The Cubs are more likely to designate former nearer Adbert Alzolay for task, experiences Jesse Rogers of ESPN (X hyperlink). That’ll open a spot on the 40-man roster as Chicago retains prospects out of the Rule 5 draft. Alzolay underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in August and goes to overlook most or all of subsequent season.
A DFA would’ve been powerful to fathom just some months in the past. After an inconsistent run as a starter, the righty moved to the bullpen for good in 2023. He finally pitched his method into the ninth inning, selecting up 22 saves and 6 holds whereas solely blowing three leads. Alzolay turned in 64 innings of two.67 ERA ball with a 26.5% strikeout charge. A late-season forearm pressure was the one pink flag in an in any other case wonderful 12 months.
Sadly, the forearm concern proved a precursor to a disastrous ’24 season. Alzolay began the season horribly, permitting 13 runs (9 earned) over 17 1/3 innings. He blew 5 saves whereas locking down simply 4 video games and rapidly misplaced the closing job. Alzolay’s walks jumped whereas his strikeout charge dropped by almost 10 share factors. The Cubs put him on the injured checklist with one other forearm pressure prognosis in the midst of Could.
It appears that evidently’ll mark the top of his Chicago tenure, which started when he signed out of Venezuela at age 18. Alzolay tried to keep away from surgical procedure and went on a minor league rehab stint in July. He had a setback in Triple-A and went underneath the knife a month later. A typical 14-month restoration timeline would value him your entire ’25 season. That wouldn’t be a roster concern for the Cubs in the course of the season, as they might place him on the 60-day injured checklist between the opening of Spring Coaching and the top of the World Collection. With out an IL in the course of the winter, Alzolay would’ve counted towards their offseason roster for every of the subsequent two years although he could not pitch till 2026.
That’s evidently not one thing they’re prepared to do for what may quantity to at least one extra 12 months of Alzolay. He has between 4 and 5 years of MLB service and would acquire service time if he spent all of subsequent season on the injured checklist. Alzolay is on observe totally free company in the course of the 2026-27 offseason.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz tasks the 29-year-old for a modest $2.3MM wage if he’s tendered an arbitration contract. He’d be in line for an identical wage in ’26 if he misses all of subsequent season. A mixed sum within the $5MM vary could be a cut price if Alzolay recaptures his greatest kind in 2026. There’s no assure that’ll be the case, after all, and it appears the Cubs don’t wish to carry him on the roster lengthy sufficient to take that probability.
There are a number of methods this case may play out. Maybe the Cubs can discover a commerce accomplice who’s prepared to ship them a marginal prospect to purchase low on a possible high-leverage arm. In the event that they don’t line up a commerce, Chicago may put Alzolay on waivers throughout the subsequent few days. They wouldn’t get something in return if he’s claimed, however it’d give different golf equipment a chance to retain him on that projected arbitration wage. As a participant with at the very least three years of service time, he’d grow to be a free agent if he went unclaimed.
The Cubs may additionally merely lower Alzolay unfastened by declining to tender him a contract at Friday’s non-tender deadline. That’d ship him on to free company with out placing him on waivers. It’s the one time of 12 months through which groups can drop gamers from the 40-man roster with out waiving them. Groups steadily attempt to re-sign gamers to minor league offers after a non-tender, however Alzolay and his representatives would have the ability to search for a serious league alternative elsewhere. In any case, it appears as if he’ll be headed to a brand new group after spending greater than a decade within the Cubs group.
Picture courtesy of USA At present Sports activities.
