NEWSLETTER
[See update below.]
The Chicago Cubs have designated reliever Yoervis Medina and catcher Taylor Teagarden for assignment. Even after adding new acquisitions Dan Haren and Tommy Hunter to the 40-man roster, and today’s starting pitcher Clayton Richard, I’ve got the 40-man at 38 after these moves (I could be wrong, given the flurry of transactions in the past week), so there’s not necessarily a direct one-to-one correlation between opening and filling spots. Instead, it could just be that, once the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline passed, the Cubs were able to re-plan some things.
(Actually, as I think about it – I’m still shaking off the fog of last week – there is a correlation, because Teagarden cannot be optioned, and thus the only way to open up a spot on the 25-man roster today for Richard is to DFA Teagarden.)
In any case, the Cubs will have 10 days to trade, waive, or release Teagarden and Medina. The latter was the Cubs’ return for Welington Castillo, who is currently mashing for the Diamondbacks, and the deal has to now be chalked up as a considerable oops. Hopefully the Cubs can at least get Medina through waivers and outright him to Iowa. It’s hard to see another organization – a rebuilding organization – not taking a flyer on his huge arm, though.
As for Teagarden, the Cubs must feel pretty good about Miguel Montero’s impending return, and are willing to see what happens.
UPDATE: Medina has been optioned to Iowa, not DFA’d, per the Chicago Cubs on Twitter. The transactions page reflected the DFA, but it appears that was mistaken. Optioning Medina makes a good bit more sense than a DFA, since the 40-man spot was not needed. So, Medina is still in the organization.
