The Cubs announced that right-hander this afternoon Jose Kuas The Blue Jays requested a waiver. Cuas was designated for assignment earlier this week to make room for the Righties Ethan Roberts on the 40-man roster. The move puts a 40-man roster in Toronto.
Cuas, who will celebrate his 30th birthday later this week, made his major league debut with the Royals in 2022 but was traded to the Cubs for an outfielder. Nelson Velazquez at the trade deadline last summer. He was a decent middle reliever for the Royals during his time in Kansas City, posting a 4.08 ERA (106 ERA+) with a 4.41 FIP in 79 1/3 innings of club work between the 2022 and ’23 campaigns. Unfortunately for both Cuas and the Cubs, the wheels started coming off the right side when he arrived in Chicago last year.
While his 3.04 ERA in 27 appearances for the Cubs last summer was certainly solid, it came in regards to the peripherals. His strikeout rate dropped from a solid 27.1% during his time with the Royals last year to 19% in Chicago, and his walk rate dropped from a manageable 10% in Kansas City to 14% up north. those on the side. While a solid 55.6% groundball rate allowed Cuas to keep the damage to a minimum, he no longer looked the part of an average relief option.
Things changed drastically for Cuas in 2024 when his low ball rate dropped to 31%. While his walk rate dropped to a career-best 9.2%, that was at least partly due to opposing hitters coming off Cuas pitches with a 14.3% barrel rate and a 45.2% Hard Hit rate. Although Cuas’ strikeout rate rebounded to a more acceptable 21.5% this year, that wasn’t enough to stop the right-hander from giving up 12 runs (11 earned) in 13 1/3 innings of work for the Cubs. year, leaving him with a 7.43 ERA and a 5.99 FIP.
Despite those depth issues during his time in Chicago, it’s not hard to see why the Blue Jays would want to take a chance on the righty. After all, when Cuas’ arsenal is working well, his sinker/slider combination allows him to strike out about a quarter of the batters he faces while walking at a clip of about 10% and attracting grounders on about half of his batted balls. That’s the profile of a significant hitter, even if Cuas hasn’t been able to put it together at the big league level during his career.
Even if he can’t reach that power, the right-hander still gives the Blue Jays an available relief arm on a small salary that can be moved from Triple-A up if needed. That’s a valuable asset to any bullpen, but especially a Blue Jays bullpen that has posted a league-worst 4.83 FIP so far in the 2024 campaign. If the club could turn to Cuas at some point, he could put a central utility combination around the likes of. Zach Pop again Genesis Cabrera.
Source link
