Cubs Sign Another Right-Handed Pitcher

You can never have too much pitching. The Cubs are pretty much set after Brandon Kintzler and Craig Kimbrel return from their minor injuries, but just in case of an emergency they've signed a couple relievers in the past week for some extra depth and an eye on 2020 as well.

First, Alex Wilson was signed, and a few days ago the Cubs signed former Rays right-hander Chih-Wei Hu.

The 25-year-old started his pro career in 2013 with the Twins organization and was then successful in the Rays minor league system. He made his MLB debut with Tampa Bay in 2017, but he didn't stick in the majors for too long. Hu only appeared in 11 games in two seasons with the Rays, posting a 3.52 ERA in 23 innings.

Hu was eventually traded to Cleveland last winter, but had an awful 2019 season, getting released in July after a 7.95 ERA at Triple-A.

But there is some potential in that arm! Hu was ranked as the seventh best prospect for the Rays a few years ago.

Via FanGraphs.

Hu’s five-pitch repertoire hasn’t truly been on display in his limited big league appearances, all of which have come out of the bullpen. His stuff has ticked down a bit; his fastball now sits in the 91-94 range and will touch 95, and his goofy, upper-80s palmball changeup has screwball action and is his best shot at missing big league bats. Hu also has an upper-80s slider/cutter and a low-80s knuckle curve, both of which he needs to locate in order to be effective because they’re very hittable if left in the strike zone.
Essentially, Hu has backend starter stuff but it’s possible a full-time move to the bullpen will enable his fastball to play up. If armed with a plus fastball and that weirdo changeup, Hu could be a high-leverage reliever. He still has an option year left and will likely open 2019 as a starter at Triple-A.

Hu made his debut with the Iowa Cubs on Thursday night and yeah he still has some things to work on, as he walked five batters in three innings. Somehow he escaped without allowing a run.

So, the Cubs will have about a month to see if Hu is worth keeping around down in the minors. Hu has a 3.53 ERA in nearly 600 minor league innings.