The Chicago Cubs claimed right-handed pitcher Christian Roa from the Baltimore Orioles off waivers. Roa had previously been claimed by Baltimore from the Twins, who had claimed him from the Astros, indicating repeated interest despite difficulty sticking on a 40-man roster. The Cubs’ injury situation limits their ability to be selective, so they added a reasonable low-cost option. Roa, 27, was a Reds prospect drafted in 2020 who struggled with control and was converted to relief in 2024. He features an upper-90s fastball but has not shown control close to major-league needs. With minor league option years remaining, the Cubs can stash him at Iowa and attempt to improve his command, potentially outrighting him later to avoid using a 40-man spot.
"The Chicago Cubs have added another arm off of the waiver wire, claiming righty Christian Roa from the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles had recently claimed Roa from the Twins, who'd claimed him from the Astros. So you can already tell he's one of those guys who is good enough to be desirable, but hasn't quite been able to stick on a 40-man roster. The Cubs, with all their injuries, can't afford to be too choosy when a reasonable option becomes available for free-ish."
"Christian Roa, 27, was a long-time Reds starting pitcher prospect after being a second-round pick in 2020, but couldn't quite get over the hump at the upper levels (control issues), and was converted to relief in 2024. He has loud stuff, including an upper-90s fastball, but the control just hasn't been close to where it needs to be for him to find results. Because he still has minor league option years remaining, the Cubs can just stash him at Iowa for now and see if maybe they can help him develop just enough control to let the stuff eat."
"They may also ultimately try to outright him, just as the Astros, Twins, and Orioles tried to do before them, which would allow the Cubs to keep him this season on what is effectively a minor league deal, and he would no longer take up a 40-man spot. It's almost hard to keep up with all the arms the Cubs have grabbed since the season started and sent to Iowa. Among that group, Christian Roa joins Ty Blach (who is actually with the big league Cubs right now), Paul Campbell, Tyler Ferguson, Doug Nikhazy, and Luis Peralta."
"Roa, Ferguson, Nikhazy, and Peralta are all optionable 40-man arms, and it is exceedingly rare that an organization would add four such types in the first six or seven weeks of a season. The Cubs always do this kind of thing a lot, but this year has been NUTS. It speaks to just how absurd the injury issues have been, because, keep in mind, it's not like the Cubs didn't come into the season with tons of depth and reclamation options already!"
Read at Bleacher Nation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]