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Cubs Acquire Jose Martinez From Rays

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The Cubs are acquiring designated hitter José Martínez from the Rays, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). Chicago is sending two players to be named later or cash considerations in exchange. Catcher Josh Phegley has been designated for assignment to clear roster space.

Martínez burst onto the scene with the Cubs’ archrival Cardinals between 2017-18, hitting .306/.369/.478 over those two seasons. Since the start of 2019, Martínez has put up a more pedestrian .264/.339/.406 mark split between St. Louis and Tampa Bay, although he’s continued to feast on left-handed pitching in that time.

The Rays just picked Martínez up from St. Louis over the offseason in a trade that sent top pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore to the Cardinals and also brought back outfielder Randy Arozarena. He played a little bit of first base in Tampa but will obviously be seen almost exclusively as a DH in Chicago, where Anthony Rizzo has first locked down. Martínez will make just over $320K the rest of this season, followed by two additional years of arbitration control. With Martínez gone, Tampa figures to lean more heavily on Yoshi Tsutsugo and Ji-Man Choi at first base/DH.

Cubs Asked Tigers About Cameron Maybin

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Cameron Maybin’s name has emerged as part of trade discussions between the Tigers and Cubs, the Athletic’s Eno Sarris and Brittany Ghiroli report (subscription required).  Maybin would be a pure rental piece, as the outfielder is only signed through the 2020 season and is owed roughly $280K for the remaining month of action.

Now a veteran of 14 MLB seasons with eight different teams, Maybin signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Tigers last winter in the wake of one of his most productive years at the plate.  Maybin his .285/.364/.494 with a career-best 11 home runs over 269 plate appearances with the Yankees in 2019, becoming one of several unheralded bench players to step up big for the injury-riddled Bronx Bombers roster.

Thus far in 2020, Maybin has hit .256/.310/.436 over just 42 PA, as he missed two weeks of action due to a quad injury.  Albeit in a very small sample size, Statcast metrics such as hard-hit percentage and barrels indicate that Maybin is continuing the improved solid contract he played last year in New York.  Detroit has used Maybin only as a right fielder this season, and while he can still play center in a pinch, the 33-year-old is probably best suited for corner outfield duty at this point in his career.

This might be all the Cubs would be looking for in a depth piece, as Chicago’s outfield corps has been thinned by injuries to Steven Souza Jr. and part-time outfielder Kris Bryant.  In theory, Maybin’s right-handed bat would provide cover against left-handed pitching (particularly since the left-handed hitting Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber have both struggled against southpaws), but Maybin has been something of a reverse-splits hitter for much of his career.

Cubs Release Kelvin Herrera

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The Cubs have released veteran reliever Kelvin Herrera from their alternate site, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report. Their 60-man pool now includes 57 players.

Herrera wasn’t long for the Cubs, who signed the former Royal, National and White Sox right-hander to a minor league contract Aug. 6. That came just a few days after the White Sox released Herrera, whom they signed to a two-year, $18MM contract before 2019. Herrera delivered a subpar 6.14 ERA/4.58 FIP with a career-worst 4.03 BB/9 across 51 1/3 innings in his lone full season with the White Sox, though, and after he opened this year with 2 1/3 frames of four-earned run ball with a personal-low 94.3 mph average fastball velocity, the club decided to cut ties.

Despite Herrera’s struggles of late, he shouldn’t have too much trouble finding another low-risk opportunity soon, considering he’s still just 30 and has been quite successful in the majors. Even factoring in his difficulties with the White Sox, Herrera owns a more-than-respectable 3.21 ERA/3.44 FIP with 8.94 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 61 saves and 119 holds in 513 2/3 career innings.

Cubs Activate Jose Quintana, Tyler Chatwood

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The Cubs announced that they have activated left-hander Jose Quintana and righty Tyler Chatwood from the injured list. The club optioned righty Jason Adam and outfielder Ian Miller to its alternate site in corresponding moves.

Quintana hasn’t pitched this season after undergoing left thumb surgery in early July, though he’s known for consistently providing solid production over a large number of innings. The 31-year-old will head into this season with a 3.72 ERA/3,65 FIP in 1,485 innings divided between Chicago’s two teams. While 246 of Quintana’s lifetime 250 appearances have come as a starter, he seems likely to function as a reliever this year, at least in the early going.

Chatwood, meanwhile, will rejoin the Cubs’ rotation after missing a couple weeks with a back strain. The former Rockie has largely been a disappointment since he signed a three-year, $38MM contract with the Cubs before 2018, but his platform season has brought some encouraging signs. Chatwood’s 5.40 ERA through 15 innings is unsightly, though he has turned in two very good starts versus one clunker this season. He has so far logged an excellent 13.8 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9, and put up a 2.60 FIP/2.71 xFIP/2.91 SIERA.

The Cubs will give Chatwood another chance to hang on to a rotation spot alongside Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Alec Mills. However, if he flops upon his return, Quintana could move back into their starting five.

Pitching Notes: D-backs, Cubs, Verlander

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Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray is drawing interest from “a few teams” as a bullpen possibility, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. The 28-year-old left-hander has only made three relief appearances in his career (none since his first season in 2014); however, after several respectable seasons as a starter, the soon-to-be free agent has tanked in 2020. He owns an awful 8.33 ERA/7.77 FIP with 8.33 BB/9 across 27 innings this year, though some clubs may have hope that Ray’s high-strikeout ways will lead to success in the bullpen during the stretch run of the season. That said, there’s no guarantee the Diamondbacks will move Ray before the Aug. 31 deadline, as they entered Monday a manageable two games back of a wild-card spot.

  • More on the Diamondbacks, who made righty Merrill Kelly a late scratch before his start Monday. It was easy to speculate on a potential trade when that happened, but it turns out Kelly is dealing with a nerve impingement in his pitching shoulder, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. The club has placed Kelly on the 10-day injured list as a result and recalled righty Riley Smith. Kelly has been quite effective this season, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained Monday, so losing him is a blow to the D-backs’ playoff hopes and perhaps a less-than-ideal development heading into the deadline.
  • Cubs southpaw Jose Quintana and righty Tyler Chatwood will come off the injured list Tuesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports. Quintana, who has been out all season after undergoing left thumb surgery, will work from the bullpen upon his return. That’s relatively new territory for Quintana, who has totaled just four relief appearances out of 250 in his career. As Wittenmyer notes, though, Quintana could find himself back in a starting role soon if Chatwood or Alec Mills falters (Mills didn’t in a win over Detroit on Monday). Chatwood, who will start Tuesday, turned in a pair of great outings to open the season, but he went on the IL with a back issue after the Royals shellacked him for eight earned runs on 11 hits in 2 1/3 innings on Aug. 6. He’s now set to rejoin Mills, Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester in the Cubs’ rotation.
  • It has been nearly a month since the Astros shut down ace Justin Verlander because of a right forearm strain, but the reigning AL Cy Young winner continues to make progress in his recovery. Manager Dusty Baker issued an update on Verlander on Monday, saying to Mark Berman of Fox 26 and other reporters: “I think he threw 20 pitches yesterday. He said he felt pretty good. That’s a positive sign.” It’s still unknown whether Verlander will make it back this year, especially with only about a month remaining in the regular season. Houston has started 15-13 despite only one appearance from Verlander (and several other notable injuries), putting the team two games back of a wild-card spot.

Cubs Select Ian Miller, Sign Patrick Wisdom

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The Cubs selected the contract of outfielder Ian Miller prior to today’s game against the White Sox.  Righty James Norwood, already on the 10-day injured list since August 2 due to elbow inflammation, was transferred to the 45-day injured list to create roster space for Miller.

Miller appeared as a pinch-runner in the 2-1 Cubs victory, marking Miller’s first MLB appearance of the season and the 13th of his career.  The outfielder made his Major League debut in 2019, receiving 17 plate appearances (with a .412 OPS) over 12 games with the Twins.

Originally a 14th-round pick for the Mariners in the 2013 draft, Miller has only a .274/.340/.357 slash line over 3011 career minor league plate appearances, though is much better regarded for his speed (243 steals from 294 chances in the minors) and defense.  Miller’s ability to play all three outfield positions will aid a Cubs outfield that is lacking in depth with Kris Bryant and Steven Souza Jr. both on the injured list.

The Cubs also announced the signing of infielder Patrick Wisdom to a minor league contract, and he will report to the club’s alternate training site as the 58th current member of Chicago’s 60-man player pool.  Wisdom signed an MLB contract with the Mariners during the offseason but was released on August 14 before ever officially suiting up in a Seattle uniform.

Wisdom’s Major League resume remains at 41 games with the Cardinals and Rangers over the 2018-19 seasons, though he has posted some solid numbers (.252/.328/.478 with 82 homers) over 1674 career PA at the Triple-A level.  Wisdom, who celebrates his 29th birthday later this week, was the 52nd overall pick of the 2012 draft.

Cubs Place Kris Bryant On 10-Day Injured List

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The Cubs announced that Kris Bryant has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a sprained left ring finger.  The placement is retroactive to August 19.  There is no corresponding move for now, so the Cubs will play tonight’s game against the White Sox with only 27 players on their 28-man active roster.

Bryant has been battling finger and left wrist issues for over a week now, ever since an attempt at a diving catch during the Cubs’ 7-2 win over the Indians on August 12.  After a game off, Bryant attempted to play through the injury but still seemed bothered, as evidenced by his 2-for-16 performance over a four-game stretch.  Bryant hasn’t played since Monday, though as noted as ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers, manager David Ross said just earlier today that putting Bryant on the IL was “not the plan right now.”  Clearly those plans changed, and Bryant will now get some more time off to fully heal up.

The time away might also serve as something of a restart for Bryant after a slow beginning to the 2020 season.  The slugger has hit only .177/.271/.323 over his first 70 plate appearances, though Bryant has been dealing with a number of minor health issues (a sore back, sore elbow, and some gastrointestinal illness) since Opening Day.

David Bote will likely continue to be the top choice at third base until Bryant returns, with Nico Hoerner and Hernan Perez also available as hot corner options.

Theo Epstein On Cubs’ Trade Deadline Plans

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Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein spoke to media members including Russell Dorsey from the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday, tackling a wide array of topics including the trade deadline, the Cubs’ intentions, and the trade landscape in the league as a whole.

“There are a lot of years when we know we have an impactful move or two in us. It’s just a matter of finding it and executing on it,” said Epstein in a quote provided by Dorsey. “This year, the moves might be more complimentary and there might be more internal solutions.”

Epstein has a history of getting out in front of the Cubs’ deadline plans with the media and setting expectations for a fanbase that annually eyes a blockbuster deal. Epstein is setting expectations below that level. Specifically, Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer are hunting for a lefty for the bullpen, per Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (via Twitter). Of course, Levine clarifies, the real intent is acquiring any bullpen arm that can retire left-handed batters.

The Cubs have but one southpaw in the pen as of now: Kyle Ryan has appeared in 9 of the Cubs’ 25 games thus far, but a .364 BABIP and 50% FB/HR ratio have contributed to a substandard 7.04 ERA/7.61 FIP. His 4.06 expected FIP may give rise to the notion that Ryan’s seen some bad luck on batted balls in the early going. Brad Wieck, the other lefty on their Opening Day roster, was placed on the 45-day IL with a strained hamstring. The towering southpaw made just one appearance before heading to the injured list.

The lefty specialist may not be the marquee addition for which Northsiders hunger, but Epstein offered a sunny outlook on the potential impact of the non-blockbuster acquisition: “We’ve done some pretty big trades at the deadline most years, but the smaller moves where you get incrementally better in a couple of different areas, especially to address certain needs can make a big difference as well.” 

One of those big acquisitions from previous years will return to the roster shortly. Jose Quintana simulated a 2-inning outing yesterday in what could be a final tune-up before returning to the rotation, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Overall, Quintana has provided the Cubs with reliably back-end-quality innings, though it’s been delivered in an up-and-down fashion that teases greater potential.

Quintana’s return, along with the return of Tyler Chatwood, will give manager David Ross some decisions to make regarding his rotation. Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, and Jon Lester figure to have themselves a seat when the music stops, but Alec Mills and Adbert Alzolay may be relegated to pen duty or sent back to the alternate site until the Cubs are in need of additional starters. Alzolay gave the Cubs a solid outing last week before being sent back to the alternate site, while Mills remains in the rotation at least until Chatwood returns.

Those seven starters may be partially responsible for the Cubs’ sobering deadline plans, but the pandemic also plays a role. Epstein pontificated, as he is wont to do, on not only his team’s deadline hopes, but what the market holds for the league as a whole: “In the game overall, you might still see those big moves, if there’s a perfect match and one team’s long-term needs complement another team’s short-term needs, you may see a big trade. But there’s certainly obstacles to that industry-wide and in our situation.”

Epstein and other decision-makers have to weigh considerations beyond their teams’ on-field needs this year. The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney provides this quote from Epstein on the logistical and social scrutiny required of teams in the time of COVID:

“Every team is going to be cognizant of who they’re bringing in and how responsible they would be and how much you can count on them. Also, if acquiring the player puts them in an untenable situation, it might be hard to acquire somebody who’s got a great setup with their family in a certain spot geographically. Then you’re going to pull them out of there and put them into a situation where they’re not set up to have stability or set up to have success. You have to weigh it from that end, too. Impact on our group and on the execution of the protocols, but then also impact on the individual and making sure you’re asking something realistic of somebody.”

Cubs Select Hernan Perez

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The Cubs have selected infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez, placed outfielder Steven Souza Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring issue and moved reliever Brad Wieck to the 45-day IL with a hamstring problem, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic was among those to report.

Perez, who most recently appeared in the majors with the NL Central rival Brewers, joined the Cubs on a minor league contract in the offseason. The 29-year-old hasn’t brought much offense to the table in the majors, where he has batted .252/.282/.387 (73 wRC+) with 45 home runs and 69 stolen bases in 1,1819 plate appearances, but has garnered significant experience at second, third, shortstop and in the outfield. He’ll give the Cubs some insurance at a time when Souza’s down and third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant is dealing with left wrist troubles. Bryant underwent an injection Tuesday and will miss a few days, Jesse Rogers of ESPN tweets.

Souza, 31, was a 30-home run hitter with the Rays in 2017, but injuries cut him down as a Diamondback the next two years and continue to trouble him now. He signed a $1MM deal with the Cubs in the offseason and has begun this year with a line of .190/.292/.429 (94 wRC+), one homer and 10 strikeouts in 24 PA.

Latest On Jose Quintana

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5:09pm: Manager David Ross said Quintana will throw a sim game this weekend, so his debut will have to wait a bit longer (via Levine).

4:45pm: Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana hasn’t pitched this season as a result of early July thumb surgery, but he could rejoin their rotation as early as this weekend, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago relays. Quintana’s in line to throw a sim game at the Cubs’ alternate site Saturday, though the club could decide to bring him to the majors instead.

The loss of Quintana looked like a significant blow to Chicago’s chances when it occurred, but the first-place team’s rotation has managed to thrive – not just survive – without him. Cubs starters will enter play Tuesday third in ERA (3.33) and FIP (3.32), largely because Yu Darvish has returned to being one of the premier pitchers in baseball and Kyle Hendricks has been his usual front-of-the-rotation self. Meantime, Jon Lester and Alec Mills have posted sub-3.00 ERAs (albeit with far less impressive peripherals) across a combined seven starts.

Like Darvish, Hendricks and Lester, the 31-year-old Quintana brings an extensive MLB track record to the table. The longtime workhorse’s run prevention wasn’t as solid as it typically has been last year, but he still gave the Cubs 171 innings of 4.68 ERA/3.80 FIP pitching with 8.0 K/9 and 2.42 BB/9. Considering he’s due to become a free agent after the season, it’ll be interesting to see if Quintana enjoys a bounce-back over the next several weeks.

When Quintana does return, it seems likely he’ll take Tyler Chatwood’s place in the Cubs’ staff. Chatwood was dominant in his first two starts of the season, but he suffered through a 2 1/3-inning, eight-earned run nightmare against the Royals Aug. 6. Chatwood went on the IL this past Sunday with a back strain, and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Tuesday he’s seeking a second opinion from an orthopedic specialist, per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.

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