The Chicago Cubs made a minor move on Friday, claiming 23-year-old Randy Rosario off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.
The left-handed pitcher made his MLB debut with the Twins in 2017, making two appearances in June. Now, he’s on the Cubs 40-man roster, which as of now because of so many open spots is only at 33.
The #Cubs today claimed LHP Randy Rosario off waivers from the #MNTwins.
Our 40-man roster now stands at 33 players. pic.twitter.com/0WmQWfEdrF
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 3, 2017
Rosario used to be a starting pitcher in the Twins minor league system, making 55 starts up until the 2016 season, when he was converted into a reliever. Overall, the lefty has pitched in 107 minor league games, 352.2 innings and has a 3.37 ERA. At Double-A in 2017, Rosario had a 4.08 ERA and 3.81 FIP out of the bullpen in 57.1 innings.
So, just one of those minor moves that could pay off dividends later for the Cubs. If you look at the Cubs right now, they only have Mike Montgomery, Justin Wilson and Rob Zastryzny on the 40-man roster as left-handed relievers. So, who knows, maybe Rosario sticks around, but again it’s really early in the offseason.
Here’s a short scouting report on Rosario from FanGraphs.
A 6-foot lefty whose stuff ticked up after moving the the bullpen late in the year. Fastball sits 92-96 in relief, he has an above-average upper-80s cutter and changeup. He’s already had one Tommy John.
Rosario was signed by the Twins in August 2010.
