The Chicago Cubs have made a procedural roster move – read: not necessarily sexy – by adding back-up-back-up catcher Taylor Teagarden to the 40-man roster, and designating pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada for assignment to make room, per the team’s transactions page.
Before you get too intrigued, understand that this does not impact the current playoff roster. Wada wasn’t on it, and Teagarden is not now on it. This is strictly the current 40-man roster, from which the various playoff rosters are selected. In other words, my understanding is that this move now makes it possible for the Cubs to add Teagarden to the playoff roster for the NLCS if the Cubs make it that far. Why make him available? Well, Teagarden, who has been staying fresh in Arizona, is the back-up for David Ross, and, should something happen to him or Miguel Montero in the next few days, the Cubs will want to at least have the option available to add Teagarden to the playoff roster. That’s my informed guess, anyway.
As for Wada, the DFA purely procedural, because he was going to be a free agent at the end of this season anyway, and was not going to be added to the playoff roster at any point.
Signed for $4 million before the season, it was a disappointing year for Wada. He had a chance to grab a rotation spot earlier in the year, but dealt with a shoulder issue, and then was not sufficiently effective at AAA Iowa the rest of the year to break back in with the big league team in a meaningful way. Wada, 34, could theoretically sign back on with the Cubs, but it seems more likely that he’ll move on to another organization after the year, or could head back to Japan.