Morton, RHP, Rays: Morton’s option is another that comes with a multi-year criteria. His contract calls for a $15MM club option in 2021 if he spends fewer than 30 days on the injured list between 2019-20. The option value decreases if he spends additional time on the injured list. Morton avoided the IL entirely last year. Unlike Miller, who surely hopes the number of appearances he needs to make in 2020 can be prorated, it’d be beneficial to Morton for that number (30) to remain as is. That seems unlikely, but the disparity between the clauses of Miller and Morton illustrates that this isn’t exactly straightforward for the player side. The value of his option
  • Kelvin Herrera, RHP, White Sox: Herrera, too, needed 110 games between 2019-20 for his $10MM club option to become guaranteed. He pitched in 57 games last year, leaving him 53 shy of his target.
  • Wade Davis, RHP, Rockies: Davis’ $15MM mutual option would’ve converted to a $15MM player option in the event that he finished 30 games. He’d only need to finish out 11-12 games in the shortened 2020 season if the two sides go with a strictly prorated interpretation of the qualifiers.
  • Bryan Shaw, RHP, Rockies: Shaw has the same 110-game target for 2019-20 that Miller and Herrera have. He pitched 70 times in 2019 and needed just 40 appearances in 2020 to lock in a $9MM salary for the 2021 campaign.
  • Jake McGee, LHP, Rockies: With 60 games pitched or 40 games finished in 2020, McGee would’ve locked in a $9MM salary for the 2021 season. His contract also allowed the option to vest with a with 110 games between 2019-20, but he only pitched in 45 contests last year.
  • Stephen Vogt, C, Diamondbacks: Vogt’s contract included a $3MM club option that not only vests but increases to a $3.5MM base upon starting 45 games and appearing n a total of 75 games overall.
  • Dee Gordon, 2B/SS/OF, Mariners: Gordon would’ve been guaranteed a $14MM salary for the 2021 season with 600 plate appearances this year. That, of course, was extremely unlikely in the first place, though.

Beyond those options, there are myriad escalator clauses throughout baseball that could be impacted by the shortened schedule. It’s fairly common for club options and/or future salaries to be boosted by steady performance — particularly among players returning from injury. Take Dellin Betances, for instance. His contract with the Mets calls for the value of next year’s $6MM player option to increase by $800K upon pitching in 40 games. He’d receive additional $1MM boosts to that figure for appearing in 50, 60 and 70 games apiece.

The league and the union are also still discussing potential retention bonuses for six-year veterans on non-guaranteed deals. In a typical year, any player with six-plus years of service who finished the preceding season on a 40-man roster qualifies as an Article XX(B) free agent. Such players must either be added to the 40-man roster, released five days prior to Opening Day or paid a $100K retention bonus to remain with the club in the minor leagues. Many players in that situation are released and quickly re-signed to a new minor league deal, but that won’t be possible in 2020 due to the fact that players who are removed from a team’s 60-man pool become ineligible to return to that team this season.

Cubs Announce Initial 60-Man Player Pool

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Today marks the deadline for teams to submit to Major League Baseball their initial spring training player pools, which can comprise up to 60 players. Players are not eligible to participate in either a spring training or regular season game until they are included in the pool. Teams are free to change the makeup of the pools as they see fit. However, players removed from a team’s 60-man (for reasons unrelated to injury, suspension, etc.) must be exposed to other organizations via trade or waivers.

Not all players within a team’s pool are ticketed for MLB playing time, of course. Most teams will include well-regarded but still far-off prospects as a means of getting them training reps with no intention of running them onto a major league diamond this season. A comprehensive review of 2020’s unique set of rules can be found here.

The Cubs’ initial player pool consists of the following 50 players….

Right-handed pitchers

Left-handed pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Cubs Sign Three Draft Picks

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The Cubs announced Thursday that they’ve signed three of their five picks from the 2020 amateur draft: left-hander Burl Carraway (second-round), left-hander Luke Little (fourth) and right-hander Koen Moreno (fifth). Chicago announced early this week that it had signed first-rounder Ed Howard, leaving only third-round pick Jordan Nwogu unsigned. Carraway received a $1.05MM bonus that checked in south of his No. 51 slot’s $1.44MM value, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Little’s $492,700 bonus matches his slot value, and Moreno’s $900K bonus is nearly triple his $367,900 slot value.

FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked Carraway 44th in this year’s draft class, touting the Dallas Baptist lefty’s power fastball/curveball combo. Carraway pitched just 9 1/3 innings before the season shut down this year, but he’s tallied 51 frames dating back to Opening Day 2019 and racked up 89 strikeouts with a 2.47 ERA along the way. He’s considered by virtually all scouting reports to be a pure reliever. Control (or lack thereof) is the biggest knock on the 6’0″, 173-pound Carraway — a concern that is evidenced by his 28 walks, a hit batter and 10 wild pitches since the beginning of the 2019 season. That red flag notwithstanding, he was a Top 100 draft prospect not only at FanGraphs but at MLB.com (49), ESPN (53), Baseball America (72) and The Athletic (90).

At 6’8″ and 250 pounds, the left-handed Little doesn’t really live up to his name, but he boasts an upper-90s heater that can surpass 100 mph. Like Carraway, he’s a left-handed reliever with some control issues but a promising arsenal of raw pitches. Signed out of San Jacinto Junior College in Texas, Little had been committed to South Carolina but will instead turn pro. Baseball America (121), FanGraphs (149) and MLB.com (166) all had him in the draft’s top 200 talents. In 44 1/3 innings of JuCo ball, he punched out 86 hitters but also issued an alarming 39 walks.

Moreno, the long high school draftee of today’s bunch, is a 6’2″, 170-pound righty with a four-pitch mix, including an 88-92 mph fastball and a changeup that both FanGraphs and BA tab as his best secondary pitch. BA listed him 128th, calling him a “projection arm in the true sense of the definition” thanks to room to fill out his frame, raw athleticism and natural spin on a pair of breaking pitches that still need refinement. He’d been committed to East Carolina but will join the Cubs on an over-slot deal.

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