Cubs Sign Steven Souza Jr.
6:04pm: The Cubs have formally announced the signing.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that he can earn the following incentives: $50K for reaching 200 plate appearances, $75K at 250 PAs, $125K at 300 PAs, $150K at 350 PAs and $200K for reaching each of 400, 450 and 500 PAs. Souza will also earn $200K for every 30th day on the active 26-man roster — up through 150 days.
3:50pm: The Cubs have finalized their one-year, Major League contract with free agent outfielder Steven Souza Jr., per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). The two sides were first reported to be nearing an agreement on Friday. Souza, who is represented by ACES, will receive a $1MM base salary and can earn another $2MM via incentives, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets. The team has yet to formally announce the signing.
It’s sure to be a low-cost deal for the Cubs, as Souza missed the entire 2019 season due to a devastating knee injury and hasn’t enjoyed a full, healthy year since a terrific 2017 campaign with the Rays. That year saw Souza turn in a .239/.351/.459 slash with career-highs in home runs (30), doubles (21), stolen bases (16) and plate appearances (617). Souza was traded to the Diamondbacks that offseason and immediately hit by injuries — namely a pectoral tear that wiped out more than half of his season and limited him to a .220/.309/.369 slash when on the field.
Bringing Souza into the fray gives the Cubs another option in what already looked like a somewhat crowded outfield mix. Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr., Jason Heyward and Ian Happ are already lined up to share playing time as is. Third baseman Kris Bryant, too, has seen work in the outfield corners in each of the past five seasons. There are already plenty of question marks surrounding a potential trade involving Bryant — first and foremost centering around an ongoing service time grievance — and bringing another corner outfielder onto the roster will only spark some further speculation about other dealings.
The Souza pickup is the latest in a string of budget-friendly acquisitions from a Cubs front office that has been handcuffed both by the uncertainty surrounding Bryant’s status and by payroll constraints set forth by the Ricketts family ownership group. Chicago reportedly agreed to a tiny $850K deal with reliever Jeremy Jeffress earlier today and has otherwise made a string of minor league signings or non-guaranteed MLB deals (Dan Winkler, Ryan Tepera).
Cubs Reportedly Interested In Scooter Gennett
The Cubs are showing interest in veteran second baseman Scooter Gennett, according to Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (via Twitter). The status of talks isn’t fully evident.
Gennett is looking for a rebound opportunity after a brutal 2019 campaign. He was shelved early with a significant groin strain and never got going with the bat. The 29-year-old ended the season with a .226/.245/.323 batting line in 139 plate appearances.
There’s reason to hope that Gennett can get back on track after a full offseason of rest. He was a surprise force in the prior two seasons, turning in a robust .303/.351/.508 slash with fifty long balls.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the former Brewers and Reds infielder can line up with his third NL Central team. For the Cubs, adding Gennett would bring in yet another mix-and-match option to deepen a still-unsettled position-player mix. Gennett could battle in camp with fellow left-handed-hitting veteran infielder Daniel Descalso, who is under contract for 2020 but turned in equally rough results last year.
Cubs Nearing Deal With Steven Souza
The Cubs are closing in on a deal with free agent outfielder Steven Souza Jr., per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). If completed, it’ll be the Chicago organization’s first MLB contract of the offseason.
Souza was previously cut loose by the Diamondbacks. The Arizona organization decided against tendering him and paying a projected $4.125MM salary in Souza’s final year of arbitration eligibility.
This news helps explain the Cubs’ decision to open a 40-man spot today. Adding Souza will not really change the pitch of the austerity-themed offseason, but it does represent a notable commitment that could potentially have an intriguing butterfly effect.
Souza, who’s looking to bounce back following a 2019 season lost to injury, has played almost exclusively in right field during his five seasons in the majors. That has been the primary domain of high-proced Cubs veteran Jason Heyward, who could also appear in center.
There’s now a bit of a crowd in the outfield picture. Kyle Schwarber has spent most of his time in left and figures to do so again. Ian Happ has been seen as an option up the middle but could be utilized in a variety of manners (including in the infield). Albert Almora is a possible platoon partner for Heyward or Happ. Star third baseman Kris Bryant has also spent time in the corner outfield in recent seasons.
At a minimum, the addition of Souza makes it tougher than ever to envision Nicholas Castellanos returning. Even sans Castellanos, the roster may yet be pared through trade — with Bryant still the most intriguing possibility.
Souza won’t necessarily be assured of a significant role — or even a roster spot out of camp. He’s not only working back from a serious knee injury, but needs to prove he can rebound at the plate. Souza managed only a .220/.309/.369 batting line in 272 plate appearances in 2018, another injury-limited campaign.
The Cubs obviously hope that Souza can rediscovery the form he showed back in 2017, when he was an effective performer for the Rays. He turned in .239/.351/.459 slash with thirty long balls and 16 steals over 617 trips to the plate, easily representing his best season in the bigs. Souza was even then prone to strike out in about three of every ten plate appearances, but drew walks at a healthy 13.6% clip and made plenty of good contact.
Souza has also graded as a plus defender and baserunner at times. When he put it all together in ’17, he was a 3.8 fWAR / 4.1 rWAR performer. Anything approaching that level of production would make this signing a slam dunk for the Cubs, though that’s probably also a low-likelihood outcome given Souza’s more recent track record.
Cubs Outright CD Pelham
The Cubs have outrighted southpaw CD Pelham after he cleared waivers, the team announced and MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian was among those to tweet. That gives the Chicago an open 40-man spot to work with.
Pelham, who’ll turn 25 in February, was acquired through a waiver claim earlier in the offseason. Now, the Cubs have successfully stashed him in the ranks of the non-roster invitees.
The Cubs hope to help Pelham rediscover his form after a brutal 2019 season. He had earned his way up for a brief MLB debut in 2018, skipping over Triple-A entirely. But Pelham struggled badly in the upper minors in the just-completed campaign, coughing up a whopping 43 earned runs in 32 1/3 innings while carrying an ugly 37:40 K/BB ratio.
Those numbers obviously aren’t the ones that the Cubs were focused on when they targeted Pelham. He’s a 6’6 lefty who pumps upper-nineties heat and has a history of strong strikeout numbers in the minors. If the Cubs can help him refine his command and secondary slider, there may be some real upside.
Marlins, Rangers Reportedly Finalists To Sign Pedro Strop
The chase for Pedro Strop may not rate as national news, but it’s an important situation in the context of the remaining relief market. Perusing the slate of still-available pen pieces should convince you of that.
The group of pursuers was defined recently and seems now to have been culled again. The Marlins and Rangers are the two final clubs in the bidding, according to Hector Gomez of Deportivo Z 101 (Twitter link), with the Brewers and Cubs evidently exiting the picture.
For the Fish, Strop would represent something of a finishing flourish to an offseason full of bullpen movement. The Miami organization has dumped a whole lot of talented but unreliable younger hurlers and obviously has interest in plugging in a late-inning veteran.
Should he land instead in Texas, Strop would help buttress a unit that still has some uncertainty. Jose Leclerc and a resurgent Rafael Montero provide some potential fire at the back of the unit, but it’d be nice to pair Strop with Jesse Chavez to lock in some sturdy frames.
Strop has been a steady performer for years now, though he’s coming off of a down 2019. With injuries limiting his availability and effectiveness, the 34-year-old managed only a 4.97 ERA. More than anything, he (like many of his peers) was suddenly prone to the long ball, allowing about twice as many per nine innings as he had over the preceding five years. And a fairly significant velocity decline gave some cause for concern. But it’s not hard to envision a quick bounce back if Strop is at full health, as he still proved capable of inducing an enticing mix of swings and misses and groundballs.
Cubs Sign Danny Hultzen, Rex Brothers, Noel Cuevas
The Cubs have minor-league deals lined up with southpaws Danny Hultzen and Rex Brothers as well as outfielder Noel Cuevas, per the latest minor-league deal log from Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic had previously reported the Cuevas signing, via Twitter.
Hultzen had been dropped from the Chicago 40-man roster in December after making his long-awaited big-league debut late in 2019. The former second overall draft pick saw his career with the Mariners derailed by a series of debilitating arm injuries, but he reemerged with the Cubs organization.
Though Hultzen didn’t throw many innings in 2019, he did turn in some interesting numbers. In 18 total frames (3 1/3 in the majors and the balance at Triple-A), he racked up 28 strikeouts against 11 walks and permitted just a pair of earned runs on eight hits. During his MLB action, Hultzen worked in the 93 to 94 mph range with his fastball and got swings and misses on 12.3% of the pitches he delivered.
As for the flamethrowing Brothers, he spent the ’19 campaign turning in typically high-K, high-walk outings for the Yankees’ top affiliate. In 45 2/3 innings at Triple-A, the former Rockies and Braves hurler struck out 81 opposing hitters but also doled out 36 free passes. He ended the year with a 4.93 ERA. Once a fixture in the Colorado bullpen, Brothers has seen his big-league opportunities dwindle in more recent seasons.
Cuevas has a more recent track record with the Rockies organization. He struggled in the majors during his 2018 debut and was injured in his first game up in 2019. He ended up spending most of the just-completed campaign at Triple-A, where he turned in uninspiring numbers. But Cuevas has at times produced at an above-average rate at the plate in the upper minors. The 28-year-old is capable of playing all three outfield positions.
Red Sox Trade Travis Lakins To Cubs, Outright Bobby Poyner
The Red Sox traded right-hander Travis Lakins to the Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, both teams announced Tuesday afternoon. The Sox added that left-hander Bobby Poyner went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Both teams now have full 40-man rosters.
Lakins, 25, was designated for assignment last week. Although he’d consistently ranked in the No. 15-25 range of a thin Boston farm system, the Ohio State product has yet to put together a particularly strong showing in the Majors or in the upper minors. Lakins made his big league debut this past season, yielding a 3.86 ERA with a lackluster 18-to-10 K/BB ratio in 23 2/3 innings for Boston. His work in Triple-A has been rather similar, as he’s compiled a 3.82 ERA with 8.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and slightly below-average grounder rates in parts of two seasons there.
Scouting reports on Lakins praise his curveball as a potential above-average offering, and he did average 93.8 mph on his heater in his brief MLB work. Clearly, the new Chaim Bloom-led front office isn’t enthralled with the right-hander, but the Cubs and their ongoing quest to stockpile ‘pen depth without actually adding to the payroll in a meaningful way saw enough upside to take a flier.
Poyner, meanwhile, limped to a 6.94 ERA in just 11 2/3 innings last year. He posted solid numbers for the BoSox in his debut campaign (2018) and has averaged nearly 10 punchouts per nine innings pitched over the life of his minor league career. Having gone unclaimed, Poyner will remain in the organization without requiring a 40-man roster spot, so the Sox could take another look at him down the line in 2020.
Latest On Nolan Arenado’s Relationship With Rockies
There have been plenty of recent trade rumors centering on Rockies superstar Nolan Arenado, but the saga took a particularly interesting turn Monday. Shortly after general manager Jeff Bridich indicated the Rockies don’t plan to part with Arenado prior to the season, the third baseman made it known that he’s displeased with the organization.
Arenado revealed that he feels the Rockies have “disrespected” him, but not because the team has listened to offers for him. He noted he’s “not mad at trade rumors. There’s more to it than that.” However, Arenado didn’t go into detail on how the Rockies have damaged the two sides’ union.
It turns out the Rockies’ offseason inactivity has been the immediate source of the newfound friction, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. And it appears. the star third baseman has particular ire for the organization’s general manager. He told Troy Renck of Denver7 last night that Bridich specifically “is very disrespectful.”
Check out today’s Trade Rumors video, where Jeff Todd discusses Arenado and much more:
The Rockies, then coming off a playoff berth, locked up Arenado to a seven-year, $234MM contract extension prior to last season. The team struggled immensely in 2019, though, and it hasn’t done anything since then to improve its chances of bouncing back this year. Owner Dick Monfort suggested after last season that the Rockies would not further expand payroll and indeed they haven’t signed any free agents to major league contracts this offseason. That inactivity doesn’t sit well with Arenado, who had received assurances that the organization would keep working to put out a contender, Nick Groke of The Athletic writes (subscription link). Arenado and Monfort even had an in-person meeting sometime this offseason, but that sitdown wasn’t able to quell the former’s growing discontent with the franchise. The Rockies, for their part, indicated to Passan that they are “puzzled” over Arenado’s stance so soon after he signed his long-term deal.
Despite what Bridich said Monday, it still seems possible that an Arenado trade will come together – if his relationship with the team has become irreparably damaged. As those who have followed the rumors know, though, there are complicating factors that have stood in the way of a swap and could continue to prevent one. Not only does Arenado’s pact include a whopping amount of cash, including $35MM in 2020, but it also features full no-trade rights and an opt-out decision after 2021. The latter issue probably hasn’t done his trade value any favors, but as Passan notes, the Rockies have still held out for a huge return for their franchise player. They were “exchanging proposals with teams” as recently as this past weekend, but an agreement hasn’t come close to materializing.
In yet another intriguing aspect of this story, the Cubs are among the clubs that have shown some level of interest in Arenado this winter, Passan relays. The Cubs, like the Rockies, have been hesitant to spend this offseason, so it would be a shock to see them add Arenado (and it’s unclear just how interested they’ve been in doing so). They also already have an elite-caliber third base option in Kris Bryant, who has joined Arenado in the rumor mill of late. It’s unclear where either player will open the 2020 season, but Arenado’s situation in particular has become increasingly fascinating as spring training approaches.
Pedro Strop Weighing Multiple Offers
Free-agent righty Pedro Strop is mulling offers from multiple clubs, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter links). The longtime Cubs setup man has three offers in hand at the moment, Nicholson-Smith adds, citing the Marlins, Brewers, Cubs and Rangers as teams who’ve been showing interest of late.
While it’s not clear which combination of that group has offers on the table, it’d be a surprise to see the Cubs make a competitive offer following ownership’s recent spending limitations and the team’s general lack of offseason activity to date. Nicholson-Smith does indicate that two NL clubs and an AL team have put an offer out to Strop, which at least speculatively speaking, would make the Marlins, Brewers and Rangers a trio that fits the description. Miami was already tied to Strop two weeks ago when FNTSY Sports Radio’s Craig Mish reported their interest.
Hamstring and neck injuries limited Strop to just 41 2/3 innings in 2019 and quite possibly hindered his on-field production; the typically hard-throwing righty logged a 4.97 ERA and saw his heater dip from an average of 95.1 mph in 2018 to 93.6 mph in 2019. That said, Strop still racked up strikeouts at an impressive clip (10.6 K/9) and notched a quality 13.5 percent swinging-strike rate.
And, of course, prior to his down year in 2019, Strop was a consistent force in the Chicago ‘pen. The right-hander posted five consecutive sub-3.00 ERA seasons from 2014-18, pitching to a combined 2.61 mark (3.10 FIP) with averages of 10.1 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and 0.6 HR/9 with a ground-ball rate well north of 50 percent. The Marlins have seen considerable turnover in their bullpen already this winter and are said to be eyeing a veteran addition along the lines of last year’s Sergio Romo pickup. The Brewers, meanwhile, already have a deep collection of arms but never shy away from a late-offseason value play. And the Rangers, of course, have been aggressive in reshaping their club in preparation for the opening of their new stadium in 2020.
NL Notes: Cubs, Morrow, Nationals, Turner, D’Backs, Hazen, Bryant
Cubs reliever Brandon Morrow is healthy, which has rarely been the case throughout his Cubs tenure. Morrow should be on schedule for the spring, though the Cubs are keeping open the possibility of bringing him along more slowly than the other pitchers in camp. A different schedule would be purely precautionary, however, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). Morrow arrived in Chicago as the heir apparent to Wade Davis, who had been the heir apparent to Aroldis Chapman before him. When healthy, Morrow has been nothing short of elite, but after just 35 appearances in 2018 followed by an entire season in absentia, Morrow enters 2020 in no better position than the many other arms the Cubs have collected on minor league deals.
- The Nationals are entering another year of uncertainty in their lineup. Manager Dave Martinez is weighing a move for powerful leadoff man Trea Turner into the middle of the order, tweets Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Turner certainly has enough oomph to man the middle of the order. A full season of the .298/.353/.497 line he put up last year would ably fill the 3-hole recently vacated by his bromance partner Anthony Rendon. Adam Eaton remains a viable top-of-the-order presence after putting up a .365 OBP mostly out of the 2-hole, who could presumably move up a slot into the leadoff vacancy. Putting Turner’s speed directly in front of the ever-patient and fear-inducing cleanup presence of Juan Soto might not be the most natural pairing, however. Martinez will have some big decisions to make, largely dependent upon who wins the third base job and what kind of jump Victor Robles can make at the plate.
- In an interview with The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan, Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen says he doesn’t envision the team making a blockbuster deal like trading for Kris Bryant this far into the offseason. Major roster decisions have largely been made, and it’s more the time for fine-tuning. Hazen left open the possibility of adding a bullpen arm or another body for the bench, but a blockbuster is less likely. That said, the Diamondbacks never found the centerfielder they were seeking, which would push Ketel Marte back into the outfield and open starter’s minutes somewhere in the infield. The Diamondbacks have already taken more big swings this offseason than Hazen anticipated, so one more – even at this stage – can’t be entirely ruled out.