Cubs Rumors: Richard Bleier signs minor league deal with Chicago
The Chicago Cubs' ongoing quest for additional arm support has brought MLB veteran Richard Bleier to the organization on a minor league contract, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The 36-year-old is expected to suit up for Triple-A Iowa.
Bleier was waived by the Boston Red Sox earlier in the week, clearing the way for Chicago to poach him from the free agent waters. Bleier appeared in 27 games for the Sox, posting a troubling 5.28 ERA and 1.370 WHIP. He gave up 37 hits and 18 earned runs in 30.2 innings pitched.
Those are career-worst numbers pretty much across the board. Bleier spent 2.5 productive seasons with Miami prior to the offseason, when he was traded to Boston. The Cubs will hope Bleier benefits from a change of scenery and builds back a positive rhythm in the minors. Given his age, it's fair to wonder if Bleier has simply aged out of his baseball prime.
The Cubbies have been strained for pitching all season, and the recent injury to Marcus Stroman won't help the matter. Bleier is a short-inning reliever and shouldn't be billed as a savior of any kind, but he's a player Chicago will monitor in the minors with the postseason in sight. The Cubs have been on a roll lately. Bleier may or may not pan out, but there's very little risk in bringing an established vet to the farm system.
Cubs Rumors: Christopher Morel talks magical walk-off home run
The Cubs opened the season in a massive funk, to the point where most pundits expected them to operate as sellers at the MLB trade deadline. A well-timed rebound and a return to (expected) form, however, has Chicago in the postseason mix. A magical 4-3 victory over the cross-town White Sox on Wednesday night left the Cubs 2.5 games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.
And man, was Wednesday night truly magical. The ninth inning began with a three-run explosion from the White Sox, who took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the inning. The Cubs' bats had been dormant all night and the game felt like a lost cause… until it wasn't. Nick Madrigal drove home a run. Then the Cubs put two runners on base for Chris Morel, who ended with game with one swift swing of the bat.
Madness ensued.
Morel spoke to reporters after the game. When asked what was going through his mind as he sprinted around the bases, he gave a very relatable, very simple response: "I made a homer. Cubs win."
One has to imagine it was more about the feeling than the thought process for Morel, who lost his helmet and his uniform well before he was greeted by a mob of excited teammates at home plate. Chicago will hope to keep the positive momentum flowing when the basement-dwelling Royals come to town tomorrow night.
Cubs Rumors: Potential motivation to call up Pete Crow-Armstrong
The Cubs recently promoted CF Pete Crow-Armstrong, the No. 12 overall prospect in MLB Pipeline's database, to Triple-A Iowa. His numbers since the move are unambiguously impressive: .306/.424/.616 with 15 hits, four homers, and nine RBIs in 49 at-bats.
That led Cubs insider Jordan Bastian to pose a hypothetical: what would it take for the Cubs to call up PCA for the team's postseason push? The Cubs are currently 2.5 games out of first place and within striking distance of playing proper October baseball.
"In September, teams have the ability to expand their roster to 28 players. While PCA is not currently on the 40-man roster, the Cubs have two open slots. Given his 80-grade defense, plus speed and lefty bat, there is an argument to be made that he could offer a useful role player on manager David Ross' bench in late September."
Bastian harkens back to 2019, when the Cubs called up Double-A star Nico Hoerner and posted him at shortstop for the season's final push. While Chicago doesn't have a similarly pressing need at Crow-Armstrong's position (Cody Bellinger ain't going anywhere), the 21-year-old checks too many boxes to be ignored as a possibility.
"We've been creative when we feel it's the right thing to do for the organization," Cubs president Jed Hoyer told Bastian. It feels like more of a long shot than anything right now, but injuries are unfortunately part of the game. If misfortunate strikes and the Cubs find themselves in need of a boost, don't be shocked if Crow-Armstrong's name is called. The talent pops. He's going to be in Chicago sooner than later.