Chicago Cubs continue to tinker with roster ahead of big offseason

The Chicago Cubs made some small roster moves ahead of the offseason, prepping the way for what lies ahead.

The Chicago Cubs have made a group of roster moves in the last few days. While none of them will be considered memorable, you never know if one of them will be the next Brian Duensing. While plenty of other rumors are in the news (Yes, eventually we’ll get to Heyward to SF another time ), these small moves could be something unexpected.

The Cubs claimed Randy Rosario off of waivers the other day from the Minnesota Twins. Yesterday, they claimed Cory Mazzoni off waivers from the San Diego Padres. Mazzoni, 28, spent much of the 2017 season in the minor leagues. He posted a 0.59 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings. His time in San Diego was short, making just six appearances with the big league team.

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Change is good

Mazzoni had run his course with the Padres, just as he may have been starting to figure things out at the minor league level. But he’s been unable to carry any of that over to the majors. He’s posted a17.29 ERA in 16 2/3 innings. Mazzoni is a three-pitch pitcher, featuring an average velocity four-seam fastball, a slider and a change-up.

The Cubs also selected the contract of Matt Carasiti from Triple-A Iowa, while assigning Leonys Martin to Iowa. Martin isn’t likely to figure into the outfield situation–unless something drastically changes. But he will make a solid September call-up if he’s still with the team.

Mile High to Wrigley

Carasiti was acquired in the Zac Rosscup trade from the Rockies back in June. He made 46 relief appearances at Triple-A (Iowa and Albuquerque). This led to a 3.26 ERA while striking out 68 in 49 2/3 innings. He’s another arm that will get a chance to showcase what he has in Spring Training as the Cubs are desperately looking to overhaul the struggling bullpen.

The Cubs will need to go into the market and find themselves one, maybe two quality relievers. But that doesn’t mean that those two will fill the void. The three of these guys might only be looked at as “depth” pieces, but so was Duensing last year, who filed for free agency last Thursday.

Next: Farrell would make sense for the Cubs

There’s plenty of speculation from around the league about who will end up where. For this season, and beyond. The Cubs have been mentioned to be in talks with the Giants. Jason Heyward to SF for possibly Mark Melancon and Jeff Samardzija. It all sounds crazy, but it is possible. Could this be to free up money to make a run at Bryce Harper next season? It’s possible. But right now, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer need to focus on this year’s team–and this pitching staff in need of reinforcements.