Cubs send two pitchers to Rays for Josh Roberson |
Not every trade is considered equal, and despite the Cubs making another deal Tuesday afternoon, this deal is not going to make a ton of noise. At least not right now.
In case you missed it, the Cubs have traded RHPs Adrian Sampson and Manny Rodriguez to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for RHP Josh Roberson. The Cubs also sweetened the pot by adding international pool money as they weed through some of their outgoing Minor League, free agents. Before we get into what the Cubs are losing in this deal, we must dig into Roberson and what he brings to the table. Unlike most pitchers, Roberson is a reliever who has seen mixed reviews at the AAA level this season. The 27-year-old reliever, who has posted a 4.50 ERA over 36.0 innings at Triple-A, has turned it on as of late and has posted a 0.69 ERA across his last 10 outings spanning 12 innings. He’s struck out 25.7% and walked 13.2% thus far, but his repertoire stands out the most. Roberson has a fastball that sits in the 96 MPH range and has shown terrific riding action with it. Along with that, look for his hard slider to be a difference maker, as the elite spin and late break have made that pitch a lethal weapon to either left-handed or right-handed hitters. Granted, this may be a minor league trade, but Roberson was a top 45 prospect in the Rays system when the season started and was knocking on the door to break the top 30 this season. Look for the Cubs to work with his strengths to see what they can get from him, as this becomes a free play for them at this point. If the deal works out great, but if it doesn't, then the Cubs are losing two players who will be free agents at the end of this season. Sampson is heading to Tampa in the deal, who has had a rough go of things this season. Coming off a great showing in 2022, Sampson and the Cubs agreed to a one-year contract this season with the expectation that he would battle it out for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Sampson went 5-7 across the last two seasons as a starter but posted a 2.97 ERA in the process, including 3.11 last season. However, despite all that success, the 2023 season has been a nightmare for Sampson as a horrendous spring saw him not only lose the starting job but saw him land in AAA. Once there, he injured his knee and was placed on the 60-day IL to undergo knee surgery in hopes of bouncing back for the second half. That hasn't happened, as Sampson has looked like a shell of himself since being reinstated from the IL. Perhaps a change of scenery is what Sampson needs to get back on track. If that is the case, Tampa is the team to go to, as they know how to churn out starting pitchers or just pitching help in general. The other part of the deal was seeing Rodriguez make his way to the Rays after an eight-year run in the Cubs system. Known for his high 90s heater, Rodriguez had all the potential in the world to be a late-inning reliever but was never able to reach his potential. Rodriguez was leading AAA Iowa in saves this season, but his near 5.00 ERA was always a concern and sometimes made him hard to watch. While he has the overpowering fastball mixed with an elite slider, command remains an issue. Should the Rays figure out how to fix his command problems, Rodriguez will be in the Rays pen before the season is over. This deal could work out for both teams before too long, as the Cubs may not be done making moves today. The Cubs have acquired minor-league pitcher Josh Roberson from the Rays in exchange for Adrian Sampson, Manny Rodríguez and IFA money, per @sahadevsharma. pic.twitter.com/GlI8s9VK2R All the best to Adrian Sampson and Manuel Rodríguez in Tampa Bay! pic.twitter.com/CpLCClrgHQ
