While some fans have been focused on the position side of a potential trade after the re-signing of Cody Bellinger and addition of Garrett Cooper, it appears as though the Chicago Cubs may actually be trading a pitcher soon.
The Cubs 40-man roster is full at the moment and while Cooper's is a non-roster invitee in camp Bellinger has to be added once his deal is official. That means the team has to get rid of someone and according to The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma, the Cubs could be moving a pitcher this week.
Via The Athletic.
It’s likely that to make space on the roster, a pitcher will be moved. The Cubs currently value everyone on their 40-man roster and would prefer not to lose a player for nothing, so they are working to trade a pitcher away. It’s possible that it can’t come to fruition soon enough. But the hope seems to be that even if a pitcher is designated for assignment, they’ll be deep enough in negotiations that they can still move that player via trade.
Let's take a look at the pitchers on the Cubs current 40-man roster.
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay
Michael Arias
Javier Assad
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Porter Hodge
Bailey Horn
Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr.
Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Héctor Neris
Daniel Palencia
Drew Smyly
Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski
Jordan Wicks
Obviously none of the starting pitchers are getting moved and at this point I doubt another team is willing to take on Drew Smyly's salary for the 2024 season. The Cubs included right-handed reliever Yency Almonte from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the Michael Busch trade this offseason, I doubt the team is willing to lose him after just acquiring him.
Meanwhile, lefty reliever Bailey Horn and right-handed starters Porter Hodge and Michael Arias were protected from the Rule 5 Draft back in November, when the trio of minor leaguers were added to the 40-man roster. So, those guys are safe in my book, too.
Daniel Palencia has great stuff. Hector Neris was a free agent signing. Ben Brown is going to pitch for the Cubs at some point in 2024. Luke Little is nasty. Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr. were valuable relievers last season and are inexpensive. I have some doubts about Hayden Wesneski, but Craig Counsell specifically talked about him in the offseason, so there's probably belief in him still.
So, for me, the list of potential DFA/trade candidates comes down to Jose Cuas, Caleb Kilian and Keegan Thompson. That brings us to this rumor from Tuesday morning.
Thompson had a rough 2023 season, beginning the year as one of the reliable relievers David Ross thought he was going to lean on all year, but by the middle of May Thompson's struggles were too much to justify a spot in the majors. The right-handed pitcher made 19 total appearances for the Cubs last year, 15 coming before his demotion to Triple-A in May. He was called back up at the end of August, but Thompson just could not get it going, allowing five runs in 7.1 innings.
Thompson was fantastic as a multi-inning reliever in 2022, posting a 1.47 ERA in 36.2 innings out of the bullpen. In his first stint in the majors, Thompson finished 2021 with a 3.38 ERA in 53.1 innings. There's still some value in Thompson, so it shouldn't be surprising to see an organization like the Tampa Bay Rays being interested in him.
Cuas put up solid results with the Cubs in the final couple months of the 2023 season after the Cubs got him from the Kansas City Royals. Maybe the Cubs feel they have a better version of him in Almonte or believe in some of the younger guys who on the verge of the big leagues. But I'd still be a bit stunned if Cuas was traded.
As for Caleb Kilian, I wouldn't be surprised at all if his time ends with the Cubs at some point in 2024. The right-handed starter just has not looked good when he's gotten an opportunity at the MLB level and while Kilian has good stuff, he hasn't been able to consistently miss bats in Triple-A. At some point, other minor league pitchers are going to pass Kilian on the depth chart.
So, keep an eye on Thompson to the Rays. The return will have to be a minor leaguer that doesn't need to be on the 40-man roster in order to make room for Bellinger.
Speaking of, here's the Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast reaction to the Bellinger signing, how Garrett Cooper could fit into the roster and more Cubs talk.
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