The Cubs made two roster moves on Wednesday, and both were expected but not at the same time. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Cubs placed RHP Brett Marshall on waivers and he was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds. To make room for Marshall on their roster, the Reds designated INF Henry Rodriguez for assignment.
The Cubs claimed Marshall off waivers from the Yankees on Dec. 23. The attempt to send Marshall through waivers was expected in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Jason Hammel. The Cubs have not announced the one-year contract with Jason Hammel. The signing should be made official in the next 24 hours.
According to a report from Mark Gonzales, the Twins claimed LHP Brooks Raley off waivers from the Cubs. Raley was moved to a reliever role this winter and while he was not expected to make the big league team out of camp, Raley had a minor league option left and would have been another lefty reliever option along with Zac Rosscup just a phone call away in Iowa.
With the two roster moves, the Cubs 40-man roster will officially stand at 39 players once the team announces the signing of RHP Jason Hammel.
Brett Marshall went 7-10 in 25 starts at the Triple-A level last season with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. The 23-year old (March 22, 1990) was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft by the Yankees and made his big league debut last year. Marshall made three appearances out of the Yankees’ pen and allowed six runs on 13 hits (three home runs) with seven walks and seven strikeouts in 12 IP (4.50 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP).
The Yankees designated Marshall for assignment on Dec. 19 to make room on the 40-man roster for Carlos Beltran. Marshall has two minor league options left.
Brooks Raley posted a 1-2 record in 14 games with the Cubs during the 2012 and 2013 seasons with a 7.04 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP.