Chicago Cubs Bolster Roster at Trade Deadline
The Chicago Cubs made significant moves in the free agency market, although they failed to secure the desired reinforcements in the starting pitching staff. Jed Hoyer, the team’s president of operations, pointed out that high prices were a key obstacle.Despite this, the Cubs added versatile player Willi Castro, coming from the Minnesota Twins, in exchange for two prospects. They also acquired left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers in a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Additionally, the team incorporated Mike Soroka and Andrew Kittredge in previous transactions.From the perspective of starting pitchers, the market was very tight. There were very few pitchers available for rent. Of the most prominent controllable pitchers, none changed teams. We didn’t acquire them, but neither did anyone else. We felt that the price they were asking was something we couldn’t afford in the future.
Jed Hoyer
Although high-profile signings for the bullpen were not finalized, the team’s priority was to reinforce the rotation. Hoyer commented on the negotiations to acquire pitchers, indicating that an agreement is not always reached with other teams.
Willi Castro, 28 years old, arrives to fill a need on the team. This season, he played in six different positions for the Twins, including time at second base, left and right field. He is expected to play at third base for the Cubs, especially against right-handed pitchers.To make room on the roster, Ryan Pressly, who began the season as the Cubs’ closer, was designated for assignment. Castro joins his third team after starting his career in Detroit and playing the last three seasons for the Twins. He has a batting average of .245 with 55 home runs in his seven seasons in the Major Leagues. He will be a free agent at the end of this year. In return, the Twins receive Double-A pitchers Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong. Gallagher, 22, has an ERA of .386 between Class A and Double-A this season, while Armstrong has a 2.87 mark across various minor league levels. Neither is considered a top prospect in the Cubs’ system. For his part, Rogers, 34, participated in 40 games for the Cincinnati Reds, accumulating an ERA of 2.45 and allowing three home runs in 33 innings before being traded to the Pirates and then to the Cubs. He is a veteran with 10 years of experience and is expected to have opportunities in the final innings for Chicago. Pressly, 36, went 2-3 with a 4.35 ERA and 28 strikeouts in his first season with the Cubs. He spent the previous seven seasons with the Astros, taking on the closer role from 2021 to 2023, and has 117 career saves. Hoyer concluded by saying: “I think we came in wanting to add three pitchers. Obviously, there were moves we worked on that didn’t materialize.”I think having a player like that protects us in a lot of places. It was a very obvious choice in that sense.
Jed Hoyer
