The Cubs are likely to designate former closer Adbert Alzolay for assignment, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN (X link). That’ll open a spot on the 40-man roster as Chicago keeps prospects out of the Rule 5 draft. Alzolay underwent Tommy John surgery in August and is going to miss most or all of next season.
A DFA would’ve been tough to fathom just a few months ago. After an inconsistent run as a starter, the righty moved to the bullpen for good in 2023. He eventually pitched his way into the ninth inning, picking up 22 saves and six holds while only blowing three leads. Alzolay turned in 64 innings of 2.67 ERA ball with a 26.5% strikeout rate. A late-season forearm strain was the only red flag in an otherwise excellent year.
Unfortunately, the forearm issue proved a precursor to a disastrous ’24 season. Alzolay started the season horribly, allowing 13 runs (nine earned) over 17 1/3 innings. He blew five saves while locking down just four games and quickly lost the closing job. Alzolay’s walks jumped while his strikeout rate dropped by nearly 10 percentage points. The Cubs put him on the injured list with another forearm strain diagnosis in the middle of May.
It seems that’ll mark the end of his Chicago tenure, which began when he signed out of Venezuela at age 18. Alzolay tried to avoid surgery and went on a minor league rehab stint in July. He had a setback in Triple-A and went under the knife a month later. A typical 14-month recovery timeline would cost him the entire ’25 season. That wouldn’t be a roster issue for the Cubs during the season, as they could place him on the 60-day injured list between the opening of Spring Training and the end of the World Series. Without an IL during the winter, Alzolay would’ve counted against their offseason roster for each of the next two years even though he may not pitch until 2026.
That’s evidently not something they’re willing to do for what could amount to one more year of Alzolay. He has between four and five years of MLB service and would collect service time if he spent all of next season on the injured list. Alzolay is on track for free agency during the 2026-27 offseason.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects the 29-year-old for a modest $2.3MM salary if he’s tendered an arbitration contract. He’d be in line for a matching salary in ’26 if he misses all of next season. A combined sum in the $5MM range would be a bargain if Alzolay recaptures his best form in 2026. There’s no guarantee that’ll be the case, of course, and it seems the Cubs don’t want to carry him on the roster long enough to take that chance.
There are a few ways this situation could play out. Perhaps the Cubs can find a trade partner who is willing to send them a marginal prospect to buy low on a potential high-leverage arm. If they don’t line up a trade, Chicago could put Alzolay on waivers within the next few days. They wouldn’t get anything in return if he’s claimed, but it’d give other clubs an opportunity to retain him on that projected arbitration salary. As a player with at least three years of service time, he’d become a free agent if he went unclaimed.
The Cubs could also simply cut Alzolay loose by declining to tender him a contract at Friday’s non-tender deadline. That’d send him directly to free agency without putting him on waivers. It’s the only time of year in which teams can drop players from the 40-man roster without waiving them. Teams frequently try to re-sign players to minor league deals after a non-tender, but Alzolay and his representatives would be able to look for a major league opportunity elsewhere. In any case, it looks as if he’ll be headed to a new team after spending more than a decade in the Cubs organization.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Sucks for Alzolay. But I guess I understand. What I won’t understand is if they retain Patrick Wisdom. Or Nick Madrigal. Or Miles Mastroboni.
Of course Jed will retain them, because in his eyes they’re cheap and serviceable. What else can he do? They’ve already said through local reporters that they won’t go after Soto, so he might as well keep it status quo and make himself look like the genius he thinks he is.
As a Cubs fan, I sure hope they don’t extend him and let him (and Carter Hawkins) walk.
I’m not sure many, if any, Cubs fans know exactly what it is that Carter Hawkins does. I am sick and tired of Jed Hoyer and his ultra conservative ass…but the Ricketts seem perfectly content putting together a .500 team, using the phrase “intelligent spending” as an excuse not to pursue premium talent, and Hoyer is a good little goatboy for them. Also, Cerami over at Bleacher Nation just posted a rather scathing piece about their non-pursuit of Soto.
Exactly. Tom Ricketts is just like most sports owners nowadays. Hopefully it gets to the point that fans start speaking with their wallets and stop giving them money. But we all know that will never happen.
You should get more than a .500 team at a $230,000,000 payroll.
Money is not the issue.
The players that are getting the money is the problem
Never been a fan of Hoyer. As I and others have noted previously, the Cubs do spend money. However, not wisely. The organization spent around 229.5 million in 2024. That put them in 7th place among MLB according to SportTrac. That number fluctuates a bit depending on what source one reads. But nonetheless the organization does spend.
Exactly. Jed grew scared of long term contracts because of Heyward. Dansby already looks like it’s heading in the wrong direction. But nah, let’s not go after a 26-year old superstar like Soto because he’s afraid he will turn into a pumpkin.
Any of those would be better DFA candidates than Alzolay, I agree.
It’s Tuesday. Friday is the non tender day. Alzolay isn’t pitching before September and has zero value. If someone wants to trade fir him in the next ten days, good. If not sign him back to a minor deal.
The others will be at risk on Friday, but I would still think there are other moves to be made today because at the very least Caissie and Aliendo have to be promoted to the 40 man.
Madrigal especially, we have prospects that can replace his nonexistent production. Mastro still has defensive/speed utility.
On a side note I hate that the org just tosses relievers like used garbage, they let Bigge go in that failed Paredes trade too. Estrada was just let go and dealt on the Padres. Jed isn’t that good at bullpens to let these guys walk
Hoyer keeps dumping relievers because he thinks he can go dumpster diving and get another reclamation project. I’m not a fan of letting guys that have worked out, go to trades.
I’m not a Hoyer fan, but it’s too early to call the Paredes trade a failure. Letting Estrada go was a mistake.
Likely non tender then? He’d be an intriguing option for 2026 as a buy low option.
He isn’t likely to pitch in 2025 so it’s not a big loss
He seems a good candidate for one of those 2 year deals where you pay him to rehab next year and hope he can be effective in 2026. You can just stash him on the 60 day anyways.
The kind Breslow likes to make?
60-day IL stint and maybe late in 2025 he can come back if healthy. If not spring 2026 as the earliest potentially.
Nice candidate for a rebuilding team. Hand him a 2 year deal paying basically nothing in 2025 and see what he can do in 2026.
Dodgers are calling
I’m thinking the rules need to be tweaked so that if a team wants to keep him and the player agrees, he gets paid but not service time when there is a certainty that he will miss the full season. Win-win.
One down. Madrigal and Wisdom are next I hope. Mastro is ok, plays INF, LH bat of the bench. Cubs do need to open Roster Spots for younger players. You guys crying about Soto are the same ones that wanted Bellinger signed. The BP blew the season with at least 18 blown Saves and how many losses? Soto can’t help there. Let the youngsters play, forget high price FA’s.
Don’t forget Miles Mastrobuoni.
Jiggs
“Mastro is ok”.
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Those three words do not belong in the same sentence. Mastro does not deserve a minor league contract, let alone a roster spot..
Guess that depends on one’s views. Also depends on Roster Improvements. Trades? Mastro has some weapons, speed defense. So you view it your way, I view it mine. Hopefully they improve that Roster Spot, if not, I’m ok with it.
Terrible move. He should absolutely not get fired just because he won’t pitch til 2026.
Ahhh, Logjammer—look at the other way–he’s absolutely getting fired because he pitched in 2024—-and wasn’t very good at it.
Someone either claims him and pays full freigh (unlikely), trades for him within ten days (hey, the Cubs got something for someone that isn’t pitching) or he can sign back with the Cubs, if he wishes, after ten days and becoming a free agent.
Coming into today the Cubs had 40 men on their roster. They need to make room for Caissie and whomever else they need to promote by end of the day.
That’s all that this move is. The path of least resistance.
The cubs need to non tender Wisdom, Mastrobuoni and Madrigal. That’s 3 spots open for Caissie. BTW thank you for knowing how to spell Owen Caissie’s name correctly. So many people for get the extra sneaking little I in there.
Most of the time I just say ONKC. The fact that those 3 haven’t been cut from the roster scares me a little because Jed love being cheat and hos boss hates to spend money.
Log—we all know the non tender day is Friday. If all three are still here on Friday, then I will agree with you.
Today they only need to clear space for whomever they deem at risk of being plucked in the Rule 5 draft (obviously Caissie and probably Aliendo–although it may be a huge risk to snag Aliendo and have to keep him on a major league roster all year, but if I’m the Cubs, I’m promoting him).
Completely different outlook at 3b and back up infield as compared to seven months ago.
Yes, Parades was brutal with the Cubs, but a better option than Morel and Shaw seems to be close and Triantos is also moving along.
I can see two of the three non tendered.
I’m giving Paredes the benefit of the doubt. He was in a terrible slump when the cubs acquired him. He just never got out of it. Which is unfortunate.
Rockies should claim him, but I know they won’t.
From the closer to the scrap heap wow
I think the Cubs will offer him an NRI with an opening day opt-out, so that they can save the roster spot over the winter and select him once the 60-day IL opens up.
He might not take that, but if it’s offered to him it’s not unreasonable.
Craig Breslow on line 1