Cubs admit to costly mistake by letting go of Mancini
By trading a pair of minor-leaguers to get Washington infielder Jeimer Candelario, the Cubs needed to open a roster spot.
One option would have been sending third catcher Miguel Amaya back to Iowa. It wouldn't have cost much to cut Patrick Wisdom loose. But the Cubs decided to take a financial hit by letting go of Trey Mancini, who was designated for assignment Tuesday.
The Cubs still owe Mancini $7 million for next season after signing him to a two-year free-agent deal in the winter.
"It just felt like the right time," president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. "He struggled with us and he probably wasn't going to get many plate appearances going forward.
"It happens. He's a great teammate, he worked really hard. Sometimes guys come in and play above expectations. In this case, that didn't happen. We wish him the best, but we just felt like it was the right time."
Mancini finished his Cubs tenure with a .234 average and 4 home runs. Defensively, he wasn't terrible, but did make a costly error at first base in the second London game against St. Louis.
Manager David Ross called Mancini someone he'll keep in touch with for a long time.
"Things change very fast in baseball for sure," Nico Hoerner said. "Even though it's only three or for months together, that time is every day and you go through a lot with people. He's a really high quality person. I wish him the best."
Stroman's struggles:
Marcus Stroman didn't speak to reporters after Monday's loss, so it was up to Jed Hoyer and David Ross to respond to the question, "Is Stroman feeling OK?"
Over his last seven starts, Stroman has a 9.00 ERA. An NL All-Star last month, Stroman gave up 6 runs in 3 innings in the 6-5 loss to the Reds. Javier Assad, Daniel Palencia and Mark Leiter Jr. held Cincinnati scoreless over the final 6 innings.
Ross admitted Stroman has some injury issues he's dealing with. Asked if that could be the reason for the extended struggled, Ross replied, "Potentially, sure. He still feels like he can go out there and compete at a high level.
"Everybody's dealing with stuff and he's not outside of that. Some of those things can equate into mechanical flaws or not being able to move the way you want to, but he's still able to go out there and compete."
The Cubs have decided they're playoff contenders, so this is a pressing issue. They could easily give Stroman a couple weeks to get healthy and plug Hayden Wesneski into that slot.
"A big part of why we're here is, the way he pitched in the first 2½ months or so, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball," Hoyer said. "We are ultimately a run prevention team. He's a huge part of that and he's going to be a big part of what we're doing going forward."
Around the horn:
The Cubs made one trade Tuesday, sending minor-league pitchers Adrian Sampson and Manuel Rodriguez with some international signing pool space to Tampa Bay for right-hander Josh Roberson, a 27-year-old reliever. "He's a live arm and he's a guy we're excited to get in our system and see what our guys can do with him," Jed Hoyer said. ...
MLB made a scoring change in the July 16 game against Boston, charging Nico Hoerner with an error, which means Justin Steele was charged with just 1 earned run instead of 6. As a result, his season ERA dropped to the point where he's again leading the National League. ...
There were several notable promotions in the Cubs' system. Top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong made his Triple A debut in Iowa, starting with 2 strikeouts and a walk. Pitcher Cade Horton is headed to Double A Tennessee, while this year's first-round pick Matt Shaw tripled in his first professional at-bat Tuesday for South Bend. Shaw added a double and went 2-for-5 overall.
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