Chicago Cubs: Carl Edwards Jr. reportedly traded to the San Diego Padres

In a bit of fairly stunning post-deadline news, the Chicago Cubs traded former fan favorite reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to the San Diego Padres.

For maybe the first time today, I went 10 whole minutes without checking Twitter while I wrote up the Chicago Cubs acquiring Nicholas Castellanos from the Detroit Tigers. And lo and behold, I missed something – albeit briefly.

The team sent struggling reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to the San Diego Padres in exchange for left-hander Brad Wieck, a 27-year-old former seventh-round pick. I called the move ‘stunning’ because of how long after the deadline the news broke, but it makes a ton of sense for both squads.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

Of course, we’ll all always remember Edwards running across Progressive Field with the ‘W’ flag unfurled behind him as he screamed in joy after the Cubs won Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. But since then, things have hardly been all roses and sunshine – and hopefully, this move is a clean start for both sides.

Edwards, who came off the IL earlier this month only to implode at home against San Diego and promptly get a one-way ticket back to Triple-A Iowa, hasn’t been reliable in any sense for some time. He’s got the stuff and he’s definitely had nice little runs where he looks good, but we’re past the point of promise – this team needs reliable arms in the pen and he does not fit that bill.

On the year, the lanky right-hander has pitched to a dreadful 5.87 ERA across 15 1/3 innings of work. Control issues continue to plague Edwards, evidenced by his 1.89 SO/BB ratio (and nine walks, two HBP and one wild pitch).

As recently as last season, he looked like the team’s closer of the future. Sure, he still had control issues, but he worked around those self-inflicted wounds more often than not and the future seemed bright. But with Pedro Strop struggling this year and Brandon Morrow still sidelined, the team definitely didn’t trust Edwards with the ninth, instead signing free agent Craig Kimbrel to a three-year deal.

As for Wieck, he’ll likely head to Triple-A Iowa, after splitting most of the season between San Diego and Triple-A El Paso. He’s struggled in both spots, with a 6.57 ERA with the big league club and 6.11 clip with the Chihuahuas. If the Cubs can figure something out with him, he represents a potential shuttle guy as he’s under team control through 2025.

More than anything else, though, this seems like a ‘change of scenery’ move. Chicago will head into the season’s final two months with a bullpen featuring Kimbrel, Strop (once he returns from the IL),  Brad Brach, Tyler Chatwood, Steve Cishek, Derek Holland, Kyle Ryan, Rowan Wick and David Phelps.

Not a bad group – and one more than capable of locking down the late innings as the Cubs eye another National League Central Division crown.