Cubs claim Putnam off of waivers

The Cubs have claimed pitcher Zack Putnam off of waivers from the Rockies. Putnam was one of four players that the Rockies have let go via waiver claims within the last 24 hours.

Putnam spent most of the season in Triple-A, posting a 4.15 ERA in 60 2/3 innings.

Analysis: Putnam will probably be given the opportunity to earn a spot in that bullpen when Spring Training comes. He is really just bullpen depth-and maybe a decent setup man if he's lucky.

Germano elects free agency

The Cubs have announced that pitcher Justin Germano has cleared waivers and will refuse his outright assignment, therefore electing free agency. Germano was acquired from Boston in exchange for cash considerations back in July.

Germano posted a 6.75 ERA in 12 starts and one relief appearance for Chicago last season. He also made 16 starts and one relief appearance for Boston's Triple-A affiliate, posting a 2.40 ERA.

Analysis: Germano is really a #5 pitcher on a bad team at best. Pitching depth at its finest, but I'm sure he'll get a minor league deal from someone.

Cubs outright 3 to Triple-A

The Cubs have outrighted Joe Mather, Blake Parker (pictured) and Justin Germano to Triple-A.

Mather hit .209 in 243 plate appearances in 2012. Parker spent most of the season in Triple-A, posting a 3.42 ERA in 21 relief appearances. Germano posted a 6.75 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts) for Chicago in 2012.

Analysis: Mather is pretty much a fourth outfielder. Parker up decent numbers in the minor leagues but a player like him is easily expendable. Germano is basically a swing-man, and struggled during his brief time with the Cubs in 2012.

Manny Corpas elects free agency

The Cubs have announced that pitcher Manny Corpas has elected free agency after he was left off of the Cubs' 40 man roster. Corpas was arbitration eligible, but was a non-tender candidate due to his poor performance.

Corpas posted a 5.01 ERA in 48 relief appearances during the 2012 season.

Analysis: Corpas was a decent reliever with Colorado but I don't see this being a big loss for Chicago. He isn't the pitcher that he once was, and the Cubs really don't need him since they are looking to get younger.

Royals claim Chris Volstad

The Royals have claimed pitcher Chris Volstad off of waivers from the Cubs.

Volstad had a rough season with Chicago, posting a 6.31 ERA in 111 1/3 innings pitched. He originally came over to Chicago in the Carlos Zambrano trade, and is a former first round pick by the Marlins. He earned $2.7 million in 2012 and is going to be arbitration eligible when the World Series is over.

Analysis: I don't mind this waiver claim. I know Volstad gets a lot of hate because he hasn't lived up to his first round pick standards, but he could be a decent addition. Is he going to be an ace? Probably not. Volstad is a contact pitcher and MAY get rocked in the American League, but we'll see. It's a low risk move and Kansas City is looking to rebuild its rotation, so why not?

Cubs outright four to Triple-A

The Cubs have outrighted outfielder Adrian Cardenas and pitchers Jason Berken (pictured) , Miguel Socolovich and Marcos Mateo to Triple-A.

Cardenas hit .183 in 67 plate appearances in 2012. Berken was claimed off of waivers from the Orioles, and posted a 3.50 ERA in 26 Triple-A starts. Socolovich spent most of the year in Triple-A for the Cubs and Orioles, posting a 2.11 ERA in 31 appearances. Mateo last pitched in 2011, posting a 6.87 ERA in 16 Triple-A appearances.

Analysis: Cardenas really didn't hit at all, and that is what scared teams away. Berken is a swing-man that provides rotation depth, so it is somewhat surprising that he cleared waivers. Socolovich put up solid numbers in Triple-A, so I am also surprised to see him clear waivers. Mateo missed the entire 2012 season and his value is very low, so claiming him now wouldn't be smart considering that you don't know how he'll bounce back from injury.

Mets claim Anthony Recker

The Mets have claimed catcher Anthony Recker off of waivers from the Cubs. Recker was designated for assignment yesterday to create roster space for pitcher Carlos Gutierrez.

Recker hit .143 in 58 plate appearances with Oakland and Chicago in 2012. He is a career .277 hitter at the Triple-A level.

Analysis: Recker has some pop to his bat and the Mets do not have any catching depth, so this move makes sense. Maybe the Mets will just use Recker as a platoon partner with Josh Thole and let Kelly Shoppach walk via free agency. I don't agree with that move, but it is a cheap move and GM Sandy Alderson is a cheap fella.

Cubs designate Recker for assignment

The Cubs have designated catcher Anthony Recker for assignment to create roster space for Carlos Gutierrez, who was recently claimed off of waivers from the Twins.

Recker hit .143 with the Cubs and Athletics in 2012, and was originally acquired from Oakland in August. He is a career .277 hitter in over 1,200 plate appearances at the Triple-A.

Analysis: Recker has some pop to his bat but I expect him to stay put. He had a rough 2012 season but could still appeal to a few teams since he is a left handed hitter, meaning that he could complement catchers a few days every here and there. However, I expect him to remain with the Cubs since he had such a bad 2012 season.

Cubs claim Gutierrez off of waivers

The Cubs have claimed outfielder Carlos Gutierrez off of waivers from the Twins.

Gutierrez, a former first round pick in the 2008 draft, was originally drafted to be a starting pitcher, but his poor performance in the minor leagues forced him to convert to a relief pitcher. He was injured for most of the 2012 season, and posted a 4.62 ERA in 62 1/3 relief innings in 2012.

Analysis: The upside if there, but Gutierrez has had a rough go of it so far. I actually like this claim by Epstein, because it is a low risk, decent reward move. If he figures himself out, he could be a good bullpen option for the Cubs as they look to rebuild their team.

Cubs acquire Marcelo Carreno

The Cubs have announced that they have acquired prospect Marcelo Carreno and cash considerations from the Tigers to complete the Jeff Baker trade. The Tigers acquired Baker on August 5th, but sent him to Atlanta two weeks later.

Carreno, 21, spent the entire 2012 season in Single-A, posting a 3.23 ERA in 139 1/3 innings as a starter.

Analysis: I like this trade for the Cubs. Giving up Baker in a lost season is obviously something that we would have all done, but getting a decent prospect out of him is something that only a GM like Theo Epstein can do. Carreno has been in the minor leagues for a while, and put up nice numbers this season. If he can fasten his development a little more, I think he may be someone to keep an eye on.

Cubs to shut down Samardzija after Saturday's start

The Cubs have announced that they will shut down pitcher Jeff Samardzija for the rest of the season to prevent a possible injury. The team has decided that Samardzija has thrown enough innings, and he will make his final start on Saturday.

Samardzija has had a very up and down season, but has already racked up 165 2/3 innings, which is nearly the amount that he had in the big leagues coming into the 2012 season (169 2/3 innings.)

Analysis: This is a good call by Chicago. Samardzija has had a nice year for the most part, and will probably be a key piece in their future. Hopefully he can handle next year's heavy workload just like he did this season. There is also a possibility that the club is looking to trade Samardzija in the off-season, and shutting him down now will preserve his value. I don't think that is the case, but it remains a possibility.

Cubs claim Berken off of waivers

The Cubs have announced that they have claimed pitcher Jason Berken off of waivers from the Orioles. Baltimore designated Berken for assignment four days ago to create roster space for Zach Phillips.

Berken has spent most of the 2012 season in Triple-A, where he pitched to a 3.50 ERA in 26 starts. He appeared in one game with the Major League squad this year, and was a key piece in their bullpen from 2010-2011.

Analysis: Kind of an odd move here. Berken is a decent pitcher, but I don't see how he fits on a rebuilding Cubs roster. Berken will serve as the team's swing-man for the remainder of the season, therefore meaning that this move isn't really a big deal.

Hinshaw outrighted to Triple-A

The Cubs have announced that pitcher Alex Hinshaw has been outrighted to Triple-A after he cleared waivers this afternoon. Hinshaw was designated for assignment last week.

He posted a 6.04 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 6.7 BB/9 in 33 games with the Padres and Cubs this year.

Analysis: Not a big deal. Hinshaw's walk ratio probably scared other teams from putting a claim on him.

Indians claim Maine off of waivers

The Indians have claimed pitcher Scott Maine off of waivers from the Cubs. The Cubs designated Maine for assignment two days ago to create space for catcher Anthony Recker.

Maine has been in the Cubs organization his entire 5 year career, and has had a rough 2012 season. He posted a 4.79 ERA in 20 2/3 innings for Chicago.

Analysis: Well, like I said a few days ago, left handed relievers are sometimes hard to come by, so there was a good chance that Maine was going to get claimed. He has high strikeout rates, but walks too many batters. Also, it's interesting because Maine and Indians' closer Chris Perez played together in college at the University of Miami, so I guess that is something worth noting.

Cubs designate Hinshaw for assignment

The Cubs have designated pitcher Alex Hinshaw for assignment to create roster space for reliever Blake Parker.

Hinshaw posted a 4.50 ERA with a 11.6 K/9 in 28 innings for the Padres his year. He was claimed off of waivers by the Cubs on August 19. He allowed three homers to the Brewers last night and didn't record an out.

Analysis: Wow this feels like Pack your bags Alex you're going to Chicago. He has one bad game with the Cubs, and BAM, he's gone. Well whatever, Hinshaw isn't anything special so he'll probably clear waivers.

Cubs designate Maine for assignment

The Cubs have designated reliever Scott Maine for assignment. The move creates space for Anthony Recker, who was just acquiring from the Athletics.

Maine was drafted in the sixth round of the 2007 draft by the Cubs, and has appeared in 21 games for Chicago this year, posting a 4.79 ERA in 20 2/3 innings. In parts of six minor league seasons, Maine has a 3.28 ERA.

Analysis: Maine might get claimed off of waivers, because lefty relievers are hard to come by. He has had some success in the minors, but walks a lot of hitters, and that will probably make some teams reluctant to put a claim on him.

Cubs, Athletics, swap Recker and Lalli

The Cubs and Athletics have agreed on the trade that will send Anthony Recker to Chicago and Blake Lalli to Oakland. Oakland designated Recker for assignment one week ago. Chicago designated Lalli for assignment last week and announced that he would be outrighted to Triple-A this morning.

Recker appeared in 13 games for the Athletics this year, but has spent the majority of the year in Triple-A where he hit .265 in 229 plate appearances.

Lalli has hit .257 in 319 Triple-A appearances this year.

Analysis: This trade isn't going to really affect both teams. Both are decent catchers who probably aren't good enough to serve as backups on their respective teams. I'd probably have to say that Recker is a slightly better player, due to some pop to his bat.

Lalli outrighted to Triple-A

The Cubs have announced that catcher Blake Lalli has cleared waivers and will be outrighted to Triple-A.

Chicago designated Lalli for assignment last week to make roster space for Miguel Socolovich, who was claimed off of waivers from the Orioles. Lalli has hit .257 in 319 plate appearances in Triple-A this year.

Analysis: Not much of a surprise here Lalli doesn't bring much to the table.

Cubs release Frankie de la Cruz

The Cubs have released pitcher Frankie de la Cruz. Chicago claimed him off of waivers from the Brewers in March.

De la Cruz posted a 3.80 ERA in 94 2/3 innings as a starter and reliever in Triple-A this year.

Analysis: His ERA looks pretty decent, but he has more walks (58) than strikeouts (57), which is concerning. This isn't a big move at all.

Cubs claim Socolovich, DFA Lalli

The Cubs have claimed pitcher Miguel Socolovich off of waivers from the Orioles. He has been optioned to Triple-A. To create roster space for Socolovich, the club has designated catcher Blake Lalli for assignment.

Socolovich was designated for assignment by Baltimore nine days ago. He appeared in six games for the Orioles this year, allowing 8 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings pitched. He spent most of the season in Triple-A, where he posted a 1.90 ERA in 52 innings of relief.

Lalli made his MLB debut earlier this year, appearing in six games. He has hit .257 in 319 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

Analysis: Socolovich seems like a decent pitcher, maybe an innings eater at best. He posted very nice numbers in the minor leagues, but struggled during his brief time with the Orioles this year. This is a nice, under the radar, claim by Chicago. As for Lalli, he just seems like maybe a backup catcher at best. I'm sure he'll clear waivers.