NEWSLETTER
Jon Morosi is reporting that the Cubs and Red Sox have gotten together on a deal involving pitcher Felix Doubront:
Red Sox and Cubs have agreement in place that sends Felix Doubront to Chicago, source says.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 30, 2014
Updates and analysis forthcoming.
UPDATE 1 (2:20pm CT): Jon Heyman says it’s a done deal:
doubront goes to cubs @jonmorosi mentioned 1st
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 30, 2014
UPDATE 2 (2:23pm CT): The big lefty has been expressing displeasure about being in the bullpen for a while now, so a trade was not hard to see coming. Things came to a head last night when Doubront was lit up in a relief outing against the Blue Jays. I’m suspecting that a PTBNL would probably be a reasonable return here, given the urgency the Red Sox may have felt to deal him.
UPDATE 3 (2:24pm CT): Well, that was fast:
Red Sox got player to be named later for Duobront
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenMLB) July 30, 2014
So, obviously it depends on who is on the PTBNL list, but you wouldn’t expect it to be a significant prospect, given that the Cubs are simply taking a shot on Doubront’s upside.
I will have more on Doubront soon, though there are some Emilio Bonifacio rumors swirling that require attention.
UPDATE 4 (2:33pm CT): As I bounce back and forth between this and Bonifacio … some additional thoughts on Doubrant, who is just 26. In the past, he has shown intriguing success as a starter, even as recently as last year (3.78 FIP). But this year, not only are his numbers abysmal in relief, his velocity is down (it’s actually down the last two years quite a bit). He hurt his shoulder earlier this year bumping into a car door, so maybe there was a lingering issue there. In any case, ideally, the Cubs could send Doubront to AAA to work out the kinks, and maybe even emerge as a starting option late in the year and/or heading into next season. There’s talent there, but I’m not sure he’s an obviously better option than the slew of fringe types the Cubs already have. Not that it’s a bad thing to add more to the pile.
UPDATE 5 (2:38pm CT): On the PTBNL:
The player to be named from the Cubs to the Sox will be conferred after the Rule 5 draft.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) July 30, 2014
That could mean a variety of things: it could be that the PTBNL will be the player the Cubs select for the Red Sox in the Rule 5 Draft (if the Red Sox want someone), or it could be that the player list includes guys who might be selected in the Rule 5 (and the Red Sox will get whoever doesn’t get taken), or it could simply be that both sides want to figure it out after the roster-clustering Rule 5 period is over. In any of those cases, it’s not likely to be a significant return. This is just the Cubs taking a chance on Doubront’s upside. Not a lot of risk here, and I really like it.
UPDATE 6 (4:43pm CT): The deal is now official. Doubront for a PTBNL. Now we see what happens in terms of the roster, or if the Cubs wind up getting Doubront down to Iowa where he can start regularly.
