NEWSLETTER
Per the Cubs transactions page, the Chicago Cubs have outrighted reliever Michael Bowden to AAA Iowa. Because he’s been outrighted off of the 40-man roster once before (last season), he has the right to decline the assignment to AAA and could instead elect free agency. We’ll see what he does, but I’d tentatively expect him to stay in the organization if the Cubs have expressed a desire to keep him (especially now that Kyuji Fujikawa is out for the year). He does show up on the Iowa Cubs’ roster today as “reassigned.”
(In case you’re wondering, in these situations, the outright is not the end of the process. As you can see on the transactions page, the Cubs outrighted Kameron Loe earlier this month, sending him to AAA Iowa. Because he had a right to refuse, however, the next day he elected free agency. That’s why I’m holding up on stating that Bowden has officially accepted the assignment to Iowa just yet. That said, Bowden had a Major League deal with the Cubs, and Loe had a minor league deal. By electing free agency, Loe would have had a lot less to lose than Bowden.)
You’ll recall that Bowden was caught up in some bad Shawn-Camp-injury-Matt-Garza-return timing a little over a week ago, and the Cubs elected to DFA Bowden when Garza returned from the disabled list because they didn’t yet know about the seriousness of Camp’s injury.
The outright means that Bowden did clear waivers, which is a mixed surprise given the need for cheap relievers out there, but also given his weak peripherals.
(h/t MLBTR)
