Cubs claim RHP Gonzalez Germen, fill 40-man roster

With the one final spot left to be filled on the 40-man roster, the Cubs have claimed RHP Gonzalez Germen off waivers from the Texas Rangers according to Carrie Muskat on Twitter.

Germen, 27, made his big league debut with the New York Mets back in July, 2013, but has been apart of a handful of organizations since then. Back in December, Gonzalez was designated for assignment by the Mets only to be picked up by the New York Yankees just four days later.

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His days as a member of the Yankees would come to an end just a month later as he would be acquired by the Rangers for cash considerations shortly after being designated for the second time.

With the Rangers looking to make room on their 40-man roster for recently acquired Carlos Corporan, Germen found himself in a familiar position for the third time in his young career.

It has to be somewhat frustrating having to jump from team-to-team. four to be exact, over the course of a month. So far through 54 games in his big league career, Germen has posted a high 4.75 ERA with one save, one hold, two blown saves, a 64/30 K/BB ratio with 31 runs given up in 64 2/3 innings.

Germen missed a month of playing time because of a virus last season.

There’s no telling how long Gonzalez will be with the Cubs, but this could end up working in Epstein’s favor. This bullpen still has a ton of work to be done, so this could be a potential stepping stone in the right direction – if he makes the opening day roster.

He may end up opening the year with the Triple-A affiliate, Iowa Cubs, as he showed some signs of improvement while on the minor league circuit. In 18 games with Triple-A Las Vegas, Germen posted a solid 2.38 ERA with a 21/10 K/BB ratio through 22 2/3 innings.

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