Latest On Ben Zobrist, Brandon Morrow
The Cubs, who trail the NL Central-leading Cardinals by a half-game, are hoping to get back a pair of notable reinforcements in the next few weeks. Second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist has barely contributed this season, while reliever Brandon Morrow hasn’t taken a major league mound since July 15, 2018. Both players are now working toward returning.
Zobrist, who has been on the restricted list since May 8 while dealing with a pending divorce, began a rehab assignment Friday. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein discussed the Cubs’ plans for Zobrist with reporters, including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Epstein revealed Zobrist will “play rehab games on and off for the month of August to get ready. He’s going to take some time off in between these stints to continue to get his body in shape and continue to practice.”
The Cubs are taking that tack with Zobrist because “he’s not going to come back as an everyday player anyway,” according to Epstein. “So it makes sense to get him ready this way.”
Filling a part-time role will be a first in Chicago for Zobrist, a starter for the club since it signed him to a four-year, $56MM contract entering 2016. The deal had paid off handsomely for the Cubs until this season, which has been a disastrous on- and off-field field campaign for Zobrist. The 38-year-old switch-hitter batted a punchless .241/.343/.253 with no home runs and a shockingly low ISO (.012) in 99 plate appearances before going on leave, though he did continue to show a keen awareness of the zone with 14 walks against 12 strikeouts.
Zobrist has seen more time in the corner outfield than at second base this season, but the Cubs addressed both areas prior to Wednesday’s trade deadline. They acquired fellow second baseman/outfielder Tony Kemp from the Astros and reeled in a much bigger fish, right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, in a swap with the Tigers. But it’s anyone’s guess whether those additions will help push the Cubs to the playoffs.
Second base has been a problem for the team all year, as Zobrist, the now-injured Daniel Descalso, David Bote, and current minor leaguers Addison Russell and Robel Garcia have combined for subpar production. Kemp, meanwhile, doesn’t carry an especially impressive MLB track record. The corner outfield now has two defensive question marks – Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber – flanking Jason Heyward. Zobrist is a better defender than Schwarber, who has added to the Cubs’ woes against southpaws this season, and has hit lefties well throughout his career. Ergo, platooning the two could make sense.
As for Morrow, his year-plus absence has been a major blow to the Cubs’ bullpen. After signing a two-year, $21MM contract with the Cubs going into 2018, the oft-injured Morrow thrived for a few months, but then elbow issues upended him. General manager Jed Hoyer indicated Thursday the team’s not holding its breath for the return of Morrow, who has been rehabbing in Arizona.
The 35-year-old Morrow took a more optimistic tone Friday, telling Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com: “I faced hitters just last week, so I’m pretty built up. I’ve thrown the last two days and should be back on the mound early next week.”
Morrow added he’s free of “aches and pains” in his elbow and forearm, and he’s expecting “to progress quickly.” Asked when he believes he’ll rejoin the Cubs, Morrow said, “I guess not more than a month away from being back.”
The money the Cubs have saved during Zobrist’s time away, not to mention Morrow’s inability to take the mound, played key roles in the the three-year, $43MM contract they gave star closer Craig Kimbrel in June. Kimbrel hasn’t exactly been a cure-all for the Cubs’ bullpen, though. The 31-year-old righty has yielded eight earned runs on 12 hits (four home runs) and eight walks in his first 11 2/3 innings as a Cub.
Cubs To Activate Cole Hamels On Saturday
The Cubs attempted to bolster their roster at the trade deadline, acquiring Nicholas Castellanos, David Phelps and Tony Kemp, and now have a major in-house reinforcement on the way. As expected, left-hander Cole Hamels will come off the injured list Saturday, manager Joe Maddon announced to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune and other reporters. He’ll start against the National League Central rival Brewers, who are also vying for a division title.
The 35-year-old Hamels suffered an oblique strain in his most recent start June 28, and his month-plus absence has deprived the Cubs of one of their best starters during a crucial stretch. The club lost the latest game he started, though it still ended the night in first place in the division. The Cubs are now a game back of the front-running Cardinals, who shellacked them, 8-0, Thursday. Chicago does, however, hold a wild-card spot.
Hamels, who’s scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end, has turned in his latest quality season in a long succession of them. Across 99 2/3 innings, the former Phillie and Ranger has posted a terrific 2.98 ERA/3.59 FIP with 8.76 K/9, 3.16 BB/9 and a 51.1 percent groundball rate. Hamels paces the Cubs’ rotation – a group that also includes Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Yu Darvish and Jose Quintana – in ERA, FIP and grounder percentage.
Ben Zobrist To Begin Rehab Assignment
AUG. 1: Zobrist’s rehab will begin this weekend at the Single-A level, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com was among those to report.
JULY 26: Cubs veteran Ben Zobrist is slated to begin a rehab assignment, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein tells reporters including ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers (Twitter link). Zobrist has been on the restricted list for much of the season for personal reasons.
It’s notable news for the Cubs, who are in a dead heat in a tightly contest NL Central. The club has struggled to find consistent production at second base and in the corner outfield — the two spots that Zobrist has appeared at most frequently. He’ll presumably step right back into the mix as soon as he is back up to full speed.
The Cubs likely won’t welcome back Zobrist right away. Though he has been working out, the 38-year-old has been inactive for so long that he’s likely to need a physical ramp-up along with a good bit of time getting back up to game speed. He wasn’t exactly at top form when he stepped away, having compiled 99 plate appearances of .241/.343/.253 hitting to open the season. While he carried a strong 12:14 K/BB ratio in that span, Zobrist managed just one extra-base hit.
There are also some payroll considerations to be accounted for. During his absence, Zobrist has foregone payment of his $12.5MM annual salary. But he’ll start earning again. (Whether that will take place once his rehab assignment starts or once he’s activated isn’t clear.) That means that the club cannot reallocate all of Zobrist’s remaining salary obligations to other players at the deadline.
It seems an early September target may make the most sense for all involved. That’d be an optimal time from a roster perspective, as the Cubs would be able to take advantage of the expansion of the active roster to ease Zobrist back in. He will need to come off of the restricted list by the end of August in order to be eligible for the postseason.
Cubs Notes: Deadline, Castellanos, Hamels, Morrow
The latest out of Wrigleyville…
- The Cubs’ acquisition of Nicholas Castellanos didn’t become a reality until around 20 minutes before yesterday’s 3pm CT trade deadline, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reports. The Cubs and Tigers had been in talks about Castellanos prior to Wednesday, though discussions didn’t reignite until almost literally the last minute, as the trade was finalized with eight minutes to spare. As Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and other reporters, the turning point was ownership’s decision to okay adding roughly $2.5MM of Castellanos’ remaining salary to Chicago’s payroll. The trade pushes the Cubs to the very edge of exceeding the $246MM maximum luxury tax penalty threshold, as Roster Resource estimates the Cubs’ luxury tax number as slightly less than $245.66MM.
- While the Cubs have played some inconsistent ball over the first four months, they’re still tied with the Cardinals atop the NL Central. Since the team was always in contention, Hoyer said his front office didn’t really think about a larger shake-up that would’ve seen Chicago subtract from its Major League roster. “There’s the idea-generation time and then there’s like: What deals are we actually going to work on? None of those deals actually made it to that point. Yeah, of course, people called about our players, but our focus was on trying to add to this group,” Hoyer said.
- While an official announcement has yet to come from the team, it is looking like Cole Hamels will be activated off the injured list to start Saturday’s game, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. Hamels has been on the IL since June 29 due to an oblique strain, and has completed two rehab outings in the minors. Prior to his injury, the veteran southpaw was looking good in his first full season as a Cub, posting a 2.98 ERA, 8.76 K/9, 2.77 K/BB rate and a 51.1% grounder rate over 99 2/3 innings.
- Brandon Morrow‘s status is much less certain, as Hoyer said that while the Cubs are still “cautiously optimistic” that the reliever will be able to contribute, it would “be foolish at this point to make any decisions assuming that he was going to be a big part of this bullpen.” Morrow hasn’t pitched since July 15, 2018 due to a biceps injury and then offseason elbow injury. The former closer has experienced at least one setback during his recovery process from that procedure, and with only two months remaining in the season, Morrow is running out of time to get healthy and fully prepared for a return to Major League action.
Tim Collins Elects Free Agency
Veteran lefty Tim Collins elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment from the Cubs, according to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League’s transactions page. Chicago designated Collins, 29, for assignment over the weekend.
Collins appeared in nine games across multiple stints with the Cubs in 2019, allowing a total of three runs on nine hits and three walks with four punchouts. He’s whiffed 37 hitters in 27 Triple-A innings this season but has also issued 16 walks (three intentional) and surrendered seven home runs there.
Collins was a big piece of the Kansas City bullpen from 2011-14 but missed two full seasons due to multiple Tommy John surgeries. He’s totaled 31 1/3 big league innings between the Nationals and Cubs since returning from that pair of operations, posting a 25-to-15 K/BB ratio but has yielded a .237/.328/.492 batting line to opposing left-handers.
Still, as an experienced left-hander with a knack for missing bats, Collins should have little difficulty latching on with a different club — likely a contender. The elimination of August trade waivers will make adding depth via other avenues (e.g. outright waiver claims, free agency) of increased importance.
40-Man Moves: 7/31/19
This has been a trade-filled day across Major League Basbeall, leaving plenty of smaller moves somewhat unnoticed. Here’s a look at the DFAs, contract selections and other 40-man transactions that came along with today’s action…
- The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander Brock Stewart off waivers from the Dodgers, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Once a well-regarded prospect, the 27-year-old Stewart has only managed a 5.46 ERA/5.71 FIP in 84 innings since he debuted in the majors in 2016. Stewart has also experienced a nightmarish 2019 at the Triple-A level, where he has mustered a 7.34 ERA/7.22 FIP with 7.93 K/9 and 4.74 BB/9 in 76 innings.
- The Nationals announced that they’ve designated righties Javy Guerra and Michael Blazek for assignment. The 33-year-old Guerra has divided the season between Washington and Toronto, combining for a 4.50 ERA/3.86 FIP with 7.36 K/9 and 3.07 BB/9 across 44 innings. Blazek, 30, threw just five innings for the Nationals before his designation. Prior to his addition to the Nats’ roster, Blazek recorded a 5.54 ERA/4.91 FIP with 9.69 K/9 and 3.46 BB/9 in 26 Triple-A innings.
- The Athletics have designated righty Andrew Triggs and outrighted fellow righty Brian Schlitter to Triple-A Las Vegas, the club announced. The 30-year-old Triggs was a promising piece for the Athletics a couple seasons ago, but health issues – including September 2018 thoracic outlet syndrome surgery – have prevented him from making an impact of late. He hasn’t pitched in the majors at all this season. Schlitter, meanwhile, lost his briefly held 40-man spot with the A’s when they designated him Monday.
- The Indians have designated infielder Eric Stamets, who opened the season as their starting shortstop on account of Francisco Lindor‘s calf strain. Stamets, 27, struggled to a hideous .049/.149/.073 line in 48 plate appearances while filling in for the great Lindor. He has been better – albeit far from spectacular – at the Triple-A level, where he has hit .232/.313/.378 with six HRs and 12 steals in 262 PA this season.
- The Brewers have designated left-hander Donnie Hart, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. The 28-year-old has thrown 6 2/3 scoreless innings with the Brew Crew this season, though he has totaled more walks (four) than strikeouts (three). Hart has enjoyed a relatively productive campaign at the Triple-A level, where he has posted a 4.10 ERA/4.28 FIP with 7.23 K/9, 3.13 BB/9 and a 55.4 percent groundball rate in 37 1/3 innings.
- The Mariners have selected righty Zac Grotz from Double-A Arkansas, the team announced. The 26-year-old Grotz, whom the Mariners signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, has registered a strong 2.51 ERA/2.74 FIP with 10.83 K/9, 1.73 BB/9 and a 57.9 percent groundball rate in 57 1/3 Double-A innings in 2019.
- The Cubs have designated righty Oscar De La Cruz, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic relays. The 24-year-old De La Cruz entered the season as the Cubs’ 15th-ranked prospect, per FanGraphs, and has since pitched to a 3.89 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 81 innings divided between the High-A and Double-A levels.
- The Diamondbacks have designated righty Joey Krehbiel, who had a brief MLB debut with the club last season. The 26-year-old has stumbled to an 8.25 ERA/7.25 FIP and notched 8.6 K/9 against 7.05 BB/9 in 52 1/3 Triple-A innings in 2019.
- More on the Diamondbacks, who have transferred utilityman Blake Swihart to the 60-day injured list. Swihart has been on the IL with an oblique injury since the start of June, so this is just a procedural move on the D-backs’ part.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/31/19
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Braves have signed outfielder Lane Adams to a minor-league contract, according to Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It won’t be the 29-year-old’s first rodeo with the Braves; he played in 111 games with the club from 2017-2018, posting an overall .818 OPS in that span. His calling card is speed, having stolen 11 bases in his Major League career while not being caught once. There’s swing-and-miss in his game, though: playing in Triple-A with the Phillies’ affiliate, he’s struck out 103 times in 306 plate appearances. As Burns notes, general manager Alex Anthopoulos cited Adams as a player who could appear with the big-league team come September.
- In one of the day’s lesser trades, the Rockies acquired minor-leaguer Jimmy Herron from the Cubs in exchange for international bonus pool money, per an official Rockies announcement. Herron, a 23-year-old outfielder, was a third-round draft choice by the Cubs last season. He’s played his first full professional season with the Cubs’ High-A affiliate, appearing in 92 games. He’s managed a .220/.320/.336 slash line while stealing 19 bases. MLB Pipeline ranks Herron outside of Cubs’ top 30 prospects.
Cubs To Acquire Nicholas Castellanos
The Cubs snuck in a last-minute stunner, working out a deal with the Tigers for Nicholas Castellanos, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Paul Richan and Alex Lange are headed to Detroit in return, per Craig Mish of MLB Network (via Twitter).
Castellanos is earning $9.5MM this year before reaching the open market at season’s end. The Tigers will pick up approximately $500K of the $3MM left of Castellanos’ salary, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic.
The Cubs will add a good bit of offensive pop in this move, creating some additional possibilities in their outfield mix. It’s not immediately clear how the club will deploy its newly numerous group of options, having also acquired Tony Kemp earlier today, but odds are Castellanos will be in the lineup against all southpaws and a fair number of righty hurlers as well.
Through 439 plate appearances of regular action this year for the Tigers, Castellanos carries a .273/.328/.462 batting line with 11 home runs. He has been inconsistent for much of the season, ramping things up after a slow start but falling off again more recently.
Richan and Lange are each recent top draft picks who could be MLB options in the relatively near future. While the Tigers are laden with pitching prospect depth, it never hurts to have more arms. Richan has been at the High-A level all year, where he’s through 93 innings of 3.97 ERA ball with 8.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9. Lange carries a 5.82 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 86 2/3 innings on the season, split between High-A and Double-A.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres To Acquire Carl Edwards Jr.
In yet another under-the-wire deadline deal, the Cubs traded right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to the Padres, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweets. The once-trusted setup man had clearly seen his standing with the organization slip, as evidenced by a recent demotion to Triple-A Iowa.
The Cubs are getting lefty Brad Wieck back from the Padres in return for Edwards, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Chicago will also send $500K in international bonus pool money to the Padres in the deal, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. All indications are that the San Diego organization will take over the remainder of Edwards’s $1.5MM salary.
Edwards Jr. will join a strong bullpen unit in San Diego, offering value as a buy-low candidate with a high ceiling if Padres management can resolve the issues that have driven his fall from grace this season. While the Pads find themselves outside the playoff picture in 2019, the addition of Edwards could pay dividends in years to come; the 27-year-old will remain under team control through the 2022 season, which would seem to jibe with the Padres’ desired timeline for contention. If Edwards can return to form in San Diego, the Padres will add yet another bullpen weapon to its already-deep arsenal.
Wieck, meanwhile, is slightly younger than Edwards and has two more years of team control, which makes him an attractive long-term relief option. However, he lacks the Major-League track record and electrifying potential that made Edwards a mainstay in recent Cubs bullpens. While Chicago still finds itself in position to contend, Jed Hoyer and company viewed Edwards as a change-of-scenery candidate and may not have seen an opportunity for him to contribute to this year’s team. Replacing him with Wieck, while likely not improving their chances in 2019, may provide insurance against possible departures of veteran cogs: Pedro Strop, Brandon Kintzler, and Steve Cishek will all be free agents at season’s end, and there are few internal options outside of that group.
Wieck’s 2019 numbers are not pretty—his 6.57 ERA, fueled by allowing 2.6 HR/9, won’t inspire any optimism in Cubs faithful—but there are signs of promise. Despite the struggles, he’s struck out 11.3 batters per nine innings, good for a 3.44 K:BB ratio. In 2018, between Double- and Triple-A, he struck out 70 batters in 46 1/3 innings while walking just 17. He’s certainly not a finished product, and it’s questionable whether he provides more value to a contender than a diminished version of Edwards; however, with the extra years of team control and good strikeout stuff, the Cubs believe Wieck will grow into a more valuable long-term asset than the Edwards, who may well be a lost cause.
Over a three-year stretch from 2016-2018, Edwards established himself as a key member of the Cubs’ bullpen. Tossing 154 1/3 innings of relief over that span, Edwards posted a 3.03 ERA while striking out 12.4 batters per nine innings. However, his fortunes took a turn for the worse this season, as his ERA has ballooned to an unsightly 5.87. His strikeout numbers, while still impressive, dipped slightly; while his command issues haven’t waned, his 5.51 FIP seems to have been inflated by an increased proneness to the long ball, as he’s already allowed 3 in just 15 1/3 innings of work.
Astros Acquire Martin Maldonado For Tony Kemp
The Astros have acquired catcher Martin Maldonado from the Cubs, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Outfielder/second baseman Tony Kemp is going to Chicago in return, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.
This is the second trade of the month for Maldonado, whose Cubs tenure was fleeting. They acquired Maldonado from the Royals for left-hander Mike Montgomery on July 15. At the time, the Cubs had just lost their starting catcher, Willson Contreras, to the injured list. He quickly returned, though, making Maldonado a superfluous piece for a team that already had the capable Victor Caratini as its reserve backstop.
The Astros reportedly pursued Maldonado before his trade to the Cubs, and he’ll now head to Houston for the second straight year. The club previously acquired Maldonado from the Angels last July. Maldonado now figures to supplant Max Stassi, who’s out of options and could now be on his way to a trade or a designation for assignment, as Robinson Chirinos‘ backup. Stassi’s a quality defender who hasn’t hit this year, which doesn’t make him much different than the 32-year-old Maldonado. However, even Maldonado’s paltry .217/.285/.349 line easily outdoes Stassi’s .167/.235/.211 showing.
Maldonado, who’s earning the balance of a $2.5MM salary, will be a free agent at season’s end. Kemp, on the other hand, could be a multiyear piece for the Cubs. Kemp won’t be eligible for arbitration until after next season, though the Cubs won’t have the option of sending him to the minors without subjecting him to waivers. The 27-year-old’s time in Houston came to an end when it designated him on July 25.
Kemp, to his credit, had been amid his second straight useful offensive campaign before the Astros booted him from their roster. He has slashed .227/.308/.417 with seven home runs, four steals and a terrific 15.6 percent strikeout rate across 186 plate appearances this year, also logging 25-plus appearances at second and in the outfield.
The Cubs had been seeking help at second and in the outfield prior to this trade. Whether Kemp will be enough to satisfy those needs remains to be seen. The club could acquire further help at either position in the next few hours, but it does expect to get second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist back from the restricted list later in the season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.