Cubs Set Wild Card Series Roster
The Cubs designated Josh Osich for assignment and selected Josh Phegley back to their 40-man roster this morning as they set their 28-man roster for their Wild Card Series showdown against the upstart Marlins. Here’s how the roster breaks down:
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Jason Adam
- Adbert Alzolay
- Yu Darvish (Game 2 starter)
- Kyle Hendricks (Game 1 starter)
- Jeremy Jeffress
- Craig Kimbrel
- Alec Mills
- Ryan Tepera
- Dan Winkler
Left-Handed Pitchers
- Andrew Chafin
- Jon Lester (Game 3 starter)
- Jose Quintana
- Kyle Ryan
Catchers
- Victor Caratini
- Willson Contreras
- Josh Phegley
Infielders
Outfielders
A resurgent Yu Darvish has spearheaded the Cubs’ rotation in 2020, but he’ll give way to Kyle Hendricks as the Game 1 starter. As has been the case in recent years, the Cubs’ offense has faded late in the season, and the productivity of the lineup will be a focal point this series. Kris Bryant, in particular, has been hobbled by an oblique issue but avoided the IL and is lineup, hitting third against Miami’s Sandy Alcantara.
Much has been made of the team’s bullpen struggles in recent years as well, with Craig Kimbrel’s decline standing out first and foremost, but the once-hittable closer has begun to resemble his peak form over the past six weeks. Dating back to mid-August, Kimbrel has rattled off 12 2/3 innings with a 1.42 ERA and an eye-popping 26-to-7 K/BB ratio. He’s faced 49 hitters in that time and allowed just four hits while punching out more than half of them.
Cubs Select Josh Phegley, Designate Josh Osich
The Cubs have selected the contract of catcher Josh Phegley from their alternate training site and designated left-handed reliever Josh Osich for assignment in order to open roster space, per a club announcement. Phegley will make the team’s Wild Card roster.
Phegley, 32, logged 18 plate appearances with the Cubs earlier this season but struggled in that short sample, collecting just one hit and one walk while getting plunked by a pitch in that time as well. He’ll be a third catcher behind Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini this series and give the Cubs a bench option who hit .233/.282/.397 in 300 games with the A’s from 2015-19.
Osich, also 32, allowed six runs (three earned) on five hits with four strikeouts in just 2 2/3 innings over four games with the Cubs. Osich notched a 4.66 ERA in 67 2/3 innings with the Cubs last year while posting a 61-to-15 K/BB ratio in that time. However, he carries just a 5.02 ERA and 5.21 FIP in 206 1/3 big league innings to this point in his career. Osich can become a free agent if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
MLB Finalizes 16-Team Playoff Bracket
With a hectic final day of play in the books, the 2020 playoff field is officially set – which visual learners can view here from MLB Network. The defending World Series champion Nationals and their newly-crowned batting champion Juan Soto will watch from home. The Mets and Phillies turned in disappointing seasons, while the Marlins stunned their NL East counterparts to enter the postseason as the #6 seed in the National League. The Braves weathered a line change in their starting rotation to win their third consecutive NL East title.
Elsewhere in the National League, Dodgers are the team to beat, while the Padres are the team to watch. The Rockies and Diamondbacks will face some hard questions in the offseason after disappointing years, while the Giants exceeded expectations but narrowly missed the postseason.
The Central makes up half the playoff field in the National League with everyone but the Pirates continuing into MLB’s second season. The Cubs took home their third division title in five seasons behind stellar years from Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks, but it was a difficult season for many of their core offensive players. They were also the only team in the majors to go the entire season without a single player testing positive for COVID-19, per NBC Sports Chicago and others. The Cardinals will be the #5 seed after playing two fewer games than the rest of the league, Trevor Bauer led the Reds back to the postseason by winning the NL ERA title (in a free agent year no less), and the Brewers backed into the NL’s #8 seed without ever being above .500 in 2020.
In the American League, small markets had themselves a year. The A’s took the AL West back from the defending AL champion Astros. Speaking of, Houston finished a tumultuous year without their ace Justin Verlander. Manager Dusty Baker will lead his fifth different team to the postseason, this one joining the Brewers as one of two under-.500 teams to reach the postseason. The Angels will reboot after firing their GM earlier today, while the Rangers and Mariners continue their rebuilds.
The Rays, meanwhile, won the AL East for the first time in a decade and they’re the top seed in the American League. The Yankees settle for second place and the Blue Jays arrive to the postseason a little earlier than expected as the AL’s #8 seed. The Red Sox took an expected step back, while the Orioles performed better than expected, staying in the playoff hunt for most of the season.
The Twins lost in extras today, but they nonetheless secured their second consecutive AL Central title. Shane Bieber put up a potentially MVP season to get the Indians back to the playoffs. The White Sox arrived in a major way led by Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu. Only a late season slide kept them from a division crown. They’ll head to Oakland as the #7 seed. The Tigers debuted a number of players they hope will be a part of their next competitive team, while the Royals said goodbye to a franchise icon in Alex Gordon‘s final season.
It was a short and bizarre season, but the playoffs – while expanded – aren’t going to be all that different from most years. There will be neutral sites and a wild card round of 3-game series, and playoff bubbles, but once the field is pared down to eight, it’s more or less business as usual for the postseason. It should be an exciting month of October.
Here’s the final field of 16:
National League
(8) Brewers at (1) Dodgers
(5) Cardinals at (4) Padres
(6) Marlins at (3) Cubs
(7) Reds at (2) Braves
American League
(8) Blue Jays at (1) Rays
(5) Yankees at (4) Indians
(6) Astros at (3) Twins
(7) White Sox at (2) A’s
The playoffs begin on Tuesday, September 29.
Cubs Promote Brailyn Marquez, Designate Patrick Wisdom
The Cubs have selected the contract of left-handed pitching prospect Brailyn Marquez, the team announced. Infielder/outfielder Patrick Wisdom has been designated for assignment to create roster room.
Marquez is expected to make his Major League debut in today’s game, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian). The plan is for Marquez to toss an inning of work that could serve as an audition for the postseason roster.
With a fastball that hits the 100mph threshold, Marquez represents a very intriguing x-factor for the Cubs’ playoff run if he can adjust quickly to big league hitters. The 21-year-old has never even pitched in Double-A ball, posting a 3.19 ERA, 2.84 K/BB rate, and 10.1 K/9 over 257 innings in Chicago’s farm system.
An international signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, Marquez emerged on top-100 prospect lists prior to the 2020 season. Baseball America ranked him 37th on their list, with MLB.com (68th), Keith Law (80th), and Baseball Prospectus (84th) all being a bit more reserved in their praise. BA’s scouting report cited Marquez’s potential front-of-the-rotation arsenal, including his big fastball, a “spike slider,” and also a changeup that was lacking in polish as a legitimate third pitch.
If everything is working, Marquez could be an ace of the future, though the issue is that his delivery doesn’t lend itself to repetition. Law thinks Marquez will eventually end up as “a very high-end closer” who can pitch multiple innings, and the Cubs certainly wouldn’t mind a preview of that potential future in this year’s playoffs, though obviously the long-term goal is that Marquez will develop into a quality starter.
MLB Announces Suspensions For Jimmy Cordero, Rick Renteria
6:38PM: Cordero is appealing his suspension, as per several reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times).
4:39PM: Major League Baseball has handed down a pair of suspensions arising out of last night’s game between Chicago’s crosstown rivals. White Sox reliever Jimmy Cordero has been suspended three games, while Sox manager Rick Renteria was tagged with a one-game ban.
MLB determined that Cordero intentionally hit Cubs’ catcher Willson Contreras with a pitch in the seventh inning last night. Earlier in the game, Contreras flipped his bat after hitting a home run off Dylan Cease. Cordero, Renteria and pitching coach Don Cooper were all ejected in the aftermath of the HBP. Cooper received an undisclosed fine for his actions, MLB added. Renteria will serve his suspension in tonight’s game against the Cubs.
Cordero’s suspension isn’t expected to affect his availability for the postseason, hears James Fegan of the Athletic (Twitter link). Of course, it’s not clear the 28-year-old Cordero should be a big part of the White Sox’s postseason roster regardless. He’s got a 5.61 ERA with a mediocre 17.8% strikeout rate this season.
Cubs Select Patrick Wisdom
The Cubs have selected infielder Patrick Wisdom, optioned first baseman/outfielder Jose Martinez and placed right-hander Manuel Rodriguez on the 45-day injured list, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic was among those to report.
Wisdom could now see his first action with the Cubs, who signed him to a minor league contract Aug. 23. He began his career as a member of the rival Cardinals, who chose him in the first round of the 2012 draft, but only amassed 58 plate appearances with the Redbirds (all in 2018) before they traded him to the Rangers. Wisdom totaled another 28 PA with Texas last season, but he collected far more strikeouts (15) than hits (four), and the Rangers outrighted him last winter.
All told, the 29-year-old Wisdom has batted .224/.306/.408 with four home runs in 86 trips to the plate as a major leaguer. As someone who has primarily lined up at third base in the bigs, he’ll give the Cubs a bit of extra depth as they await the return of Kris Bryant, who hasn’t played since Monday because of an oblique injury.
Kris Bryant Suffers Oblique Injury
SEPT. 22: The Cubs are optimistic Bryant won’t require an IL stint, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
SEPT. 21, 9:34pm: Bryant is day-to-day for now, though manager David Ross said he’s “worried” about the injury, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets.
8:07pm: Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant left their game against the Pirates on Monday with right oblique tightness, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic was among those to report. The Cubs replaced Bryant with David Bote.
Any oblique issue to a regular is a red flag for a team, especially for a 31-22 Cubs club leading the NL Central by 3 1/2 games and nearing a playoff berth. It remains to be seen whether Bryant will play again this year, but it’s especially troubling that the three-time All-Star and former MVP hasn’t come anywhere close to his usual form this season. Bryant is hitting a woeful .195/.283/.301 with two home runs and a career-worst .106 ISO in 138 plate appearances.
Despite his uncharacteristic struggles this year, the Cubs obviously still want Bryant in their lineup on a daily basis. They’re on their way to the playoffs, after all, but however the postseason goes, the Cubs will have to decide in the offseason whether to keep Bryant, who was the subject of trade rumors last winter. He’s making a prorated $18.6MM in 2020 and won’t be eligible for free agency until after the ’21 campaign
Quick Hits: Tigers, Cubs, Red Sox, Phillies, Brewers
The Tigers suddenly have a managerial opening now that Ron Gardenhire decided to retire Saturday after almost three full seasons on the job. Gardenhire oversaw teams that were in full rebuilding mode, evidenced in part by the 132-241 record the Tigers compiled under him, but they’re seemingly moving back toward respectability now and may want to push for contention sometime soon. As such, the Tigers are looking for an experienced skipper to replace Gardenhire, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic hears (subscription link). Former Astros manager A.J. Hinch and ex-Braves/Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez could be among the candidates. Hinch has been out of baseball since the league suspended him last January as a result of the Astros’ sign-stealing violations, though he’ll be eligible to return in 2021. Gonzalez was a candidate for the Tigers’ managerial job before it went to Gardenhire in 2017.
More from around the league…
- The Cubs will activate left-hander Jose Quintana to start against the Pirates on Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets. The team has been without Quintana since he went on the IL on Sept. 2 with left lat inflammation. It’s the second IL stint of the year for Quintana, who began the season on the shelf with a left thumb issue. He debuted Aug. 25 and has since made two appearances, during which he combined for six innings of four-run ball.
- Right-hander Nick Pivetta will make his Red Sox debut Tuesday with a start against the Orioles, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia relays. Pivetta, whom the Red Sox acquired from the Phillies last month in the teams’ trade centering on relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree, pitched to a 5.50 ERA/4.64 FIP in 396 1/3 innings from 2017-20.
- Meanwhile, the Phillies announced that Hembree’s heading to the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain, which could put his season in jeopardy. Hembree has struggled mightily as a member of the Phillies, with whom he has yielded 13 earned runs on 17 hits in 9 1/3 innings.
- Brewers catcher Manny Pina will start baseball activities next week, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. That may not help the Brewers this year, as they’re no lock for the playoffs at 26-26. They lost Pina for the regular season to a right knee injury Aug. 28, at which point he was hitting .231/.333/.410 in 45 plate appearances. The Brewers have since turned to Jacob Nottingham as their top complement to Omar Narvaez behind the plate.
Cubs Recall José Martínez, Option Josh Osich
The Chicago Cubs made a set a roster moves today, recalling José Martínez from their alternate site and sending southpaw Josh Osich down to South Bend in his place, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN (via Twitter). Martinez will be in uniform for tonight’s game against the Twins.
The Cubs made moves to get both players at the deadline, but they came amidst a flurry of activity from a Chicago front office intent on adding depth. Cubs fans were definitely aware of Martinez after his many seasons in St. Louis, but any memories of his abilities as a towering right-handed slugger dissipated quickly as he went hitless in his first six games as a Cub. Martinez saw 3 starts at designated hitter while appearing in the other 3 as a pinch-hitter, roles he’s likely to assume once again as long as the Cubbies keep him on the active roster.
Known as a lefty masher due to a career 149 wRC+ against left-handed pitching, the Cubs long-term evaluation of Martinez likely hasn’t changed after just 15 plate appearances. He’ll get some opportunities against southpaws in the designated hitter spot as the number of games before the postseason winnow away. Manager David Ross will likely try to decide whether he can trust Martinez’s bat enough to give him a roster spot in the postseason.
Osich had a rough go of it after joining the Cubs from the Boston Red Sox. Over four outings, the 32-year-old coughed up 6 runs (3 earned) covering just 2 2/3 innings. With Andrew Chafin – another deadline acquisition – finally getting healthy, Osich may have lost his opportunity to make an impact on this Cubs squad. The Cubs are rostering Kyle Ryan and Rex Brothers along with Chafin as lefty options out of the pen, and when Jose Quintana returns from injury, he’ll be another southpaw that Ross can call on in relief.
Cubs Notes: Wick, Chafin, Quintana, Lester
The Cubs bullpen has quietly gotten on track after a very rough start to the season, but the relief corps took a hit with yesterday’s news that Rowan Wick suffered a left oblique strain. Wick “got some testing done and it’s pretty bad,” manager David Ross told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian and other reporters, and it could mean that Wick might be out of action for the postseason. Wick has a 3.12 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 3.33 K/BB over 17 1/3 innings this season, with just one home run allowed. He also has four saves this season, though none over the last month as Jeremy Jeffress has recently emerged as Chicago’s top closer option.
The most obvious replacement is Andrew Chafin, who was just activated from his own stint on the injured list. A left finger sprain has kept Chafin out of action since August 17, meaning that Chafin has yet to pitch since the Cubs acquired from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. Chafin has an 8.10 ERA this season, though over the small sample size of 6 2/3 innings, and a lot of that damage stems from a July 29th outing that saw Chafin allow three runs to the Rangers without retiring a batter. If Chafin returns to his solid form from the 2015-19 seasons, he could be an important weapon for a Cubs team that has designs on a deep October run.
More from Wrigleyville…
- Speaking of the bullpen, Ross said that the Cubs will use Jose Quintana in short stints when he returns from the 10-day injured list. Quintana is expected to return during the Cubs’ upcoming four-game series with the Pirates (beginning on Monday), and the team’s plan is to gradually build up Quintana’s pitch count. But, “if not, if we don’t have that opportunity….then he’ll just stay a bullpen piece and we’ll use him that way,” Ross said. Between Quintana’s recovery from thumb surgery and this current IL stint due to a left lat injury, the southpaw has only made two appearances all season, both as a reliever — these games marked his first work as a relief pitcher since his 2012 rookie season. Assuming no setbacks and a spot on the postseason roster, Quintana could be an intriguing x-factor in the playoffs, theoretically capable of working as a traditional reliever, a multi-inning swingman, a bulk pitcher following an opener, or as an opener himself for the first two or three innings of a bullpen game.
- The Cubs surely won’t exercise their $25MM club option on Jon Lester for the 2021 season, as the veteran left-hander will instead be bought out at the lower sum of $10MM. That said, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago opines that a reunion between Lester and the Cubs on a lower-cost deal shouldn’t be ruled out, with Lester offering familiarity and veteran leadership to a team that will still need pitching depth. Lester has a 4.91 ERA, 2.92 K/BB rate, and 6.7 K/9 over 51 1/3 innings in 2020, showing only flashes of his past All-Star form. On the plus side, Lester is still very durable, averaging 199 innings per season from 2008-19 with only a few minor IL stints during that stretch. Lester, Quintana, and Tyler Chatwood will all be free agents, leaving Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks as the only locks for Chicago’s 2021 pitching staff. No-hitter hero Alec Mills seems like a solid bet for one rotation spot, and youngsters like Adbert Alzolay, Tyson Miller, or even top prospect Brailyn Marquez will be in competition for the other two jobs, so bringing Lester back as an experienced option makes some sense.