According to a report from Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Cubs traded Hisanori Takahashi to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later or cash. Takahashi is the second player the Cubs have dealt in the last 24 hours that was on the Cubs’ Opening Day roster but was playing for the Iowa Cubs when the trade was made. Brent Lillibridge was traded to the Yankees on Friday afternoon for a PTBNL or cash.
Takahashi is expected to report to the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate.
The Cubs signed the veteran southpaw to a minor league contract last winter that included a non-roster invite to big league camp. Hisanori Takahashi made the team out of Spring Training as the second lefty reliever behind James Russell. There was talk during camp that Takahashi could end up as a starter but that never proved to be the case.
Takahashi was 1-2 in nine appearances, two starts, in the Cactus League with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Takahashi pitched in just three games for the Cubs before he was designated for assignment on April 16. Takahashi was 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP in 20 games with the Iowa Cubs.
Hisanori Takahashi is the third player that began the season on the Cubs’ active roster that has been traded by the front office while playing for the Iowa Cubs.