The Cubs claimed relief pitcher Eulogio De La Cruz, 28, off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.
It was one of those agate type transaction list notations. De La Cruz is a five foot ten inch right hander, who has been with four different major league teams in the last four seasons. His overall record is less than stellar; he appears mostly in mop up roles.
In four major league seasons (with Tigers, Marlins, Padres and Brewers), he has a career record of 0-0, 8.16 ERA in 26 games (with 16 game finishes), an whopping 1.969 WHIP and a K/BB ratio of 0.77.
However, last season with the Brewers, he was in 11 games, pitched 13 innings for a 2.77 ERA, 1.154 WHIP. Is this an "asset" pick up, or stockpiling another arm to fill AAA Iowa?
Last season at AAA Nashville, De La Cruz made 23 starts, pitched 137 innings, with a record 7-6, 3.88 ERA and 1.409 WHIP.
Teams have to fill their minor league rosters with players to eat up innings. In a perfect world, there would be a steady promotion of drafted players moving up the minor league ladder. But in the Cubs world, that does not happen on a consistent basis, so you need to plug in career minor leaguers or AAAA players on a year to year basis. De La Cruz has little chance of making an impact in the majors this season.
