2016 Cubs World Series Reliever is Back…Again!

The Chicago Cubs signed 2016 World Series reliever Carl Edwards Jr. during the offseason, but the right-handed pitcher ultimately did not make the team’s Opening Day roster. The 32-year-old opted out of his minor league deal with the club at the end of spring training, but Edwards is now back with the Cubs again!

Iowa Cubs beat reporter Tommy Birch spotted Edwards on Thursday and by the looks of it Edwards has re-joined the organization on a minor league deal.

Edwards gave up one earned run in seven appearances during spring training and he’s coming off a solid pair of seasons with the Washington Nationals, so there’s no doubt that the Cubs would want to keep him around as a potential option for their 2024 bullpen. The team ultimately went with rookie lefty Luke Little as the final reliever in the Opening Day bullpen, but now with Edwards lurking in Triple-A another righty reliever could be in jeopardy of losing his job.

Right-handed reliever Yency Almonte came to the Cubs as the second player in the Michael Busch trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the winter and so far Almonte hasn’t performed well. He gave up a game-tying homer on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers and then on Wednesday night Almonte entered in the eighth inning with the Cubs leading 8-3 over the Colorado Rockies and walked the first batter he faced. The righty was taken out after only recording one out and leaving the bases loaded, allowing two walks and a single.

Almonte has been shaky and is coming off a brutal 2023 season. The 29-year-old does have a few seasons of success under his belt at the major league level, but that might not mean much now for the Cubs, who are going to need quality innings from their bullpen while dealing with the absences of Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon in April.

So, keep an eye on Almonte, who could be on a short leash if he continues to struggle because Carl Edwards Jr. might very well be next in line to join the Cubs bullpen in 2024.

(Previous Update)

The Chicago Cubs have informed right-handed relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. that he will not be making the Opening Day roster, which has led to the 2016 World Series champion to opt out of his minor league deal with the team on Saturday.

Edwards, now 32-years-old, was brought into spring training camp as a non-roster invitee after signing a minor league deal with the Cubs late January. The righty was hoping to earn a job in Craig Counsell’s bullpen and Edwards did his part on the mound down in Arizona to give himself a shot. Edwards made seven appearances with the Cubs in spring training and only allowed one earned run in 6.2 innings, while recording six strikeouts and three walks.

However, the Cubs are going in a different direction and after letting Edwards know of their decision he opted out on Saturday so that he can hopefully find a stable position elsewhere. One of the reasons the Cubs may have moved on from Edwards is to keep flexibility in the bullpen, especially early in the season. Edwards is out of minor league options, which is also the case for most of the relievers who will make the Opening Day roster.

The Bigs first reported on Edwards opting out.

It’s unfortunate that things didn’t work out better between the fan-favorite and the Cubs, especially because Edwards has pitched quite well when healthy during the past two years. From 2022-23, the righty made 89 bullpen appearances and posted a 3.07 ERA in 93.2 innings.

So, who is going to make the Cubs bullpen now? It seemed like Edwards was s sure-thing this past week, with many Cubs beat reporters predicting his inclusion. Yet, this move may indicate Counsell’s intrigue in rookie lefty Luke Little.

The Cubs will begin the regular season with veteran Drew Smyly in the bullpen, but he would be the lone lefty reliever for Counsell. Mark Leiter Jr., a righty, was pretty much acting as the only lefty in 2023 because of his nasty splitter against left-handed hitters, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all that Counsell would want another left-hander. That’s where Little comes in and I absolutely love him in the bullpen from the very start of the season.

The 6-foot-8 lefty is an imposing figure on the mound and you have to love his ability to strike batters out. To me, Little can be special in 2024 for the Cubs and although it has not been confirmed yet, it’s good to see that Counsell may be leaning on actually giving the rookie a shot on the Opening Day roster.

Here’s how the Cubs bullpen could look like on Opening Day.

Drew Smyly
Luke Little
Yency Almonte
Jose Cuas
Mark Leiter Jr.
Hector Neris
Julian Merryweather
Adbert Alzolay