NEWSLETTER
(Hear the song in your mind – it still fits!)
The Chicago Cubs made their next set of cuts from big league camp today, sending out five players who were generally not expected to make the Opening Day roster. The big league Spring Training roster stands at 42, so there are 16 cuts left from here.
First baseman Matt Mervis, infielder Chase Strumpf, catcher Bryce Windham, righty Cam Sanders, and righty Keegan Thompson were all sent out. All are expected to open the season at Triple-A Iowa.
Matt Mervis theoretically had a shot at winning a bench job, since there’s not a lot he can do differently at Iowa to get the chance. But with the additions of Dom Smith and Garrett Cooper, coupled with the already crowded bench picture, meant that a guy like Mervis – whose skillset is duplicated by Michael Busch and, to a lesser extent, Smith – who has options available was likely to be optioned. It’s not at all impossible to imagine the scenarios where he could return to the big leagues this year and get some meaningful time, but it’s likely going to take injuries or a trade. In the meantime, he’ll probably just keep blowing up Triple-A.
Keegan Thompson is on the 40-man roster and in his final option year, so the hope would be that he gets himself right at Iowa, showing he’s in a good place, and he can be at least an up-down contributor in the middle innings of the bullpen.
Cam Sanders, by contrast, is not yet on the 40-man roster, and would probably have to force the issue to get added and called up. He has big league stuff, without question, but he has to be able to throw more strikes with that stuff. Not much more complicated than that, and if he does figure out the control, he’ll be up at some point.
Bryce Windham right now is slated to be the 4th-ish catcher, pairing with whomever of Jorge Alfaro or Joe Hudson sticks around on his minor league deal as the 3rd catcher, behind Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya at the big league level. Given the way catching injuries pop up on the semi-regular, it’s not impossible that Windham could get some time this year in the big leagues as a back-up, depending on how things shake out.
Then there’s Chase Strumpf, who has shown substantial power in recent years, but whose strikeout rates – and the projected additional whiffs in the big leagues – have left open questions whether he can be a big league bench option in the years ahead. This is likely his final year in the org on a true minor league deal, as he’ll either force his way onto the 40-man roster by way of some dramatic change in his contact rates this year, or he’ll hit minor league free agency after the season.
