NEWSLETTER
Hey, it’s a signing! Hey, it’s a RELIEVER signing! Hey, it’s … ah, it’s a minor league deal.
But it’s an old friend! So that’s fun. And it’s actually a pretty nice low-risk opportunity.
Per Robert Murray, the Cubs are bringing back Carl Edwards Jr.:
Carl Edwards Jr., 32, is of course best remembered by Cubs fans for his role during the peak years – including the World Series run – and he was really good for a stretch in 2017 and 2018. Since then, he had a few injured and meandering years trying to get it back, which he mostly did with the Nationals the last two years: 3.07 ERA (27% better than league average), 4.11 FIP (1% better), 20.1% K, 10.5% BB, 93.2 innings.
As you can see, Edwards has been more of a contact-manager these past two years (4.4% barrel rate, 33.2% hard contact), and his fastball is more like 93-94 mph, rather than the 95-96 mph you’ll remember from his younger days. He also swapped out a whole lot of his curveballs for a changeup last year, so I’ll be curious to learn a little more about what’s up with that.
Edwards’ season ended early last year due to shoulder inflammation and then a scapula fracture, hence the minor league deal, rather than a guaranteed contract. Not sure where he stands health-wise, but I am sure we’ll find out soon.
Edwards will come to Spring Training to try to win a job in the bullpen, which is actually conceivable if he’s healthy, depending on what the Cubs do from here in the bullpen. If he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, it’s possible he has an early opt-out and can walk at the end of Spring Training. If he doesn’t, though, then he’d be a heckuva great option to have stashed at Iowa.
