NEWSLETTER
Well, it sounds like my wacky guess on today’s roster move is going to prove correct.
Today the Cubs designated Blake DeWitt for assignment (again – he was DFA’d in February to make room for Adrian Cardenas) to make room for Travis Wood, who’s filling in for Matt Garza.
I said this morning that this kind of move could happen as a precursor to Adrian Cardenas – one of the hottest hitters at AAA – coming up to the big club. Part one has happened, and I’d expect part two to happen whenever Wood goes back down. In that way, Cardenas, 24, would have bumped DeWitt twice (though Dale Sveum’s affection for DeWitt brought him back the first time – I don’t think that will happen now). The Cubs aren’t going to stay with 13 pitchers for long, so a position player will come up later this week (as soon as tomorrow), and I think it’ll be Cardenas. Luis Valbuena is the most obvious other option.
The Cubs will have 10 days to release, trade, or waive DeWitt. Given that he was just DFA’d a month ago, I think we’ve seen the last of Blake DeWitt as a member of the Chicago Cubs’ organization. If he is not traded and is instead waived, and clears waivers, DeWitt may not be willing to once again accept a minor league assignment from the Cubs. He could elect free agency and try to latch on somewhere else. Would DeWitt clear waivers? Eh. He did last month, and I’m not sure his performance or a rash of infield injuries around baseball are going to change the outcome this time around.
It would be ideal if the Cubs could swing a trade and pick up a little bit of cost savings – they owe DeWitt $1.1 million this year. They aren’t going to get much in the way of a prospect for him. If DeWitt clears waivers and refuses an assignment, he loses that guaranteed money, but he’s already pocketed about 1/6 of it, and, assuming another team signs him, he’ll get a prorated portion of the minimum for the rest of the year. He’d lose a couple hundred thousand dollars, but sometimes pride gets in the way.
Carrie Muskat says the Cubs are planning to waive DeWitt, and hope he’ll clear and accept an assignment to AAA. I just don’t see it happening twice in a couple months.
