Genesis Cabrera

Génesis Cabrera elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Cubs over the weekend, per the MLB.com transaction tracker. The lefty reliever went unclaimed on waivers and has more than enough service time to return to the market.

Cabrera will seek his third team of the season. He made six appearances for the Mets earlier in the year, working 7 2/3 innings of three-run ball. New York waived him in late May. Cabrera cleared waivers and signed a major league contract with the Cubs. He struggled over nine appearances with Chicago, giving up nine runs through 9 1/3 frames. He struck out eight, issued three walks, and surrendered four home runs.

The 28-year-old Cabrera now carries a 6.35 ERA over 17 innings on the year. He posted a 3.59 mark over 69 appearances for the Blue Jays just last season. That came with an underwhelming strikeout and walk profile, though, leading the Jays to cut him loose at the beginning of the offseason. Cabrera still has plus velocity, averaging north of 96 MPH on his fastball from the left side. He’s an interesting depth target but seems likely to be limited to minor league offers after struggling in Chicago.

The Cubs have recalled right-hander Nate Pearson from Triple-A Iowa. To free up a space on the 26-man roster, the team designated left-hander Génesis Cabrera for assignment.

Cabrera, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Mets last offseason and was added to New York’s roster at the beginning of May. He ultimately made just six appearances in Queens, however, and was designated for assignment after posting a 3.52 ERA in 7 2/3 innings of work. The southpaw cleared waives and elected free agency but didn’t stay on the market for long, as he was signed by the Cubs to a big league deal almost immediately afterwards.

Cabrera’s time in Chicago did not go especially well. He made nine appearances in total but was shelled to the tune of an 8.68 ERA with a 7.90 FIP. He struck out a respectable 20.5% of his opponents and walked just 7.7%, but he was a very frequent victim of the long ball as he surrendered four homers during his brief stint in Chicago. While a 26.7% home run to fly ball ratio and a paltry 54.1% strand rate both are clear signals that positive regression is likely on the way, it seems as though Cabrera’s results were just too weak for the Cubs to justify keeping him on the roster.

Chicago will now have one week to trade Cabrera or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes through waivers unclaimed, the lefty will have the opportunity to either accept an outright assignment to Triple-A or return to the open market in search of a change of scenery. Given his status a veteran of seven MLB seasons with a career 4.03 ERA in the majors, it wouldn’t be a shock to see rival clubs have interest in Cabrera as a lefty depth piece for their bullpen. That interest may be limited to minor league offers at this point given his recent struggles, however.

In the meantime, Cabrera be replaced on the roster by Pearson. The 28-year-old was once a top pitching prospect with the Blue Jays but was derailed by injuries and traded to the Cubs as a reliever last summer. He pitched quite well for Chicago down the stretch but has allowed ten runs on 13 hits and more walks (7) than strikeouts (5) across 8 2/3 innings of work in the majors this year. Since being demoted to Triple-A, however, he’s posted a sterling 2.22 ERA with a 27.1% strikeout rate in 24 1/3 innings of work. That performance was enough to earn him another shot in the majors, although it could be a brief one given that right-hander Porter Hodge is expected back from the injured list in the near future.

May 28: It’s a big league contract, reports Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com. Cabrera will draw directly into Craig Counsell’s bullpen once he passes a physical. The Cubs will need to create space on the active and 40-man rosters.

May 27: The Cubs are in agreement with reliever Génesis Cabrera, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Mike Rodriguez first reported that the sides were nearing a deal. Cabrera had just elected free agency after being waived by the Mets.

Cabrera, 28, was called up by the Mets at the beginning of May. He managed decent results during his few weeks on the MLB roster. He worked 7 2/3 frames of three-run ball, striking out seven while issuing three walks. He averages around 96 MPH on his sinker and four-seam fastball, better than average velocity from the left side.

That has resulted in decent swing-and-miss rates over his career, but it hasn’t been enough to offset spotty command. Cabrera had walked at least 10% of opposing hitters in every big league season before this year’s small sample. He’d dished out five free passes in eight Triple-A innings before being called up.

Cabrera is a former division rival of Chicago’s. He spent his first five seasons with the Cardinals, who dealt him to the Blue Jays at the 2023 deadline. Cabrera pitched well down the stretch for Toronto but fell on harder times a year ago. While he managed a respectable 3.59 ERA across 62 2/3 frames, that came with a diminished 18.5% strikeout rate. The Jays opted to non-tender him instead of retaining for his final year of arbitration.

The Cubs have a pair of veteran lefties in the bullpen: Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar. Pomeranz has been fantastic, striking out 14 across 12 2/3 scoreless innings to begin his Cubs tenure. Thielbar has been effective as well, posting a 2.37 ERA while striking out nearly a quarter of batters faced in 22 appearances. Luke Little and Tom Cosgrove are on the 40-man roster and on optional assignment to Triple-A Iowa.