Cubs claim former Brewers righty Enoli Paredes off waivers |
We have hit the stretch run of another disappointing Chicago Cubs season, as just six games remain in the 2024 season. With that comes the potential for some make-shift roster and lineup changes over the next week, which you started to see Sunday and will continue to see on Monday.
For those who haven't seen the lineup today, Ian Happ will be out for a second straight day nursing a sore back as Mike Tauchman will get another look. You also have Luis Vazquez getting a rare start at short for Dansby Swanson, who is still searching for his first career MLB hit. Along with those lineup changes come a flurry of roster moves that have gone overlooked but will impact this team over the next six games. The biggest one is Jorge Lopez, whose season has ended with another injury. Although this isn't a new injury, the same groin injury has been bothering him the past month. He will now have some extra time to heal heading into what could be an interesting free agency period for him. Taking his place is the former top pitching prospect in the Cubs system, Caleb Kilian, as he makes his long-awaited return to the bigs. Kilian hasn't had much success at the Big League level, but after showing eye-popping stuff this spring, there was hope for him this season until a shoulder injury sidelined him for more than three months. Since returning, Kilian has been very good with Iowa, and now, the Cubs have an opportunity to see what he can do for the rest of the season. Another move the Cubs made today was sending Trey Wingenter back down to Iowa in exchange for Gavin Hollowell who has been lights out in his short time with the Cubs. Again, this is a guy that the Cubs will have to decide on soon, so they would like to look at him now before making that decision. Perhaps the most intriguing news of the day was seeing the Cubs hit the waiver wire. They plucked 28-year-old Enoli Paredes off Waivers and immediately added him to their 40-man roster. Considering he has no Minor League Options left, Paredes is someone the Cubs must've liked, as they want to get him in their system now to see what he can do. For those unfamiliar with Paredes, the right-hander spent some time with the Milwaukee Brewers this season, where he went on to post solid numbers. Across his 20 1/3 innings, Paredes posted a 1.72 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 10 walks. The walks were obviously a concern, but he did a great job pitching out of trouble, similar to what Javier Assad has done in the rotation all season. Even though Paredes hasn't had the best peripherals this season, he was very good in AAA this season, where he appeared in 27 games and posted a 1.99 ERA across 31 2/3 innings. Paredes saw time as a closer, converting on five of his six opportunities while striking out 48 batters compared to just 12 walks. Those are impressive numbers, and the Cubs are hoping he can put up with them should they figure out a way to keep him long-term. Going beyond this season, Paredes has had his share of MLB action, appearing in 54 career games between the Astros and Brewers and posting a 3.06 ERA. The 41BB/51K is going to scare people, but if you can limit the damage, that is all you can ask for from a reliever. Looking at his MILB career as a whole, you can see why the Cubs want to see what they can get out of him as he has appeared in 225 games and posted a 24-22 record with a 2.82 ERA. His 212BB/539K in 408 innings is the type of command you want to see, while his 30 career saves show the ability to pitch in high-leverage situations. He has been an up-and-down guy most of his career. Paredes tends to sit in the 95-97 MPH range with his fastball and is one of those guys who prides himself on soft contact. This is a move made more so for the future than this season, but the Cubs will have to decide on him soon. https://www.milb.com/video/caleb-kilian-fans-five?t=playerid-668873 https://x.com/RBunikiewicz/status/1826021527697109063 https://x.com/RBunikiewicz/status/1826021529823621515 https://x.com/Aces/status/1804348314860818454 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9VgWyIpTz0
