The front office continues to explore ways to improve the big league roster with 11 days left before the waiver trade deadline. The Cubs would like to add veteran players to the bench and pitching staff according to Bruce Levine.
Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer like internal options that will be recalled when rosters expand on Sept. 1 but the front office is still trying to add veteran players to help the team for the stretch run.
Hoyer told Comcast SportsNet, “We’ve had discussions about various players that are going to be available. You’re trying to figure out every permutation about how September is going to work, whether it’s how you blunt left-handed relief matchups, how you blunt right-handed relief matchups, how you have a pinch-runner that can go in there and not burn up a player that might be useful off the bench in another way.”
The Cubs signed veteran right hander Trevor Cahill to a minor league deal to see if he has anything that can help them. The lack of pitching depth is a real concern right now, especially with the way Jason Hammel, Kyle Hendricks and Dan Haren performed in their recent outings according to multiple reports. The Cubs have not been linked to specific pitchers yet, but the front office is believed to be looking for both starters and relievers.
The Cubs were linked to veteran OF Sam Fuld earlier in the month as a player the team might be interested in for a bench role that could help late in games both defensively and on the bases. Plus, Fuld is a player that Joe Maddon knows well and how to utilize.
According to Bruce Levine, another player that might be of interest to the Cubs is Emilio Bonifacio.
The White Sox designated Emilio Bonifacio for assignment Sunday and he was released Tuesday. Bonifacio is a free agent and can sign with any team.
Bonifacio really struggled with the White Sox. In 47 games, Bonifacio batted only .167/.198/.192 with two doubles and one stolen base (1-for-5 in stolen base attempts).
The front office is obviously familiar with Emilio Bonifacio from the 69 games he played with the Cubs a year ago. After a sensational first month of the season, Bonifacio slowed down and was eventually sent to the Braves, along with James Russell, for Victor Caratini. Bonifacio hit only .212/.273/.280 in 41 games for Atlanta.
Trades in August typically happen with little information being leaked to the mainstream media before the deals are made. It will be interesting to see if the front office can add a player or two that compliments the roster and helps the Cubs win games over the final six-plus weeks of the season.
• Full Report from Bruce Levine
• Full Report from Comcast SportsNet