The Cubs added two pitchers to the big league team as prior four roster moves prior to Friday’s non-waiver trade deadline
The Cubs acquired RHP Dan Haren and cash ($500,000) from the Marlins for minor leaguers, RHP Ivan Pineyro and SS Elliot Soto. The Cubs traded OF Junior Lake to the Baltimore Orioles for RHP Tommy Hunter. RHP Ben Rowen was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for RHP Dan Haren.
With Friday’s roster moves the 40-man roster currently stands at 40 players … the 25-man roster consists of 24 players, 12 pitchers and 12 position players (eight relievers and four starters).
RHP Tommy Hunter will be activated Saturday and take the available spot on the 25-man roster.
Dan Haren is expected to report to the Cubs on Saturday and make his debut on Wednesday in Pittsburgh. LHP Clayton Richard will likely be recalled to start Sunday’s finale against the Brewers.
RHP Dan Haren from the Marlins for RHP Ivan Pineyro and SS Elliot Soto
Dan Haren, 34, is 149-129 with a 3.75 ERA (983 earned runs in 2,361.1 innings), 1.18 WHIP and 3.76 FIP in 380 appearances (369 starts) covering 13 major league seasons with St. Louis (2003-04), Oakland (2005-07), Arizona (2008-10), the Angels (2010-12), Washington (2013), the Dodgers (2014) and Miami (2015). Among active pitchers, he ranks in the top 10 in innings pitched, games started, wins, strikeouts (1,965) and WHIP (1.18). Haren has seven top 10 finishes in his league in both strikeouts and innings pitched.
A three-time All-Star, Haren has reached 30 starts and double digits in victories while surpassing 175.0 innings pitched in each of the last 10 seasons starting in 2005, numbers that are within reach for an 11th-straight campaign in 2015. Haren’s 350 starts since the beginning of the 2005 campaign are most in the majors, while his 143 victories in that span rank third.
Dan Haren broke into the big leagues with the Cardinals in 2003 at the age of 22 and joined Oakland as part of a four-player trade prior to the 2005 season. He earned his first All-Star selection in 2007 with Oakland when he went 15-9 with a 3.07 ERA (76 earned runs in 222.2 innings) in 34 starts. He was also an All-Star with Arizona in 2008 and 2009.
Haren has gone 7-7 with a 3.42 ERA (49 earned runs in 129 innings), 1.09 WHIP and 4.57 FIP in 21 starts with the Marlins this season. He has issued only 25 walks in 129.0 innings pitched, an average of 1.74 walks per nine innings, the seventh-lowest average in the National League. Haren also has turned in a 1.09 WHIP, 10th lowest in the league, while limiting opponents to a .286 on-base percentage.
Ivan Pineyro, 23, was acquired by the Cubs from the Washington Nationals for outfielder Scott Hairston on July 8, 2013. The right-hander has gone 7-5 with a 3.69 ERA (44 earned runs in 107.1 innings) and 1.25 WHIP in 19 starts with Double-A Tennessee this season after going 0-4 with a 5.55 ERA (30 earned runs in 48.2 innings) and 1.66 WHIP in 11 starts with Tennessee last year.
Elliot Soto, 25, is batting .275/.388/.314 (84-for-306) with 10 doubles, a triple, no home runs and 18 RBI in 88 games with Tennessee this season. He was originally selected by the Cubs in the 15th round of the 2010 Draft. Soto combined to bat .244/.321/.306 (59-for-242) with 12 doubles, a home run and 23 RBI in 69 games between Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa last season.
RHP Tommy Hunter from the Orioles for OF Junior Lake
Tommy Hunter, 29, has pitched all or part of eight major league seasons with the Texas Rangers (2008-11) and Baltimore (2011-15). Since moving into a full-time bullpen role with Baltimore in the 2013 season, Hunter has gone 11-9 with 39 holds, 15 saves and a 3.05 ERA (65 earned runs in 191.2 innings) in 167 relief outings the last three years, limiting opponents to a .276 on-base percentage and .357 slugging percentage for only a .633 opponents OPS. He has walked only 37 batters in 191.2 innings and posted a 1.95 ERA (six earned runs in 27.2 innings) in 21 outings against the National League the last three years.
The right-hander saw 75 of his first 98 major league outings come as a starting pitcher through the 2012 campaign before moving to the bullpen and tying for 10th in the league with 21 holds while posting a 2.81 ERA (27 earned runs in 86.1 innings) and a 0.98 WHIP in a career-high 68 outings in 2013. Hunter saw time as Baltimore’s closer last year and recorded 11 saves to go along with 12 holds and a 2.97 ERA (20 earned runs in 60.2 innings) with a 1.10 WHIP in 60 appearances. He is 2-2 with six holds, a 3.63 ERA (18 earned runs in 44.2 innings), 1.16 WHIP and 3.32 FIP in 39 appearances for the Orioles this season.
Hunter is 44-33 with 15 saves, a 4.28 ERA (314 earned runs in 661.0 innings), 1.27 WHIP and 4.57 FIP in 265 major league outings, 190 of which have come in relief. He broke into the big leagues with Texas in 2008 at the age of 22 and made all but one of his first 45 major league outings as a starter through 2010, going 13-4 with a 3.73 ERA (53 earned runs in 128 innings) in 2010 before being traded to Baltimore with Chris Davis for Koji Uehara on July 30, 2011. Hunter has reached the postseason three times with Texas (2010) and Baltimore (2012 and 2014).
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Hunter was selected by the Rangers in the supplemental first round (54th overall) of the 2007 Draft out of the University of Alabama. He is a native of Indianapolis.
Junior Lake, 25, batted .224/274/.345 (13-for-58) with four doubles, a home run and five RBI in 21 games with the Cubs this season. Lake broke into the big leagues with the Cubs in 2013 and has batted .241/.283/.380 (145-for-602) with 30 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs and 46 RBI in 193 games over the last three seasons. Lake originally signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2007.
RHP Ben Rowen Designated for Assignment
Ben Rowen, 26, was selected from Triple-A Iowa this past Wednesday, but did not appear in a game for the Cubs. He was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (9.1 innings) and 0.75 WHIP in eight appearances with Iowa since joining the organization on a minor league deal on July 4 of this season.