There it is. For now.
Today, the Cubs made their final cuts of the spring, with catcher Carlos Corporan (in on a minor league deal) assigned to minor league camp (Wittenmyer). Further, the Cubs revealed that lefty Brian Duensing would begin the season on the disabled list (back issues, Rogers), which will allow them to keep BOTH Matt Szczur and Tommy La Stella for now. The Cubs are, for now, comfortable with just seven pitchers in the bullpen (Gonzales).
It’s nice to know that, for at least a little while, the Cubs won’t have to make a hasty decision on Matt Szczur, who is out of minor league options. If a quality trade presents itself in the interim, that’s great. If not, hanging onto Szczur is also great.
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And it’s also nice to know that La Stella, who fits the roster very well, will be available off of the bench from day one.
As for Duensing, he’s likely to be the LOOGY in the bullpen when he’s ready to go. For now, if he begins the season on the 10-day disabled list, with backdating and off-days, he may miss only five or six games. His return will probably depend not only on his health, but also the needs of the roster.
If and when he’s ready to return, and depending on the state of the roster at that point, then the Cubs will once again face the Szczur/La Stella/bullpen questions. Until then, though, the can has effectively been kicked down the road.
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