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It wasn’t that long ago when the Chicago Cubs made a bold move by trading away infielder Starlin Castro to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be named later.
Just a few days after the trade was completed it was revealed that infielder Brendan Ryan was, in fact, the second piece to New York’s trade package for the three-time All-Star.
Now, it appears that Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer pulled the trigger on a deal that netted them a reliever after CBS Chicago reported that news regarding Ryan’s release from the club.
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Aside from Ryan’s departure, Chicago re-claimed southpaw Edgar Olmos from the Baltimore Orioles. Olmos has jumped between the Miami Marlins, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago for the first time on December 4.
With these moves, the 40-man roster appears to be ready for both training camp and Opening Day in Los Angeles against Albert Pujols and those heavy-hitting Angels. It’s a dangerous team that will help shape the rest of the 2016 campaign.
The fact that Brendan was released doesn’t or, at least, shouldn’t come as a surprise. Skipper Joe Maddon has plenty of depth when it comes to the infield — players much more reliable in the batter’s box with the defense to balance things out.
Young utility man Arismendy Alcantara should receive another opportunity to make the big league roster after a disappointing start in 2015. While he’s aiming to make a permanent return, Javier Baez has picked up some playing time in center field during winter baseball as planned.
They still have Chris Coghlan who can play in both the outfield and second base and Tommy La Stella who spent most of 2015 on the disabled list. It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the bench develops as time goes on.
Here’s some more you may have missed from Cubbies Crib and around the league:
‘Chicago Cubs: Taking a look at the Cubs’ top starting rotations‘ – Cubbies Crib
‘Chicago Cubs: Prospect Dan Vogelbach could draw interest from the Red Sox‘ – Cubbies Crib
‘Chicago Cubs: Rumors aside, Jorge Soler a valuable piece‘ – Cubbies Crib