The Chicago Cubs have made a few roster moves ahead of their series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks. As expected, reliever Justin Grimm and rookie catcher Victor Caratini are being optioned to Triple-A after the trade with the Detroit Tigers that brought Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the North Side.
The acquisition of Wilson gives Joe Maddon a third left-handed reliever out of the bullpen, with Brian Duensing and Mike Montgomery already in there and well, fans finally get their wish as Grimm has been shipped off to Iowa.
#Cubs option RHP Justin Grimm and C Victor Caratini to @IowaCubs to make room for Wilson, Avila
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) August 1, 2017
It’s been a rough season for Grimm, who has a 5.18 ERA in 40 innings. The righty has already been sent down once after starting the year with a 7.53 ERA through his first 13 appearances. The frustrating thing about Grimm is that he has incredible stuff, but the control issues are present far too frequently. And we’ve seen him be great in big moments going back to the 2015 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, so he’s shown off his ability. Even this year when he came back from the minors, Grimm pitched 12.1 innings in June and only gave up one earned run, with 16 strikeouts and three walks. However, he simply hasn’t put it together. Grimm pitched in nine games during July and gave up at least one run in six of those outings.
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So, Grimm’s out and Wilson is in. If you think he’s simply a matchups guy that will only come in to face left-handed hitters, then you’re way off. With the Tigers, Wilson had a 2.68 ERA and 0.94 WHIP as the closer. Lefties are only hitting .220 against him, with a .633 OPS. Yet, Wilson has been even better against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .131 batting average and .535 OPS in 99 at bats.
I’d assume Wilson becomes the set-up man for Wade Davis, while Carl Edwards Jr., Pedro Strop, Koji Uehara and Hector Rondon get their chances earlier in games.
Finally, there’s Alex Avila. He’s had a great rebound year, although he just finished off a terrible month of July at the plate. But he comes as another lefty bat with some pop and will give Willson Contreras the rest that he needs. Jed Hoyer talked about that aspect of the trade and how the Cubs needed to make the trade to save Contreras from himself.
Via Patrick Mooney:
“Willson plays like the Energizer Bunny,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “We all know that. But everyone has their limits. And I do think we have to be very careful not to wear him down – to make sure he’s still fresh during the pennant race.
“We risked him playing too much without going out and making a move like this.”
-Jed Hoyer
Avila has a .274/.394/.475 slash line with 11 home runs in 219 at bats this season. He’ll fit right in the Cubs lineup, with his 16.3% walk rate.
And hey, at least Victor Caratni went out with a bang.
Victor Caratini Went Out With A Bang, Hitting His 1st Career MLB Home Run
