Cubs reportedly acquire Blue Jays reliever |
Theo Epstein is making moves.
The Chicago Cubs have traded Double-A pitcher Thomas Hatch (No. 29 prospect) to the Blue Jays for righty reliever David Phelps and cash considerations. To make room for Phelps on the 40-man roster, Triple-A reliever Xavier Cedeño has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Phelps has recently come back from T.J. surgery but has done well since his return. For the season, the 32-year old has a 3.63 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched. He has held batters to a .222 batting average (14-for-63), including a .217 mark vs. left-handed hitters and a .225 mark vs. right-handed hitters, and has posted a 1.21 WHIP. He will likely be used as a middle reliever and especially needed since Pedro Strop was just placed on the 10-day injured list. He was signed by the Blue Jays on a one-year deal worth $2.5 million with a club option for 2020. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2018. For his career, Phelps is 30-33 with 58 holds, five saves and a 3.88 ERA (246 ER/571.0 IP) in 245 major league appearances (65 starts) in seven seasons. Hatch is a third-round pick in the 2016 draft and will transition into a bullpen type arm in the future. He has a 4.59 ERA in 21 Double-A starts this year. He is 17-27 with a 4.10 ERA (168 ER/368.1 IP) in 73 starts in three minor league seasons. Here’s my analysis of Phelps trade or any other reliever they get: (kind of obvious) The Cubs don’t have a bad bullpen, it just needs proper rest. Cishek and Kintzler especially. Ryan too. (And Strop when right.) So another plus reliever should help provide that.
The #Cubs today acquired RHP David Phelps and a cash consideration from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league RHP Thomas Hatch.
#BlueJays acquiring RHP Thomas Hatch from #Cubs in exchange for RHP David Phelps, per @Feinsand. Here's a closer look at Hatch on the freshly updated @Cubs Top 30 Prospects list: https://t.co/bdu9gmcmvx pic.twitter.com/BWgHwmqF9G
TRADE ALERT: The @Cubs are making a trade for RHP David Phelps (via @ShiDavidi and @Ken_Rosenthal). pic.twitter.com/6xaKEyUt3z
To make room for Phelps on the 40-man roster, LHP Xavier Cedeño has been transferred to the 60-day IL. pic.twitter.com/7tsw2vYqED
