Chicago Cubs: Roster tinkering, Farrell as Maddon’s bench coach?

The Chicago Cubs are setting the groundwork for the rest of this winter with the work they’re doing now. QO’s, waiver claims. These are the small moves that they will make before making any big additions this offseason.

The Chicago Cubs have used the early offseason to make some small changes to their roster, especially in the bullpen. The Cubs have added Randy Rosario and Cory Mazzoni off off waivers from the Twins and Padres, respectively. They also have called up Matt Carasiti who they acquired in the trade in May with the Rockies for Zac Rosscup. These are moves that won’t garner much attention, but they could be important for the Cubs. They can’t sign an entirely new bullpen, so some of these small pickups will have to come through for them. Much like Brian Duensing did last season.

The Chicago Cubs extended qualifying offers to Wade Davis and Jake Arrieta. While it’s not likely either is going to accept, it will help gain them a draft pick if they sign elsewhere. For many years, no player had taken the QO, but that’s changed in recent years. While Arrieta is going to go for a big contract, it’s possible–albeit, slim–that Davis could accept his. The QO for pitchers is $17.4 million, which would be $200k than the deal that the Yankees gave Aroldis Chapman.

It’s becoming apparent that David Ross isn’t ready to step back into the dugout full-time and take the bench coach position. The timing isn’t right, so the Cubs will have to look elsewhere for now. One name that could work is that of John Farrell. The former Red Sox manager might seem a little “high-profile” for some, but if you look around the league, it’s the norm. Several former managers have settled into bench coach positions, and Farrell could be the next one.

Also, we at Cubbies Crib want to send our deepest condolences to the family and friend of Roy Halladay, who died in a plane crash on Tuesday. He was one of the great pitchers of his time and an even better individual. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by his loss.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Cubs continue to tinker with roster ahead of big offseason’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Davis, Arrieta extended qualifying offers’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Making the case for Farrell as Cubs next bench coach’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Halladay’s legacy extends far beyond the game’ – MLB.com

‘Halladay the ultimate professional and teammate’ – ESPN

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