Breaking: Cubs sign yet another Mets mega star who dropped from the roster this season
Cubs are still adding former Mets. How are all of them doing?
On Wednesday, J.D. Davis took center stage in the free agent headlines. The former third baseman/left fielder for the New York Mets found himself heading to the rival Baltimore Orioles after being dismissed by the New York Yankees. Congratulations, J.D.! If you’re still around when you visit the Mets, I’ll see you shortly.
Adrian Houser’s minor league contract entry to the Chicago Cubs organization went far more unnoticed. Houser was sent to the bullpen around halfway through his contract due to his struggles as a starter, and the Mets traded him for him before the trade deadline in order to make room. His days of being a strong bullpen pitcher came to an end when he lost his ability to mop up pitches.
Houser’s performance left them with little choice but to release him even though they were trying to strengthen the bullpen. He made five appearances in July and gave up at least one earned run per game. Every one of them save his final one was a home run as well.
What about the other former Mets that the Cubs acquired?
Although Tomas Nido is on the injured list, he had not been hitting much before. Nido’s slash line of just.128/.143/.234 in 50 plate appearances indicates that he will likely sign a minor league contract this winter as a free agent.
Conversely, Jorge Lopez throws anything but gloves quite effectively. In his first 16.2 innings as a relief pitcher for Chicago, he has given up one run. The pitiful 0.54 ERA is correlated with below-average strikeout totals and average walk rates for a reliever. Despite how good he was in the beginning, the Mets are definitely better off now that he’s not around. An implosion always seemed close at hand.
Trayce Thompson is down on the farm, where he hasn’t played in the major leagues yet this season. He chose to opt out after hitting.228/.300/.500 for a Mets Triple-A team that didn’t seem to be interested in having him on the big league club at all this season. He has hit.269/.338/.537 since joining the Cubs in Triple-A over in Iowa. The Cubs are just hoping for a miracle to occur while they play. An injury is definitely necessary for him to have a shot to play in the majors this year.
While we’re here, we should also check Pete Crow-Armstrong’s performance. Bob, this is not good. He is batting now after 237 opportunities.205/.249/.329 with 23 RBI and 3 home homers. Although Crow-Armstrong is an expert base thief with 22 steals in as many tries, there are clear gaps in his game. This could be an example of a high-ranking prospect who is a good nine-hole bat in addition to being a swift runner and strong defender. Luckily for the Cubs, he is only 22 years old. In four years, what are the chances that he gets dealt to the Braves?
With so many former Mets on the Cubs, it raises the question: When will Jake Diekman arrive?
