The Cubs announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Ethan Roberts from Triple-A Iowa. In a corresponding move to create a 40-man roster spot, right-hander Jose Cuas has been designated for assignment.
Roberts signed a minor league deal with Chicago back in December, and he had an opt-out in that contract on June 15, according to The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma. Since Sharma indicated that Roberts chose to pass on that opt-out, it could be that he already had some advance notice that the Cubs were going to call him up soon to the majors, and the righty is now in line to receive his first MLB action since April 2022.
Roberts made his big league debut that season and posted an 8.22 ERA over 7 2/3 innings in the Show before injuries derailed his career. A Tommy John surgery in June 2022 kept Roberts on the shelf for the entirety of the 2023 season, and he only officially got back on the hill last month. Roberts has thrown 11 1/3 scoreless innings across three minor league levels — 9 2/3 IP with with Triple-A Iowa (9 2/3 IP), two-third of an inning in one Double-A game, and one inning of Arizona Complex League ball — but the spotless ERA masks the fact that Roberts has issued eight walks in those 11 1/3 frames.
Even though Roberts also had an inflated walk rate during his brief cup of coffee as a big leaguer, the control issues are a new problem for a pitcher who did a good job of limiting free passes earlier in his minor league career. It could be that Roberts was simply working off the rust after his long layoff, and the Cubs were still satisfied enough to select Roberts’ contract and add a fresh arm to their bullpen. For his minor league career as a whole, Roberts has a 2.84 ERA, 26.25% strikeout rate, and 7.08% walk rate across 139 2/3 innings (almost all as a reliever) since the Cubs made him a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
Cuas has been optioned back and forth from Triple-A a few times this season, amassing a 7.43 ERA in 13 1/3 big league innings. Acquired from the Royals prior to last year’s trade deadline, Cuas has a 4.26 ERA in 116 1/3 career MLB frames since the start of the 2022 season, but control has also been an issue given his 12.1% walk rate.
Since Cuas is also still optionable for the 2025 season, rival teams might be interested in a waiver claim in order to add another reliever to their depth chart for more than just the current campaign. Cuas (who turns 30 later this month) has upped his strikeout numbers considerably over the last two seasons but has also had a subsequent spike in his walk rate.
Now what about Carl Edwards jr?
…More to come…
They need to call him up. Send Brewer back down.
Carl Edward’s Jr. by the numbers in the minors this year. A 2-3 record with only 7 saves in 16 tries. His ERA is 1.85 in 20 games and 24.1 innings giving up only 8 runs/5 earned. He has walked 15 of 103 batters faced for a 14.5% walk rate. Struck out only 22 of the 103 batters faced for a 21.3% SO rate. Both those numbers are trending in the wrong direction and his Whip rate is 1.438, leading to bad peripheral numbers. Hope that helps!!
Hoyer is hoping 2016 Carl Edwards and 2021 Keegan Thompson, And 2019 Drew Smyly, And even 2023 Kyle Hendricks are making an appearance. I think he’s in for a real big disappointment. Ain’t gonna happen. Not to mention all his former Top 30 prospects that are now a distant memory but are still here.
It’s fairly dismal.
I am absolutely loving this meltdown after 73 games. Keep bringing up pitchers all you want for the next couple of months as they swelter in August and the dopes in the bleachers cheer.
the dopes are sitting in the stands on the south side.. Jerry not even trying
Shouldn’t you be more concerned with your own team or are you just a hater?
Why can’t fans of a team hate the fact they are a terrible team put together by an equally terrible ownership group? But if you enjoy losing , go for it.
What people are trying to point out is that what you’re saying is a lot more applicable to the Sox. The Cubs owners at least signed players and acquired relievers who just simply haven’t worked out. The Sox? Well Mr. Reinsdorf is open about the fact he prefers a .500 club to a postseason team, and you have some of the worst qualified hitters playing in the field. Plus, your wonderful team blew multiple multi-run leads against this terrible team built by an equally terrible ownership group. If the cubs are terrible, then what would this make the Sox? Sit down and be quiet, you clown of a hater
Still, why take pot shots – even deserved ones – at the White Sox in the Cubs’ thread. I feel bad for the White Sox fans, no need to pile on.
The cubs are owned by one man. And he only provides the money to Tom who gives jed the okay to spend. No one ever mentions Joe Ricketts as the owner because be made some regrettable remarks in the past. Not sure if he actually regrets them. The point is the cubs are a large market team who have a gm that spends like he’s running a small market team and the owner only allows spending like the A’s
You ever going to stop that crap about Joe Ricketts? He has as much to do with the Cubs as I do. You’ve been spouting that nonsense since you’ve been here.
That doesn’t mean he’s not the owner. He provides jed with the money. Tom ,Steve Dave, Chad and Karen have no money. The fact of the matter is Joe Ricketts is the sole owner of the Cubs.
Does anyone have an updated photo of the pennant flags at wrigley?? Maybe they can’t get far enough away to catch the cubs flag…. The pirates passed them today!!!!
That’s a lot of !!!! for a pretty low bar.
You probably have to get pretty far away for that last place flag to show up in a photo!!!! That’s right last place
Yet only 1.5 out of the wild card. Plenty if time. Tell me more about Thorpe’s start on Sunday?
Jed is garbage, He sat on his hands an punted this season. Same team as last year . Welcome to last place
40 games under called, said that it would see you Saturday.
Yes because signing Hector Neris, Shota Imanaga, and Cody Bellinger is sitting on his hands… there was a plan in place and it didn’t work out. Just because players aren’t performing up to their level doesn’t mean Jed sat on his hands. This blind hate for Hoyer is getting really ridiculous
In all fairness, re-signing Belli and signing Imanaga, an unproven Japanese pitcher, to replace Stroman who had a fantastic first half of the ‘23 season really wasn’t doing much to improve the team over last year. Luckily, Shota has been phenomenal but no one could have predicted this level of success for him, as evidenced by the contract he signed vs Yamamoto.
Adding Neris was a start, but w the injuries this pen has sustained, not nearly enough. And I don’t know the last time we had a solid lefty in the bullpen. No proven closer. Same old mistakes.
“Shota has been phenomenal but no one could have predicted this level of success for him..”
Hoyer seems to have figured it out.
Also it was an upgrade to Stroman. It’s a better contract for a better player.
Hoyer got lucky, but before we elect Imanaga to the HOF lets see how his second-half goes, and then his second year. As Shota himself said, he didnt expect to be this successful and he knows at some point once hitters have seen him they will adjust. He’s been great, and happy to have him and wish him continued success but from Jed and Carter’s standpoint, signing Shota was not doing much to improve this team over last year. Stroman is having a fine season pitching in a tough environment to have success. I’m not a fan of Marcus, personally, and I’m happy to swap him for Shota, but that doesn’t make the Cubs a significantly better team.
“Hoyer got lucky” – then he got unlucky for anything he has done that didn’t work out.
“before we elect Imanaga to the HOF lets see how his second-half goes”
Could you please note where I said anything close to that?
Imanaga’s production with his contract, instead of Stroman, makes the Cubs better
Hoyer didn’t get lucky. The Cubs scout heavily in Japan and all over really. They have one of the best scouting departments in baseball. A lot of their Scouting executives have been poached over the years with Scott Harris and Breslow being 2 off the top of my head. No matter what Shota does the rest of the year, As long as they manage him right he’s more than worth the money he’s being paid. Luck isn’t really part of it. Seiya is worth what he’s being paid, It’s just the injuries that are a nuisance. He keeps trying to bulk himself up and maybe he should stop. As far as I can tell he’s not really hitting for more power than before. It’s just causing core muscle problems.
@tozrr. Thank you. It sort of bites me also, regarding all the hate towards Hoyer. I’m still not sure where Carter Hawkins authority begins and ends.
Jed could be part of the problem, but some of this mess, has to have Hawkins finger prints. I still want someone to admit who was responsible for the 2 NTCs to a pair of average corner OFers. Especially with a minor league system that is stocked with them.
You know what Hawkins does? I know he has a title but if you know his job duties please spill. At least one person agrees with me that those 2 decisions were questionable at best. Any info on Hawkins actual duties might explain a lot.
Does anyone know why Kevin Alcantara hasn’t played for the Tennessee Smokies for the last nine days?
It’s next to impossible to find out anything about Minor League injuries. I’ve been trying for the last couple of years. He’s not on the injured list but as I’ve said the Cubs Minor League is bloated with guys who have nowhere to move right now. Iowa has Canario, Hill, Caissie, Roederer, Brennen Davis and maybe PCA coming back if he continues to struggle. What’s the point of elevating Alcantara to do what exactly? Why are Roederer and Davis and Hill still here? Inquiring minds want to know. And it’s not just that position. And just think, In 3 + weeks they’ll be 20 more guys with nowhere to go.
Thanks, I am not suggesting that Kevin Alcantara should be elevated nor demoted. Just trying to figure why he has not played for nine days with no injury reports on him at the usual Cubs’ minor league blog sites.
It’s really not a matter of promotion or demotion. It’s a matter of having too many guys to play not enough positions. He must have some kind of injury to miss that much time. In the Minors they have enough guys so that not every injured guy has to go on the IL.
As fpr Kevin Alcantara, as long as it is not steroids, gambling or drugs, I don’t mind him as part of the glut of outfielders.
Caissie and Alcantara would both fit with Suzuki and Happ. Unless Happ can be unloaded, which I doubt. Right now, Tauchman and PCA look like reserves and PCA belongs in the minors. I was ok with giving Davis one last year to see if he could make it past the injuries and become viable trade bait.
Those guys are not going to sit around quietly and play in the Minors when they know they’re good enough to play in the Majors. Eventually some are going to be moved for pieces they need right now. Canario, Caissie, PCA, Alcantara, Christian Franklin, Pagan, Some of the SS’s will have to move to the OF. You only need 4 OF’s for the Majors. Some will have to be moved.
Too bad none of them can play 3B, sort of hoping Matt Shaw and Cristian Hernandez can fill that void.
One other thing to consider. maybe somebody inquired about Alcantara’s trade availability and they sat him just so he wouldn’t get injured. Just some out of the box thinking.
Nine days would be long for that, but sure it is possible.
One DFA down, At least 5 more to go. Better late than never to start I guess.
So please explain why we spent so much money in the offseason to hire Counsell ? Last place ? We could have had the same result with Ross and actually got some players worth the money spent on a manager.Wake up cub nation …. We suck ass!smh
Hoyer keeps Ricketts under the Tax and the Park is still full. Anything else you wanna know?
Very true. Mr. Rickets’s is pleased.
Clearly someone, probably Ricketts wants to run this team like a small-market club that produces its own players rather than buying them all. The problem is, their farm system has not produced as hoped. Many overrated prospects and very little pitching that has actually contributed at the ML-level. Brown and Wesneski show some talent, but of course they were drafted and developed by other orgs.
You mean like Steele, Assad, Wicks, Alzolay, Little, Miller, and Thompson?
Merryweather, Leiter and you certainly can argue Brown were developed by the Cubs…
Building a strong farm system is sound organizational managment. It isn’t operating as a small market team. And nearly everyone knows, or I thought most people knew, that the bulk of their talent is just hitting MLB and AAA. They’ve graduated 7 players off their prospect list this year.
True. It’s not run like a small market team. 237 million is enough money to field a winning team. The fact is that knowing Ricketts wants to stay under the Tax it’s not how much Hoyer spends it’s that you can’t afford to make as many miss hits as he has had. He whizzed away 27 million on Hendricks and Smyly so far that they could really use right now. Right now they’re 3 million under the Tax that could be 40 something million if you take away Mancini, Barnhart, Smyly and Hendricks. I’m not sayin, I’m just sayin. Not giving Jed a free ride. He’s basically done a decent job but it’s not like he doesn’t have flaws. He loves his personal pets no end and is blind to their weaknesses.
Steele and Assad have been great, no doubt. So out of all those prospects the Cubs have developed 2 homegrown starters.
Everyone else you listed, meh. Tyson Miller, really, the journeyman middle reliever?! Merryweather and Leiter were 30 when the Cubs acquired them…dont think they developed them. Did they help them improve their game, sure.
Im all for a strong farm system. Id just like to see them actually develop MLB players not just prospects on a list somewhere. Dodgers, Astros, Rays, Braves, Cardinals, all manage to field competitive teams AND produce ML players at the same time! Cubs have only been able stock the farm by tanking and selling off, and still they struggle to produce ML pitching. When the farm fails, you gotta fill in the gaps w FAs or trades.
You said very little pitching that is contributing to the MLB team.
Steele, Assad, Wicks, Alzolay, Little, Miller, and Thompson.
Your criterion was developed by the Cubs. Miller has been outstanding… And regardless of age, Merryweather was a mess in Toronto. Cubs, picked him up, sent him to their DEVELOPMENT pitching lab, and turned him into an elite bullpen guy. Same with Leiter.
“small-market club that produces its own players rather than buying them all.”
“When the farm fails, you gotta fill in the gaps w FAs or trades.”
I have idea what your criticism of Hoyer is, because he not only has stated this ENDLESSLY, but also followed this exact strategy when building the roster.
You could actually say the Cubs developed Miller because they drafted him and moved him through the system until he ran out of room and options. He just wasn’t very good the first time around. He looks like he’s changed his arm angle since he’s been gone and he’s been better than expected but it’s been a small sample size. I’d be lying if I said I expected him to be good but I’ll be more than happy if he is. Sometimes it’s a matter of right place, Right time like Merryweather. I liked Slaughter but it’s not like he had a long term future here. I think he surely could of replaced Wisdom and is a way better hitter but if he brought back a quality arm it was well worth the deal. I’ll be fine.
Cuas has sucked from day 1 another trade Hoyer lost
Why was it a terrible trade?
Any trade that results in a team acquiring a player like Cuas is a terrible trade. Dudes like that just floating around everywhere looking for a job.
Hoyer gamble or more likely the Cubs scouts thought they might be able to get Cuas figured out, much like they have with numerous pitchers.
Your expectation that everything is going to hit is silly… but Hoyer just got unlucky, right?
Can you ease tell be where the bat only Velasquez and his .200/.270 OBP/ .688 OPS, 84 wRC+, -.4 WAR would fit on this roster.
The trade deadline was the last chance for the Cubs to get anything for Velasquez. He was going to lose his 40 man roster spot. You’d have understand how the 40-man roster works to understand why.
Good point. So then I guess somebody has to explain to me how on the Cubs 40 man right now they have 11 guys on it that are in the Minors? I’m no mathematician but that leaves 29 guys to fill out a 26 man MLB roster right? Doesn’t that kind of tie the MLB Managers hands when there are 11 guys who aren’t even in play. So when are they actually going to lose the lame vets that are on it and at least find some decent Bench guys for Counsell to play with? People can’t really say that Madrigal, Mastrobuoni, Wisdom and Brennen Davis really are viable Major Leaguer’s anymore can you? Again, Just sayin.
26 man roster (13 pitchers- 13 position)
Players on the 15 day IL count against the 40. That’s Wicks, Brown & Almonte. That is the 29 you’re looking at and why the Cubs have 11 minor league guys on the 40. If 3 additional players go on the IL, that is 6 on the IL. And the Cubs would promote 3, leaving only 8 minor league guys on the 40.
The number of players you have to build your roster with is the 26 active and the minor league guys. But the Cubs could DFA Bote, add Shaw to the pool of players they can build the 26 with.