The Chicago Cubs have added a relief pitcher and although it’s not the news most fans wanted to see, it is a familiar name in right-hander Carl Edwards Jr., who was part of the 2016 World Series team. The 32-year-old spent the past two seasons pitching for the Washington Nationals and has been pretty good.
According to Robert Murray, the Cubs and Edwards Jr. have agreed on a minor league deal.
The righty has a career 3.54 ERA in 295 MLB appearances that includes stops with the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays prior to his two-year stint with the Nationals.
Edwards Jr. began his big-league career pitching parts of five seasons with the Cubs, first making his MLB debut in 2015. Overall with the Cubs, Edwards Jr. posted a 3.30 ERA in 174.1 innings. While he’s been on a handful of other squads, the righty didn’t get another real opportunity in the majors until he joined the Nationals. In his two years with Washington Edwards Jr. recorded a 3.07 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 93.2 innings.
Again, maybe not the most exciting pick up for the Cubs right now, but this combo of front office and coaching staff have been able to obtain good results from under the radar relievers in the past several years. Edwards Jr. will compete for a bullpen spot during spring training and hey maybe this ends up being a great reunion.
Still, the Cubs should remain in the mix for a high-leverage reliever in the free agent market.
