The Chicago Cubs are sure to undergo some surprising roster changes by June 1, even though it's just a few weeks away.
Sitting four games under .500 in a crowded NL Central division, the Chicago Cubs need to make some changes. Despite a hot start to the season after acquiring shortstop Dansby Swanson in free agency, a downturn of late has Chicago wondering just how far they are from competing in the National League.
Sure, signing Swanson to a $177 million contract was a nice start, but the Cubs still have some roster holes in the pitching department, as well as the infield. Chicago's slumbering has been a topic of much discussion within the Cubs organization, and something needs to be done to wake this group up if they are to contend this season.
With that in mind, here are some minor changes that could help send a message:
Cubs rumors: Option Miles Mastrobuoni back to the minors
When Miles Mastrobuoni made the big-league roster out of spring training, he was a tremendous story. Unfortunately, he hasn't hit like he belongs in Chicago just yet.
The Cubs acquired Mastrobuoni in a trade last season with the Tampa Bay Rays. Typically, if the Rays are willing to give up on a player, there isn't much there. Tampa has one of the better player development staffs in the major leagues.
At the time of the trade, per MLB, Mastrobuoni "owned a .286 average (633-for-2,211) with 108 doubles, 23 triples, 29 home runs, 242 RBI, 82 stolen bases, 288 walks and a .367 on-base percentage in 615 games. He had seen time at second base (247 games), left field (110 games), right field (94 games), shortstop (81 games), center field (42 games), third base (38 games) and pitcher (three games)" at the minor-league level. Those statistics haven't translated to the majors.
While Mastrobuoni is a great story, he was just recalled from the minors after being sent down a few weeks back. The back-and-forth nature of his call-up suggests Chicago is lacking depth, and therefore went to a familiar face who was, again, hitting well at the MiLB level.
Yet, so far this season he's notched just 28 at-bats, and the slash line isn't pretty. .192/.192/.231 certainly isn't good enough to earn an everyday major-league slot.
Cubs Rumors: Julian Merryweather just isn't working out
Chicago claimed Julian Merryweather for the bullpen depth from the Toronto Blue Jays last season. This year, however, he's holding a roster spot for someone else who deserves it.
With Brad Boxberger on the 15-day injured list, as well as Kyle Hendricks, expect Merryweather to be optioned down to the minor leagues once one of the two regulars returns. Hendricks, in particular, is a critical part of Chicago's rotation. In this scenario, Hayden Wesneski could be moved to the bullpen to take Merryweather's slot, if necessary.
So far this season, Merryweather has a 5.74 ERA in 16 appearances with Chicago. That's not good enough to demand a spot in the Cubs bullpen, especially given their recent struggles.
In fact, the last few seasons haven't made Merryweather look like a capable big-league player. He did develop a nice slider in spring training, which helped him make the roster, but so far that hasn't tracked. He looks far more like his 2022 self, which forced the Jays to designate him for assignment. As MLB Trade Rumors wrote at the time, "Merryweather struck out 27.3% of batters faced in 2020 but saw that number drop to 21.8% and 19.3% in the past two seasons. That coincided with an increase in his ERA, going from 4.15 to 4.85 and 6.75 in the most recent season. In addition to those struggles, health is an ongoing concern. Though he pitched over 40 innings in 2022, the previous four years each saw him fall short of 20 frames."
Mayweather's strikeout rate has been much better in the minor leagues, but big-league players don't struggle as much to hit high-velocity fastballs. That's much of what Mayweather throws, and suggests he needs to develop more in his arsenal.
Cubs Rumors: Chicago has no use for Eric Hosmer
Eric Hosmer's mentorship role for Matt Mervis could keep him around in Chicago longer than expected. However, given the Cubs already have a team leader in 'The Sheriff' Dansby Swanson, as well as several other veterans who could take the reins, is keeping Hosmer around all that necessary?
Hosmer slots in as a third-string first baseman and a backup designated hitter these days. Sure, he can get a few at-bats off the bench, but his slash line suggests he's lost a step. Mervis has relied a lot on Hosmer these early days in the bigs, but eventually the Cubs can take the training wheels off.
"I think Matty's a guy that the whole league's aware about," Hosmer said, per Marquee. "It takes a lot of good communication from [manager David Ross] and Jed [Hoyer] and all those guys. It's not something that's just completely out of the dark, it's something I knew before signing here. I understand what my role is and I'm ready to do that and just do whatever I can to help the team win."
Give Hosmer credit, he's pulling out all the stops. However, Chicago fans are smart enough to realize that he doesn't bring much actual value to the team. If Hosmer really wants to play the role of clubhouse leader, then perhaps he should retire and come on as a bench coach?
No, what the Cubs need is timely hitting, and players who can deliver with runners in scoring position. That's what this team has been lacking, and Hosmer's pep talks surely aren't going to drive in runs.
