Carpenter, who was the centerpiece of the Theo Epstein compensation deal with the Boston Red Sox, has been DFA’d by the team.

June 28, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Chris Carpenter (37) delivers a pitch during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Now the Boston squad will have 10 days to either release, trade or waive Carpenter as they make room on their 40 man roster for Mike Napoli.

Wanting Carpenter back is good in theory, but it is a bit of a logistical nightmare for the Cubs as their 40 man roster currently stands at 40, and that’s without the soon-to-be-announced deal with Christian Villanueva. All players who are claimed off waivers are required to be placed on the 40 man roster, and Carpenter (who would be the 42nd) is no exception. We can then, in principle, assume that their 40 man stands at 41 and there aren’t many players the Cubs would easily part with on that roster to make room for the righty.

If the Cubs would want to bring him back while avoiding waiving additional players to make room for him, he’d have to first clear waivers and then be brought back on a minor league deal. This seems reasonable, but I don’t see Carpenter going unclaimed on the waiver wire, let alone the Cubs risking valuable assets to bring him back.

Also take in to consideration that the Cubs have a log jam of good bullpen arm prospects in the minors including Cory Wade, Hisanori Takahashi, Andrew Carpenter and Jensen Lewis - all of which are capable on the mound.

Having Carpenter back would be a nice luxury, but the logistics required make it a slim chance of becoming a reality. There is too much risk in trying to squeeze him on the 40 man, which is already overflowing.

Then again, you never know what kind of tricks this front office has up their sleeves.

Chris Carpenter, one of the pieces in the Theo Epstein compensation fiasco with Boston, has now been designated for assignment.

June 22, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Chris Carpenter (37) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at US Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

You might remember all the back-and-forth drama that came from the saga which featured a lot of cattiness from both teams (mostly Boston.) Carpenter was selected after Boston was asking for far too much in player compensation and we all laughed ourselves silly.

After clearing a physical from Boston’s team doctors, he was officially property of the Sox, but the drama didn’t end there. Not too long after the Carpenter deal was announced,  he was diagnosed with bone spurs in his throwing elbow and we all laughed ourselves silly again.

Boston threw a bit of a hissy fit and asked for more compensation after their doctors cleared Carpenter and we all fell to the floor in laughter.

Now Carpenter has been DFA’d. If Boston asks for more compensation, my head may explode from laughing too hard.

Don’t get me wrong, I respect the Boston Red Sox but this story is just too funny to pass up. Safe to say that the Cubs got the last laugh.

Finally, after a multitude of missed deadlines, negotiations, public comments, rumor campaigns, and enough misinformation to make the CIA envious, the compensation due Boston for releasing Theo Epstein from the last year of his contract has been settled. Chris Carpenter, the often injured and inconsistent 26 year old flame thrower goes to Boston. There will also be a swap of Players To Be Named Later by April 15, but those are not expected to be significant.

So, what does the loss of Carpenter mean for the Cubs?
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