A lot of solid big-league players yesterday, and some of them could be good additions for the Cubs.
In a shocking turn of events yesterday, the Yankees, Tigers, White Sox, Mets, and Angels all dumped some of their pending FAs to save money leaving some very solid players out on the waiver wire to be claimed. Some of them included Lucas Giolito, Mike Clevinger, Matt Moore, Hunter Renfroe, Carlos Carrasco, and Harrison Bader. So before we get into who the Cubs might want to target, let’s talk about whether they can and if they should even want to.
First, let’s talk about the general process of waivers. All these guys who were put on waivers can be claimed by any team. Teams can put out as many claims on as many of the players, and multiple teams can claim a player. From there, the team with the worse record is granted the rights to the player, as it goes in reverse order of the standings. For example, if every team put in a claim for Giolito, the A’s, who own the worst record in the game, would get his services.
So, for the Cubs, they are 20th in the waiver order. That puts them behind the likes of the Reds, Giants, Marlins, D-Backs, and Red Sox. All of these teams are also chasing a playoff berth and may want to try to add someone to bolster their roster as well. They might need some luck or mismanagement to get anyone worth getting with their positioning.
The next factor will be the money that would be involved in such an addition. The team that wins the claim will not have to give up any players to the team that waived him. Instead, they will just have to pay that player’s salary for the rest of the season. For most of the available guys, their salary for basically the last month of the season comes out to just around one million dollars. That might be a problem for the Cubs. Currently, they are skirting the luxury tax line and don’t want to go over and have to basically be “fined” for going over. So that makes two factors going against the Cubs being able to make a big addition.
One factor they do have going for them is roster space. After this most recent DFA of Tucker Barnhart, they have two open spots should they add someone. So let’s say the teams ahead of them aren’t as aggressive in adding these guys and they aren’t as close to the tax line as we thought, who are the guys they should try to add?
Top 3 Targets
Lucas Giolito: After a rough ‘22, Giolito got off to a strong start with the White Sox as he pitched to a 3.79 ERA over 121 innings while punching out 131. His FIP said he was a bit lucky, as it was over a half run higher, but he was much more in line with the guy who finished top 11 in the Cy Young three straight seasons ‘19-’21. However, during his stint with the Angels after being traded, the wheels fell off. He lost five of his six starts with a horrendous 6.89 ERA and his HR per 9 nearly doubled. All these things aren’t good, but the Cubs rotation has been in flux as of late, and adding a guy with experience, like Giolito, would be a big help. A small tweak or fix could be all it takes to unlock the former All-Star form we’ve seen from him.
Matt Moore: The well-traveled lefty reliever has once again been a force in the back end of a bullpen this year. After struggling as a starter for a few years, the Rangers turned him into a reliever and his career has turned around as he’s had a 2.08 ERA over 117 innings in the last year and a half with Texas and the Angels. Had the Angels decided to sell at the deadline, he would’ve been one of the best arms in the market and the Cubs certainty would’ve been involved. He would be the perfect complement to the late-game trio of Merryweather, Leiter Jr., and Alzolay and deepen their ‘pen in a big way.
Mike Clevinger: The last top target, Clevinger, is having his best and most healthy season since all the way back in 2018 when it seemed as if he was going to become one of the best starters in the game. Since then, injuries and off-the-field controversies have dampened what seemed to be a star on the rise. Even with a solid 3.32 ERA in nearly 100 innings, the White Sox decided to cut bait and save some cash.
Just as with Giolito, he could be a big help in the Cubs rotation and even help out in the ‘pen come playoff time as he has some relieving experience in the past. There would have to be some discussion in the clubhouse before acquiring him, but he could be a big help.
In the end, there are a lot of different factors that go into possibly acquiring any of these players for the Cubs, but should they decide to make a move, and get a little bit lucky with the teams ahead of them, there are some guys who could be big-time contributors down the stretch.
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