Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Cubs Rumors

Cubs Acquire Jesus Tinoco From Royals

By | at

The Cubs announced this evening that they’ve acquired reliever Jesús Tinoco from the Royals for cash (X link via Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times). Tinoco had signed a minor league deal with Kansas City three weeks ago and was not on their 40-man roster. Unless tonight’s trade was spurred by some kind of upward mobility clause in that contract, the Cubs don’t need to immediately place Tinoco on their 40-man.

Tinoco made six appearances for the Royals’ top affiliate in Omaha. He fired 6 2/3 frames of three-run ball, striking out 10 while issuing one walk. Tinoco also missed plenty of bats in Triple-A with the Rangers earlier this season, fanning 30.3% of batters faced across 21 1/3 innings. His control was quite a bit spottier than he showed in his small sample with K.C., as he walked upwards of 11% of opponents with the Texas affiliate.

The 29-year-old Tinoco has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons between the Rockies, Marlins and Rangers. He tossed a career-high 36 innings of 4.75 ERA ball for Colorado as a rookie in 2019. Tinoco saw more sporadic work over the following few years, only narrowly topping the 20 inning threshold once. He spent last season in Japan, working to a 2.83 ERA despite pedestrian strikeout and walk numbers for the Seibu Lions.

Tinoco returned to the affiliated ranks on a minor league deal with the Rangers over the winter. He made nine MLB appearances with Texas earlier in the season, allowing nine runs over 10 innings. That pushes his career earned run average to 4.58 through 76 2/3 MLB innings. He has a below-average 18.1% strikeout rate with a near-14% walk percentage over that stretch.

While Tinoco hasn’t had much success against big league hitters, his recent form in Triple-A evidently intrigued Chicago. The Cubs rank 16th in the majors with a 4.01 ERA from their relief group. They’re in the top 10 in strikeout rate, but only the Rangers and White Sox have issued more free passes.

The Cubs also have six relievers — Julian Merryweather, Adbert Alzolay, Colten Brewer, Yency Almonte, Keegan Thompson and Luke Little — on the injured list. Chicago optioned Daniel Palencia to Triple-A Iowa today, opening a spot in the major league bullpen. If they decide to install Tinoco directly into the MLB staff, they’d need to create a 40-man roster space.

Cubs Reportedly Interested In Danny Jansen

By | at

The Cubs have expressed interest in Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. It’s unclear how serious discussions between the sides have become at this point.

It would hardly be a surprise to see Toronto part ways with Jansen prior to the deadline on July 30. The club has experienced a freefall in the standings that has seen the club drop to just 43-52, 14 games out of the AL East and 9.5 games out of a playoff spot. That massive deficit in the standings has left the club’s playoff odds (according to Fangraphs) at just 1.6%. Given those dismal odds, it’s only natural that the club is reportedly “expressing openness” to moving on from rental players this summer.

Jansen, 29, is one of the club’s more intriguing rental players. Initially drafted in the 16th round back in 2013 by the Blue Jays, the Wisconsin native made his big league debut with Toronto back in 2018 and generally struggled at the plate early in his career. He carried a lackluster .208/.297/.370 slash line (79 wRC+) into the 2021 season. Fortunately, in 2021 Toronto began to lean less heavily on Jansen behind the plate due to the arrival of youngster Alejandro Kirk. From 2021-23, Jansen enjoyed a resurgence on offense while being counted on for an average of just 76 games a year. In 754 trips to the plate across those three seasons, he saw his wRC+ jump to 121 as he slashed a solid .237/.317/.487 while clubbing 43 home runs.

Early in the 2024 campaign, Jansen appeared to be on track for the best season of his career as he was slashing an incredible .287/.371/.535 through the end of May. He struck out just 15.5% of the time in those 116 trips to the plate while walking at a 12.1% clip and crushing five homers. Paired with generally strong defensive grades behind the plate throughout his career, that figured to make him an extremely attractive free agent this winter, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco explored for Front Office subscribers at the time.

Things have come off the rails a bit for Jansen since then, however. In 91 trips to the plate since the start of June, Jansen has posted a lackluster .141/.253/.218 across 26 games. An eye-popping .164 BABIP that’s all but certain to enjoy some positive regression indicates that there’s some reason for optimism when looking at Jansen’s numbers during this recent slump, as does the fact that Jansen’s plate discipline numbers (18.9% strikeout rate, 11% walk rate) remain impressive. Even so, it’s hard to imagine the Jays getting anywhere close to the trade return they might have had Jansen maintained his early season production now that he’s hitting a roughly league average .223/.319/.397 (103 wRC+) for the season.

Even so, it’s not hard to see why the Cubs would be interested in Jansen’s services. The club has struggled somewhat on offense this year with a collective wRC+ of 102 that ranks 16th in the majors this year, even in spite of excellent seasons from corner bats Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, and Michael Busch. The most obvious culprit for those struggles at the dish in Chicago is the players they’re using behind it, as Cubs catchers have slashed a pathetic .180/.227/.264 this year. That translates to a wRC+ of 39 that ranks 29th in the majors ahead of only the lowly Marlins.

It’s possible the Cubs would be willing to stomach that brutal offense production if they were getting elite defense behind the plate, but youngster Miguel Amaya has been worth -2 runs according to Statcast’s Fielding Run Value, and veteran Yan Gomes was performing even worse before being replaced by Tomas Nido after he was released by the Mets last month. Nido has looked good behind the plate but has hit a ghastly .135/.154/.189 in 13 games with the Cubs. He doesn’t have much of a track record to lean on, either, as a seven-game stint in 2020 is the only time in his career he’s posted a wRC+ higher than 86.

Those woes behind the plate make the Cubs an obvious fit for Jansen’s services, although it’s fair to wonder if Chicago will be in position to buy by the time the deadline rolls around. After all, the team is currently five games below .500 (46-51) and in dead last in the NL Central. They’re only 4.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot, but Fangraphs gives them playoff odds of just 8.7%. While that’s substantially higher than the aforementioned odds Toronto has, it still suggests a postseason berth is a remote possibility for Chicago, and it would hardly be a surprise to see them pivot towards selling if they struggle coming out of the All Star break.

Should the Cubs wind up buying, Jansen isn’t the only Blue Jays hitter the club has reported interest in. Last month, it was reported that Chicago was having internal discussions about the possibility of pursuing star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. if the Blue Jays decided to sell. Of course, that reporting came on the heels of GM Ross Atkins very plainly saying that dealing Guerrero, who is controllable through the end of the 2025 campaign, “doesn’t make any sense” for the team to do. While it’s at least theoretically possible the club’s front office changes its stance before the deadline, that possibility seems remote at best as things stand.

Cubs Place Cody Bellinger On Injured List With Finger Fracture

By | at

The Cubs announced that outfielder Cody Bellinger has a fracture in his left middle finger and has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune was among those to relay the news on X. Fellow outfielder Alexander Canario has been recalled to take his spot on the active roster.

In last night’s game, Bellinger was hit on the hand by a pitch from left-hander Cionel Pérez. He departed the contest as he felt he couldn’t throw a ball, per Montemurro on X. Now it seems a fracture has been found and he’ll need to miss some time.

Teams are generally more willing to put a player on the IL around the All-Star break, as it allows for an extended breather while perhaps only missing a handful of games. But if Bellinger has a broken bone, he was probably going to need an IL stint regardless, though the club hasn’t yet indicated how much time they expect him to miss.

Either way, it’s a rough development for the club. Bellinger isn’t quite hitting as much as he did last year but his .269/.331/.410 batting line is still 9% better than league average, according to wRC+. He’s also stolen five bases while playing competent center field defense.

The Cubs are in a tight spot, as they are currently 44-49. That only leaves them 3.5 games back in the crowded National League Wild Card race but with several teams ahead of them. They are currently only ahead of the Rockies, Marlins and Nationals and would have to leapfrog six other clubs to get into postseason position. With the trade deadline now less than three weeks away, they will soon have to make some decisions about how aggressively to buy or sell or walk a fine line between the two.

Losing a player of Bellinger’s quality will make it a bit more challenging to climb in the standings in the next few weeks. Bellinger himself has also been speculated as a potential trade candidate, though the opt-outs in his contract make that a complicated endeavor, something that MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently explored in a piece for Front Office Subscribers. If there was any chance of the Cubs lining up something there, it’s possible that this injury will make it less likely.

With Mike Tauchman also on the IL, the Cubs are now down two outfielders. They will have to proceed with a mix of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ with Canario now in there as well. Canario has a stout batting line of .282/.333/.538 in his big league career. That’s come in a small sample of 42 plate appearances but he also has a strong line of .238/.330/.502 in Triple-A this year.

For Bellinger, it’s possible this impacts him personally. At the end of the year, he will have to trigger his opt-out or stick with the Cubs. He can take a $2.5MM buyout or stick around and collect a $27.5MM salary in 2025, with another $25MM player option and $5MM buyout for the following year. Whether he wants another crack at free agency or not will naturally depend on the kind of platform he produces here in 2024, so he will obviously be hoping to come back in good form in short order.

Cubs Sign Trayce Thompson To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Cubs signed veteran outfielder Trayce Thompson to a minor league contract yesterday afternoon. While the team never made a formal announcement, the Wasserman client’s signing is reflected on the team’s transaction log at MLB.com, and Thompson already suited up with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Des Moines last night, going 1-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

Thompson, 33, was cut loose by the Mets earlier this month after spending 62 games with their Triple-A club in Syracuse. The former second-rounder hit .228/.300/.500 in 253 plate appearances during his stint with the Mets organization. He’ll now return to the Cubs for a second stint; Thompson was also with the Cubs in 2021, ripping 21 homers in 88 games with Iowa and also appearing in 15 big league games as a Cub.

Though he’s never been a regular in the majors, Thompson has accrued more than four years of service time scattered across parts of seven MLB campaigns. In 369 games and 1058 plate appearances between the White Sox, Dodgers, A’s and Padres, Thompson carries a .212/.300/.411 batting line. He’s walked in a hefty 10.9% of his career plate appearances but also fanned at an untenable 32.7% rate. He’s long had impressive raw power and earlier in his career also boasted plus speed, though Statcast measured him as average in that regard last season in 72 games split between the Dodgers and ChiSox.

Thompson gives the Cubs some depth across all three slots in the outfield. His ability to play anywhere in the outfield took on extra importance just hours after signing with the Cubs, as Cody Bellinger exited last night’s game against the Orioles after being plunked on the hand by a 97 mph heater from Baltimore lefty Cionel Perez. It’s not clear yet whether there’s a fracture or enough swelling that Bellinger will require a stay on the 10-day injured list, but Bellinger noted following the game last night that he had to depart because he wasn’t able to throw a ball.

Even in the event of a Bellinger absence, the Cubs could go with outfield prospect Alexander Canario to take his spot on the big league roster. Whatever the immediate future holds, Thompson gives the Cubs an experienced depth option who’s posted a .237/.307/.465 batting line in parts of seven Triple-A seasons and who, with 16 long balls already in the books this year, looks well on his way to his fifth professional season with 20-plus homers.

Cubs To Select Hunter Bigge

By | at

TODAY: Right-hander Colten Brewer is being placed on the 60-day injured list with a left hand fracture after punching a wall in frustration following his outing against the Angels yesterday, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The move clears space on the club’s 40-man and active rosters for the promotion of Bigge. Brewer, 31, has a 5.66 ERA in 20 2/3 innings with the Cubs this year despite a solid 3.12 FIP and a 23.2% strikeout rate.

July 6: The Cubs are poised to select the contract of right-hander Hunter Bigge, according to a report from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. Chicago will need to make corresponding moves to clear space on both the active and 40-man rosters to accommodate Bigge’s selection prior to tomorrow’s game against the Angels.

Bigge, 26, was a 12th-round pick by the Cubs in the 2019 draft out of Harvard. He impressed in 16 innings of work between the rookie and Low-A levels of the minors the year he was drafted with a 1.13 ERA and a 34.4% strikeout rate in that cameo, but his developmental trajectory was thrown off course somewhat by the cancelled minor league season in 2020. The righty was assigned to the High-A level when minor league play resumed in 2021 but struggled with that assignment, posting a 5.66 ERA in 17 1/3 innings, and he struggled similarly in a 2022 campaign split between the High-A and Double-A levels.

Fortunately for Bigge, he started to turn things back around in Double-A last year. The right-hander posted a solid 3.50 ERA in 43 2/3 innings of multi-inning relief work at the level during the 2023 campaign, and he backed those numbers up with strong peripherals. His 28.8% strikeout rate was impressive and while his 11.4% walk rate was certainly elevated, he helped to make up for it by generating grounders at a strong 44.7% clip and allowing just three home runs. The 25-year-old’s performance was enough to earn him a call-up to the Triple-A level late last year, although he struggled badly in that assignment with an ugly 8.71 ERA in 10 1/3 innings that saw him allow more walks (13) than strikeouts (12).

Bigge’s return to Triple-A was slowed this year by an oblique injury that has cost him much of the season to this point, but after returning to the level on June 4 he’s done nothing but dominate. In 11 2/3 innings of work at the highest level of the minors this year, the righty has allowed just one run on a solo homer while striking out 44.2% of opponents. Walks are still a concern for Bigge, who has allowed free passes to 14% of opponents this year, but the Cubs clearly believe the 26-year-old is ready for his first taste of big league action and want to see how his high-octane arsenal led by an upper-90s fastball will play in the major leagues.

The bullpen has been something of an Achilles’ heel for the Cubs this year as they’ve scuffled to a 41-49 record despite the eighth-best rotation in baseball by ERA. The club’s top three leverage relievers from last season’s bullpen—Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather, and Mark Leiter Jr.— are all currently on the injured list and have been joined by key offseason addition Yency Almonte. Meanwhile, top offseason relief signing Hector Neris has struggled badly with a 4.11 ERA and 5.02 FIP in 30 2/3 innings this year, leaving the club with very few reliable relief arms to lean on this year. That’s led the club to lean increasingly heavily on unproven youngsters like Luke Little and Porter Hodge to carry the load in the majors, and now Bigge figures to get a similar opportunity to prove himself capable of contributing to a big league relief corps low on quality options.

Cubs Notes: Hendricks, Assad, Rotation

By | at

Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks exited his start against the Angels today after just two innings of work, replaced by right-hander Colten Brewer to start the third inning. The Cubs later announced (as relayed by Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic) that Hendricks had exited his start due to lower back tightness.

The 2024 season has been a brutal one for the 34-year-old righty, as he’s struggled to an eye-popping 7.48 ERA with a 5.34 FIP in 61 1/3 innings of work entering play today. That rough performance saw the righty move to the bullpen earlier this season, although injuries elsewhere on the roster combined with a month’s worth of solid results (he posted a 2.67 ERA and 2.97 FIP in 27 inning from May 23 to June 25) allowed him to move back into the rotation in late June. Now, his status appears to be in question once again after his exit today due to an injury similar to one Hendricks already missed three weeks due to earlier this year.

Fortunately, Hendricks told reporters (as noted by Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network) after the game that the issue isn’t the same problem that caused him to miss time back in May. The veteran noted that he first felt his back lock up yesterday, and that while the pain lingered today he and the club decided to go ahead with his start in hopes he could manage the tightness. Hendricks expressed confidence that he would be able to make his next start, although manager Craig Counsell was more cautious, noting that it wasn’t yet clear if Hendricks would be ready to take the ball in time.

That could be a problem for the Cubs, as while they have a day off on Monday they’re scheduled to play seven games in six days after that in the run-up to the All Star break, including a doubleheader against the Cardinals on July 13. If Hendricks is unable to make one of those starts, that would leave the Cubs with just three healthy regular starters (Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon) amid injuries to Javier Assad, Ben Brown, and Jordan Wicks. Swingman Hayden Wesneski has joined the rotation in recent days despite struggling badly in the bullpen throughout the month of June and figures to continue chipping in for starts while the rest of the rotation gets healthy, but if Hendricks is unable to make one of those starts that still leaves the club in need of two more starters before the break.

Counsell suggested to reporters (including Andracki) after the game that Assad could return from the right forearm extensor strain that sidelined him late last month in time to make one of those starts, noting that the club is “optimistic” that he can contribute in the big leagues next weekend. If Assad, who has posted a solid 3.04 ERA across 16 starts despite a middling 4.16 FIP this year, can return while Hendricks avoids an IL stint of his own that would solve the club’s short-term rotation questions. If Hendricks doesn’t recover quickly enough to take the ball over the weekend, however, that would leave the club in search of innings just before the All Star break.

Speculatively speaking, the Cubs could tap veteran southpaw Drew Smyly to make one of those starts. The lefty started 23 games for Chicago last year but has been used exclusively out of the bullpen to this point in the 2024 campaign and last threw even 40 pitches in an outing back on April 5. Top prospect Cade Horton is at the Triple-A level but won’t be an option amid a shutdown due to a subscapularis strain last month. Journeyman lefty Thomas Pannone has made 18 starts for the club at Triple-A this year, but has posted mediocre results (4.57 ERA in 86 2/3 innings) and would need to be added to the club’s 40-man roster. A bullpen game could be another possibility for the club, but that may be a tall order for a relief corps that has already lost Wesneski to the rotation while Yency Almonte, Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather, and Mark Leiter Jr. are all shelved with injuries of their own and had to cover seven innings in relief of Hendricks today.

Cubs Sign Christian Bethancourt To Minor League Deal

By | at

Christian Bethancourt has signed a minor league contract with the Cubs, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. The journeyman catcher was released by the Marlins last week. The Cubs will be his ninth MLB organization since he made his big league debut with the Braves in 2013.

Bethancourt failed to make much of an impression over his first five MLB seasons, appearing in 161 games for the Braves and Padres between 2013-17 and slashing .222/.252/.316 with a 52 wRC+. He did not play in the majors from 2018-21, bouncing between the Brewers, Phillies, and Pirates organizations, with a brief stopover in the KBO during the 2019 campaign.

At 30 years old, Bethancourt finally returned to the major leagues in 2022, appearing in 56 games for the Athletics and playing well enough to catch the attention of the Rays ahead of the trade deadline. He continued to play well with Tampa Bay down the stretch, finishing the season with a league-average 100 wRC+ and 1.8 FanGraphs WAR.

Unfortunately, Bethancourt did not find the same success in 2023. While he made Tampa Bay’s Opening Day roster and played 102 games behind the dish, he finished the season with just a 74 wRC+. His defensive numbers took a hit as well; he caught 13 of 30 would-be base stealers in 2022 but only 13 of 57 the following year. His pitch-framing numbers also declined, according to metrics from both FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The Rays flipped Bethancourt to the Marlins over the offseason, and his offensive struggles have only gotten worse in 2024. He slashed .159/.198/.268 over 38 games in Miami before he was designated for assignment in mid-June. He was released shortly thereafter. Bethancourt will now join the Triple-A Iowa Cubs as he strives to get his next big league opportunity on the North Side of Chicago. The Cubs have gotten very little production from their catchers this year; the only team whose catchers have a lower OPS or wRC+ is the Marlins. Currently, Tomás Nido and Miguel Amaya are the only two backstops on Chicago’s 40-man roster. Presumably, Bethancourt is now the next catcher on the depth chart.

Cubs’ Yency Almonte To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

By | at

7:18 pm: Almonte has chosen to undergo shoulder surgery, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Cubs reliever is expected miss the rest of the 2024 season.

12:28 pm:Yency Almonte hasn’t pitched since May 7 due to a right shoulder strain, and continued discomfort in his shoulder has led to a possible crossroads in how the Cubs right-hander plans to deal with the injury.  Manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) that Almonte recently received a less-than-positive second opinion on his ailing shoulder, and is “thinking about what to do here” in possibly pursuing surgery.  For now, Almonte has been shut down from throwing while he recovers and decides on his next step.

The exact nature of the surgery isn’t yet known, but it would almost certainly seem that Almonte would miss the rest of the 2024 season, and could potentially be facing an absence of up to a year, based on timelines of more serious shoulder-related procedures undergone by other pitchers in the past.  Whatever the case, it’s a tough outcome for Almonte, who was posting some solid numbers before going on the IL.

Acquired from the Dodgers alongside Michael Busch last January, Almonte had a 3.45 ERA over 15 2/3 innings and 17 appearances for the Cubs.  His 11.9% walk rate was on the high side and Almonte was benefiting from a .222 BABIP, but a 29.9% strikeout rate and just one homer allowed in those 15 2/3 frames.  After relying heavily on a sweeper in 2022-23, Almonte was using his sinker and sweeper in more or less equal measure this season, which also helped set up his 94mph fastball.

Analytics aside, Almonte’s 2024 success could’ve also perhaps been inevitable because it is an even year.  The right-hander has yo-yo’d between good and bad years throughout his seven MLB seasons, with the trend of quality numbers in the even years and struggles in the odd years.  Case in point, Almonte’s Dodgers tenure included an 1.02 ERA in 35 1/3 innings in 2022, followed up by a 5.06 ERA over 48 innings with Los Angeles in 2023 before a knee sprain ended his season in mid-August.

Unfortunately, the injury bug now seems to have thrown a wrench into Almonte’s usual career pattern.  He was already moved off the Cubs’ 40-man roster when he was shifted to the 60-day IL last week.  The Cubs have another year of arbitration control over Almonte for the 2025 season, and while a non-tender is certainly possible depending on his health status, Chicago might still issue him a contract since Almonte would receive only a minimal raise on his $1.9MM salary for 2024.

Almonte is one of five relievers on the Cubs’ injured list, and relief pitching was already an issue for Chicago even before such a big chunk of the bullpen was sidelined.  On the positive side, Counsell and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy recently told MLB.com and other media that Julian Merryweather is nearing a minor league rehab assignment, and Mark Leiter Jr. threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and might be able to return next week without going on a rehab stint.

Orioles, Vinny Nittoli Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

Right-hander Vinny Nittoli and the Orioles have agreed to a deal, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com on X. The righty will report to Triple-A Norfolk. Earlier today, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reported on X that the righty had elected free agency. He was designated for assignment by the Cubs last week but passed through waivers unclaimed.

It was just over a week ago that Nittoli elected free agency after he was outrighted by the Athletics. That led to him signing a major league deal with the Cubs, though he was bounced off the roster one day later without appearing in a game as the Cubs selected Jorge López. He’s out of options and also has the right to reject outright assignments by virtue of having previously been outrighted in his career, with both of those factors contributing to his many transactions in recent days.

The 33-year-old Nittoli signed a minor league deal with the A’s in the offseason and started the season pitching well in Triple-A. He tossed 23 1/3 innings for Sacramento, allowing 2.70 earned runs per nine. His 11% walk rate was on the high side but he also struck out 36% of batters faced and got grounders on 45.1% of balls in play. He may have benefited from an 82.7% strand rate but was also pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and allowed a .347 batting average on balls in play.

That got him called up to the big leagues and he continued putting up good numbers, allowing just two earned runs in eight innings pitched for the A’s. He only punched out 15.6% of major league hitters but in a small sample of work. Despite that fairly solid performance, he lost his roster spot with Oakland and has been in suitcase mode for over a week now, thanks to getting that Cubs deal but then promptly being DFA’d again.

For the O’s, there’s no real risk in bringing him aboard via a minor league deal and getting an up-close look at him. As mentioned, he was racking up strikeouts in bunches in Triple-A earlier this year. This is his fourth straight season with MLB work but he’s never had a lengthy stretch in the show, currently with just 14 2/3 total innings on his résumé from those four seasons. In 159 Triple-A innings since the start of 2021, he has a 4.19 ERA. His 29.8% strikeout rate in that time is strong and his 8.3% walk rate close to average, but his 29 home runs allowed have pushed the ERA up.

If he can earn his way onto Baltimore’s roster, his grip on a spot may be tenuous, as it was with the A’s and Cubs. Though if he happens to have a roster spot at season’s end, he can be retained well into the future since he has less than a year of service time.

Cubs Sign Jake Hager To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Cubs signed infielder Jake Hager to a minor league contract over the weekend. Hager appeared in one game for their complex affiliate in Arizona. According to the transaction log at MLB.com, he’s now headed to Triple-A Iowa.

A right-handed hitter, Hager has 42 games of major league experience between the Mets and Diamondbacks. He hit .197/.307/.224 with 31 strikeouts in 89 plate appearances in limited action between 2021-22. Hager spent most of last season in Triple-A with Arizona. He had a down year, running a .245/.301/.415 slash in the Pacific Coast League, and was released in August.

Hager was the 32nd overall pick of the 2011 draft coming out of high school. He has appeared in parts of seven seasons at Triple-A across five organizations (not including Chicago). In just over 500 games there, he owns a .242/.301/.389 line. Hager has spent most of his time in the minors at shortstop, though he also has ample experience at both second and third base (with scattered appearances in the outfield).

Chicago lost some minor league infield depth when Nick Madrigal broke his hand a few weeks ago. They’re light on experienced Triple-A infielders, making Hager a straightforward fit as a depth option.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top