Here it is, the final cut of the Spring, with only the last bullpen job to be decided. And the job is going to lefty Randy Rosario.
The #Cubs have reduced the #SpringTraining roster to 30 players. pic.twitter.com/dUBRrtwoF2
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 26, 2019
Since Webster has no minor league options remaining, it’s not necessarily a surprise that he didn’t get the spot just yet – once he comes up, he’s gotta stay up for good, lest he be subject to some other team snaking him on waivers.
As for Ryan and Rosario, I laid out my take a couple days ago:
Rosario, 24, had some decent results at times last year, but the peripherals always suggested he was going to get knocked around eventually – sure enough, if you chop off just his first month last year, his ERA balloons to 5.12 after June 21. It was not a good year. But he’s young, and he does have some talent.
Ryan, 27, has had some big league success in the past with the Tigers, and then kind of had to rediscover and reinvent himself last year with the Cubs at AAA. He might be a higher-risk-higher-reward option, and he’d probably be my pick at this point. Remember, the Cubs liked what they saw from him enough last year at AAA to sign him to a big league deal early in the offseason rather than risk losing him to another organization.
So, it’s Rosario over Ryan for now, but of course, with options, that doesn’t mean anything permanent is happening. The Cubs preferred Rosario, with whom they have more recent big league experience, over Ryan for now. Hopefully Rosario made some strides in the offseason, and improves on his peripherals considerably from last year.
Rosario joins the rest of the Opening Day bullpen: