Cubs Rumors

Mariners Option Jarred Kelenic, Claim Adrian Sampson

By Anthony Franco | May 13, 2022 at 3:04pm CDT

The Mariners announced this afternoon they’ve claimed right-hander Adrian Sampson off waivers from the Cubs. They’ve also selected outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the big leagues in place of Jarred Kelenic, who was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle also reinstated Sergio Romo from the 10-day injured list, optioned Danny Young and designated Stuart Fairchild and Yohan Ramirez for assignment to clear 40-man roster space for Sampson and Souza.

Kelenic’s demotion is the most notable of Seattle’s spate of moves. A former sixth overall pick and top prospect, Kelenic has yet to produce against big league pitching. He struggled to a .181/.265/.350 line over his first 377 MLB plate appearances last season, striking out in 28.1% of his trips while hitting only .216 on balls in play. The M’s surely hoped to see more from the left-handed hitting outfielder in the early going this season, but that hasn’t yet been the case.

Through 30 games, Kelenic owns just a .140/.219/.291 mark. The youngster has gone down on strikes 36 times while making contact on only 67.8% of his swings. That’s the 12th-lowest contact rate among 192 batters with at least 90 plate appearances, and the M’s have decided it’s time for a reset against Triple-A arms. It’s the second time in as many years that Kelenic has been optioned after scuffling against MLB pitching, but he responded well during a month-long stint in the minors last summer.

The timing of Kelenic’s latest option comes rather ironically as the M’s are headed to Queens for a weekend series with the Mets. New York, of course, originally drafted him and included him in the controversial Robinson Canó/Edwin Díaz swap. That looked to be a coup for Seattle given Kelenic’s prospect pedigree, but he’ll obviously need to perform better whenever the M’s bring him back to the big leagues. There’s plenty of time to do so, as he won’t turn 23 years old until July. Because of the canceled minor league season in 2020, the Wisconsin native has still only played 51 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Barring an exceptionally lengthy stint, the demotion doesn’t seem likely to affect his path to free agency after the 2027 season. Kelenic entered the year with 105 days of big league service; players are credited with a full service year for spending 172 days on an MLB roster or injured list. He’s accrued approximately 36 more days this year, meaning he needs to be in the majors for around a month more to surpass the one-year threshold in 2022. How long this stay in Tacoma lasts will no doubt be determined in large part by Kelenic’s performance there, but it’s hard to imagine the M’s keeping him down until September barring some major struggles against Triple-A pitching.

In the meantime, Seattle will turn to the veteran Souza with Julio Rodríguez, Jesse Winker and Dylan Moore as outfield options. The 33-year-old has gotten sporadic MLB time with the Cubs and Dodgers over the past couple years, but he hasn’t played a full season in the majors since 2017. Signed to a minor league deal in Spring Training, Souza has gotten off to an excellent start with the Rainiers. He’s hitting .267/.417/.533 with five homers and a massive 19.8% walk rate in 22 games. The 14-18 M’s will see if he can carry over that production against big league arms to inject some life into an outfield that has underwhelmed.

Fairchild was part of that outfield mix very briefly. The 26-year-old was acquired from the Diamondbacks for cash in late April and appeared in three games, going hitless in a trio of plate appearances. A Seattle native, Fairchild was a second-round pick of the Reds in 2017 and has been traded twice in his young career. The M’s will have a week to deal him again or try to run him through outright waivers.

That’s also true of Ramirez, who has pitched in the bigs over the past three seasons. The right-hander owns a 3.97 ERA in 56 2/3 career innings, striking out a strong 28.6% of opponents. He’s also walked 15.2% of batters faced, however, and he’d been tagged for three homers in his first seven outings this year. The Mariners elected to move on, but he works in the mid-90s and has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so it’s possible another club takes a chance on him.

In his place, they’ll bring aboard a multi-inning option from the Cubs. Sampson started five of his ten appearances for Chicago last season, tossing 35 1/3 frames of 2.80 ERA ball. That came with an underwhelming 19.3% strikeout rate and an alarming 2.04 homers allowed per nine innings, but he pounded the strike zone and induced a fair amount of ground-balls. Chicago re-signed the righty to a minor league deal over the winter. He was selected to the big leagues on Sunday, pitched in one game, then was designated for assignment.

Cubs Place Nick Madrigal On 10-Day IL, Select Ildemaro Vargas, Designate Adrian Sampson For Assignment

By Sean Bavazzano | May 10, 2022 at 10:34pm CDT

The Cubs announced a flurry of roster moves this evening, most prominently sending second baseman Nick Madrigal to the 10-day IL with low back tightness. The team also selected Triple-A infielder Ildemaro Vargas’s contract, designating right-handed pitcher Adrian Sampson for assignment to open up a 40-man roster spot for Vargas.

Madrigal, acquired in last season’s cross-town trade for Craig Kimbrel, was hitting a pedestrian .203/.250/.241 (43 OPS+) at the time of his IL placement. There’s still plenty of time for the 25-year-old to turn it around when he returns to the field, though a few things stick out in his early season offensive performance. Chief among them, Madrigal’s elite contact abilities have eluded him to a notable extent thus far.

His 16.7% strikeout rate, while considerably better than the league average, is more than double his career rate entering the season. The former first-rounder is hitting the ball with more authority than ever, however, which may eventually lead to a more impressive batting line than the one that is currently present. Madrigal’s defense has also remained top-notch, largely offsetting the contact hitter’s lack of offense in the eyes of most defensive metrics.

Vargas meanwhile returned to the organization this winter on a minor league deal and was hitting .279/.321/.413 in 25 Triple-A contests. Offense isn’t Vargas’s calling card though, as his promotion stems from his ability to play all around the infield, a must-have for a three-man Cubs bench.

Sampson, another offseason minor league signee, pitched to an excellent 2.80 ERA in 35 plus innings (10 games) for the Cubs last season as a swingman. Advanced metrics weren’t terribly bullish about his performance however, which helps explain the minor league pact and the right-hander’s lack of opportunity with the big league team this season. The 30-year-old has continued to have a decent run in Triple-A this year, so it will be interesting to see if the Cubs can keep him in their organization as depth or if a team hurting with injuries will seek to claim him in the coming days.

Cubs Activate Wade Miley, Place OF Michael Hermosillo On IL

By Mark Polishuk | May 10, 2022 at 5:02pm CDT

5:02 PM: The Cubs officially activated Miley this evening. They cleared a spot for him on the active roster by placing outfielder Michael Hermosillo on the 10-day IL with a left quadriceps strain, the team announced. Hermosillo’s IL stint is retroactive to May 8th.

As noted below, Miley will make his debut for the underachieving Cubs in tonight’s tilt against the Padres. Hermosillo, who’s played only sparingly this season, was off to a particularly slow start, slashing only .071/.257/.107 in 35 trips to the plate.

12:17 PM: Left-hander Wade Miley will be activated from the Cubs’ 10-day injured list in time to start today’s game against the Padres, Chicago manager David Ross told reporters (including MLB.com’s Shaun O’Neill) yesterday. It will mark Miley’s season debut, as the veteran was sidelined after developing inflammation in his left elbow during Spring Training.

The injury led to a 10-day shutdown period, but Miley has gradually ramped up since, building to a 41-pitch minor league rehab start last Thursday. Ross said that Miley won’t be held to a specific pitch count, so it won’t be a piggyback situation for Miley’s first outing of 2022.

As a cost-cutting move last November, the Reds rather surprisingly placed Miley on waivers, allowing the Cubs to claim the southpaw and then exercise a $10MM club option on his services for 2022. Miley’s solid track record over the last 11 seasons made him something of a no-brainer pickup for a Cubs team that was short on pitching, and Chicago again finds itself short on arms as Miley returns the IL. Marcus Stroman is on the COVID-related injured list, Justin Steele is nursing a sore thumb, and (like Miley) both Adbert Alzolay and Alec Mills have yet to pitch this season due to injuries.

Mets Claim Locke St. John, Move Jacob deGrom To 60-Day IL

By Mark Polishuk | May 10, 2022 at 1:13pm CDT

The Mets have claimed left-hander Locke St. John off waivers from the Cubs, who designated St. John for assignment last week. To create space on the 40-man roster, New York moved Jacob deGrom to the 60-day injured list.

St. John signed a minor league deal with Chicago in December, and his tenure with the club consisted of seven innings over five Triple-A games, and a single inning in the majors. It was a second cup of coffee for St. John, whose previous MLB experience was seven games with the Rangers in 2019. A longtime Tigers farmhand before Texas selected him away from Detroit in the December 2017 Rule 5 Draft, St. John returned to the Tigers on another minors deal last winter but didn’t see any big league action in 2021.

The waiver claim adds a bit more left-handed depth to the Mets’ relief corps, with Joely Rodriguez and Chasen Shreve serving as the only southpaws in the Amazins’ bullpen. Elsewhere on the 40-man roster, the only other left-handers are starter David Peterson and Thomas Szapucki, who is working his way back after having his 2021 season cut short by ulnar nerve transposition surgery.

For deGrom, the shift to the 60-day IL doesn’t much change his situation, and he is still around another week away from further imaging on his throwing shoulder. A stress reaction in that shoulder sidelined deGrom for yet another extended absence, and since he’ll require quite a bit of ramp-up before finally taking to the mound, it is seems like deGrom will be out until late June at the earliest.

Cubs Make Series Of Roster Moves

By James Hicks | May 9, 2022 at 5:53pm CDT

The Cubs made a flurry of roster moves today. Per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, the club optioned right-hander Adrian Sampson to Triple-A Iowa, recalled Frank Schwindel from Triple-A Iowa, selected left-hander Conner Menez onto the major league roster, and placed right-hander David Robertson on the IL without an injury distinction — generally a sign that the move is COVID-related. Presuming Robertson’s IL stint is indeed COVID-related, the Cubs would not have been required to add Menez to the 40-man roster in order to add him to the active roster, though Montemurro later clarified that the club has added him to the 40-man.

Sampson’s demotion and Schwindel’s return to the majors mark something of an abrupt about-face for the Cubs, who’d selected Sampson’s contract (to replace Marcus Stroman, who also went on the IL without an injury designation) and optioned Schwindel to Triple-A only yesterday. Sampson did pitch in his one game with the big-league club, covering the ninth inning of a blowout loss to the Dodgers, while Schwindel did not enter a game during his (extremely) brief stint in the minors. Both players had success for the Cubs in 2021: Sampson, who’s also pitched for the Mariners, Rangers, and the KBO’s Lotte Giants in his career, posted a 2.80 ERA over 35 1/3 innings for Chicago (albeit with a 5.72 FIP), and Schwindel posted a world-beating .342/.389/.613 across 239 plate appearances (albeit with an unsustainable .364 BABIP). In 2022, Sampson has served as minor league depth outside his single inning on Sunday, while Schwindel has posted a far more pedestrian 209/.250/.308 batting line in 96 trips to the plate.

The 37-year-old Robertson, who signed with the Cubs in March for a $3.5MM guarantee, was off to a strong start to what’s been an otherwise disappointing first month on Chicago’s north side. In 12 innings, he’s notched a 1.50 ERA while striking out 37.8% of the batters he’s faced and converting all five of his save opportunities. Presuming his trip to the IL is COVID-related, he’s unlikely to be out for more than a week or so, though his absence in the bullpen could well prove costly for a club hoping to contend but already nine games adrift in the NL Central.

Menez, who arrived in Chicago via the minor league phase of the 2021 Rule 5 draft, has actually had some success in the majors in a limited sample, notching a serviceable 4.04 ERA (if a less sightly 5.01 FIP) across 42 1/3 innings in parts of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons, all spent with the Giants. He’s primarily been a starter in the minors (and has started four games in the majors) and was off to a strong start in Triple-A, pitching 16 2/3 innings of 2.16 ERA ball while striking out better than a batter an inning. His time in the majors may be short (perhaps only until either Robertson or Stroman returns from the IL), but he could also slot in as a long relief/swingman option if he can continue to miss bats in the majors. The fact he’s been added to the 40-man roster when he could have been selected without the addition could signal that GM Carter Hawkins hopes to see him stick around for a while.

Cubs Place Marcus Stroman On Injured List, Option Frank Schwindel

By Darragh McDonald | May 8, 2022 at 2:56pm CDT

The Cubs announced a series of roster moves to reporters today, including Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. (Twitter links) Marcus Stroman, who was scheduled to start tonight’s game, has instead been placed on the injured list. No designation was given for his placement, suggesting he is going on the COVID-related IL. Right-hander Adrian Sampson will have his contract selected to take Stroman’s place on the roster. Additionally, Frank Schwindel is being optioned to Triple-A. The club had an extra man on the roster for yesterday’s doubleheader and needed to subtract someone.

Stroman’s absence leaves the Cubs in a particular bind for tonight’s game, though if his placement is simply due to a close-contact situation or light symptoms, he could be activated as early as tomorrow (and thus likely lined up to start Tuesday’s game against the Padres). If Stroman has indeed tested positive for COVID-19, he’ll face an absence of at least 10 days, unless he passes certain criteria — two negative PCR tests, approval from a three-physician panel, and at least 24 hours without a fever.

The right-hander has been inconsistent over his first five starts in a Cubs uniform, but Stroman is coming off his best outing of the season, seven shutout innings of two-hit ball against the Brewers on May 1. If Stroman does have to miss an extended period of time, Wade Miley might be just about ready to step right into the mix, as the veteran (who hasn’t yet pitched in 2022 due to elbow inflammation) tossed a rehab outing on May 5.

Sampson posted a 2.80 ERA over 35 1/3 innings for Chicago last season, and re-signed a new minor league deal with the Cubs in March. A right-handed swingman, Sampson has started all five of his games at Triple-A this season, and could also fit into the rotation picture as a Stroman replacement.

Schwindel was claimed off waivers from the A’s last July, and he took over regular first base duty for the Cubs after Anthony Rizzo was dealt to the Yankees prior to the trade deadline. In a difficult period for the rebuilding Cubs, “Frank The Tank” was a bright spot, as he unexpectedly broke out to hit .342/.389/.613 with 13 homers over 239 PA for Chicago. This performance made Schwindel an instant favorite among Wrigleyville fans, and earned him a sixth-place finish in NL Rookie Of The Year voting.

Unfortunately, Schwindel’s 2022 hasn’t been as positive, as he has batted only .209/.250/.308 with two home runs over 96 PA. With Schwindel now looking to find himself at Triple-A, the Cubs may turn to another unheralded breakout candidate at first base, as Alfonso Rivas as gotten off to a hot start over his first 73 PA.

Cubs Select Robert Gsellman

By Anthony Franco | May 3, 2022 at 3:28pm CDT

The Cubs are selecting righty Robert Gsellman onto the big league roster, as Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune was among those to relay (on Twitter). Drew Smyly, who had been scheduled to start this evening’s game against the White Sox, has been placed on the bereavement list to open active roster space. Southpaw Locke St. John has been designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man roster move.

Gsellman inked a minor league deal with Chicago during Spring Training. He’d been non-tendered by the Mets, with whom he had spent his entire career. The Southern California native broke into the majors late in the 2016 season and flashed some potential as a starter during his rookie campaign. He struggled over 119 2/3 innings the following year, though, and he spent the next few seasons working out of the bullpen.

In the four years since moving to relief, Gsellman has tossed 186 1/3 innings of 4.73 ERA ball. His 19.2% strikeout rate was below-average, but he had a solid 8.1% walk percentage and induced ground-balls at an above-average 47% clip. Gsellman missed a good portion of last season because of a lat injury, and his strikeout rate dipped to 14.3% in 28 2/3 frames.

Assigned to Triple-A Iowa to start this season, Gsellman has started four of his five appearances. He’s tossed 15 1/3 innings with a tiny 1.17 ERA, albeit again with subpar swing-and-miss numbers. The Cubs will hope that Gsellman’s ground-ball approach can carry over against big league hitters. He’ll give them a multi-inning arm for an impromptu bullpen game tonight in Smyly’s absence, which will be opened by Scott Effross.

Chicago selected St. John onto the 40-man roster last month. He made one appearance, tossing two innings of three-run ball against Milwaukee on Saturday before being optioned out. The 29-year-old has tossed seven innings with Iowa, allowing four runs. He has fanned eight but also issued six walks and hit a trio of batters. The Cubs will have a week to trade him or place him on waivers.

In other news, starting pitcher Wade Miley is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Thursday, tweets Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Claimed off waivers from the Reds over the offseason, the veteran southpaw has yet to make his team debut on account of inflammation in his throwing elbow.

Roster Notes: Rangers, Cubs, Pirates

By TC Zencka | April 30, 2022 at 2:32pm CDT

The Rangers announced a pair of interlocking roster moves today, optioning Spencer Howard to Triple-A and recalling outfielder Zach Reks. Howard has been shelled in 6 2/3 innings of work this season, working to a 12.15 ERA, but the demotion is reportedly more about building him up as a “full-fledged” starter, per Jeff Wilson of Rangerstoday.com (via Twitter). Whatever the reason for the move, the Rangers will surely want to see a more productive couple of appearances in Triple-A out of Howard.

Reks, meanwhile, steps right into the starting lineup, starting today’s ballgame in left field. It will be Reks first appearance with the Rangers after being acquired from the Dodgers this past November. In other roster moves…

The Cubs have optioned Mark Leiter Jr. to Triple-A, activating Locke St. John in his place, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Leiter Jr. appeared in four games for the Cubs, starting three, but yielding nine earned runs over 10 1/3 innings. St. John, meanwhile, was recently added to the 40-man roster to satisfy a condition of the minor league contract he signed over the winter. For now, he’ll join Daniel Norris and Sean Newcomb in a full Chicago bullpen.
The Pirates have reinstated Cole Tucker from the COVID Injured List and optioned Tucupita Marcano to Double-A in order to give the infielder regular playing time, per Kevin Gorman of Tribune-Review Sports (via Twitter). Marcano, still just 22, was promoted to fill the void in the short-term. He was the key piece in last season’s trade that sent Adam Frazier to the Padres.

Jon Jay Announces Retirement

By Darragh McDonald | April 27, 2022 at 10:32pm CDT

Veteran outfielder Jon Jay took to Twitter earlier today to announce his retirement after over a decade in the big leagues.

“As a kid I remember watching SportsCenter highlights and imitating my favorite MLB players,” Jay wrote. “It is still surreal to me that I played Major League Baseball. As I officially retire from the game that changed my life, I want to thank everyone who has played a role in getting me here.”

Jay, 37, was a second round pick of the Cardinals in 2006 and then made his MLB debut in 2010. He immediately hit the ground running with the contact-oriented approach that would be a trademark of his career. He hit .300/.359/.422, walking in 7.4% of his plate appearances and striking out just 15.5% of the time. That production amounted to a 116 wRC+, or 16% above league average. The next year, he put up a similar line of .297/.344/.424, 115 wRC+, helping the Cardinals qualify for the postseason and eventually win the 2011 World Series.

Jay stuck with the Cardinals for the next four seasons, with the team making the postseason in each of them. His production stayed largely consistent until wrist issues started hampering him in 2015. He underwent surgery prior to that season and then struggled at the plate, hitting .210/.306/.257. After that campaign, he was traded to the Padres for Jedd Gyorko.

He was able to bounce back somewhat in 2016, hitting .291/.339/.389 as a Padre, good enough for a wRC+ of 99. He signed with the Cubs for the 2017 season and had another solid season, hitting .296/.374/.375, 101 wRC+. He went into journeyman mode for the next few years, spending time with the Royals, Diamondbacks, White Sox, D-Backs again, and then the Angels last year, with none of those stints lasting more than 84 games.

In all, Jay played in 1201 games in 12 MLB seasons from 2010 to 2021. He will head into retirement with a lifetime .283/.348/.373 batting line, 37 home runs, 185 doubles, 25 triples, 1,087 total hits, 532 runs scored, 341 runs batted in and 55 stolen bases. He was a solid contributor to an excellent run of Cardinals baseball, earning a World Series ring in the process. MLBTR congratulates him on a fine career and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors.

NL Central Notes: Shelton, India, Stephenson, Miley

By Mark Polishuk | April 24, 2022 at 10:27pm CDT

Terms weren’t reported on Derek Shelton’s contract when he was first hired as the Pirates’ manager in November 2019, but The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes that Shelton’s deal is believed to run through the 2023 campaign. That would make it a four-year commitment to Shelton, who has only a 95-158 record during his two-plus years of managing the rebuilding team. While nobody expected Shelton to win given his threadbare rosters, progress of some type is expected, so Rosenthal feels there could be some questions asked if the Pirates post another 100-loss season. However, Rosenthal also notes that “Shelton has served almost as an assistant general manager” to GM Ben Cherington.

Speaking to a broader point of Rosenthal’s piece about skippers around baseball, he writes that “GMs of tanking teams, in particular, often are reluctant to hold managers responsible for the non-competitive clubs they’ve assembled, knowing a dismissal will only lead to greater scrutiny of their own actions.” While there are certainly some managers on shorter-term deals who are under additional pressure in 2022, it remains to be seen how many of these skippers might actually be let go after the year.

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