Long-Time Cubs Pitcher Expected to be DFA'd

Right-handed pitcher Adbert Alzolay signed as an international free agent in 2013 with the Chicago Cubs, made his MLB debut with the club during the 2019 season and had his best year in the majors in 2023. However, after struggling in 2024 and undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair his right elbow, the former top pitching prospect in the organization is expected to be DFA'd by the Cubs.

Teams all around the league are tinkering with their 40-man rosters this week as deadlines to add prospects and protect them from the Rule 5 draft and tender contracts to arb-eligible players have arrived. Alzolay, 29, has two more years remaining in arbitration, but seeing as though he won't be able to contribute for the Cubs in 2025 because of his Tommy John surgery recovery his spot on the 40-man roster is being cleared.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers first indicated the move on Tuesday.

Among MLB roster manevuerings today, the Cubs are likely to DFA former closer Adbert Alzolay, a source tells ESPN. Alzolay underwent Tommy John in August. He won't pitch until late 2025 at the earliest.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 19, 2024

That decision was almost always going to happen this offseason once Alzolay had the elbow surgery back in the summer. Still, it sucks to see for Alzolay, who battled through a lot of injuries once he became a top prospect in the Cubs system and appeared to have broken through with his stellar 2023 performance out of the bullpen.

There's a chance Alzolay sticks around in the Cubs organization if he ends up unclaimed and there's interest in a minor league deal.

(Previous Update)

Absolutely heartbreaking for Cubs pitcher Adbert Alzolay, who will miss a significant amount of time as the right-hander is set to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair his pitching elbow.

The 29-year-old will obviously miss the rest of 2024 and with the timing of the elbow procedure it is likely that Alzolay will not be ready to pitch until the 2026 season.

Adbert Alzolay is having Tommy John surgery. No exact timeline given, but he's going to be out for a while and next season is in jeopardy

— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) August 7, 2024

The Cubs will most likely non-tender Alzolay this upcoming offseason and will probably try to re-sign him to a minor league deal to keep him in the organization. It's simply not feasible to keep Alzolay on the 40-man roster through the entire winter when you know he's not going to pitch in 2025.

(Previous Update)

This fucking blows. Adbert Alzolay is going to have some sort of surgery on his arm and there's a good chance that the longtime Cubs pitcher will be shutdown for a while well beyond the 2024 season. I say some sort of surgery because at this point the Cubs and their medical team aren't quite sure what type of procedure Alzolay needs.

Not good. Not good at all.

Adbert Alzolay is going to get right arm surgery. Exactly when and what type is to be determined, but surgery is happening. Tough blow for a guy who was a key part of last year's bullpen and was hoping to avoid this scenario.

— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) August 1, 2024

Alzolay was recently on a rehab assignment in July, first pitching in the Arizona Complex League and then in one game at Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs on July 27. That outing was rough, as Alzolay allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in one inning.

The right-handed pitcher was first placed on the injured list May 13, with a flexor strain. Alzolay is seeking a second opinion and a decision on a surgery will likely come next week.

Adbert Alzolay (right flexor strain) is going to have surgery, but he is seeking a second opinion on what the surgery will entail. Final details should be known early next week.

— Jared Wyllys (@jwyllys) August 1, 2024

The only silver lining in this recent development is that it could explain away Alzolay's struggles out of the bullpen to begin the 2024 season with the Cubs. Alzolay, who was a top-20 reliever in 2023, began this year as the team's closer, but was removed from the role in April.

Alzolay had a 4.67 ERA in 17.1 innings before he went on the injured list. The right-hander was hit hard, allowing six home runs in his 18 appearances after only giving up five home runs in 64 innings last season.

However, that's the least of Alzolay's problems now because at this point of the year any type of arm surgery is not only going to take him out for the rest of 2024, but it's very likely that he misses a big chunk of the 2025 season as well.

Alzolay, 29, has two more years left of arbitration before he can become a free agent. However, depending on his timetable to return, there's a likely scenario in which the Cubs non-tender him this offseason. Alzolay, who made his MLB debut in 2019, has been in the Cubs organization since he signed as an international free agent in 2013 out of Venezuela.