As teams dropped and rotated players on their protected roster prior to the Winter Meetings, there was some interest in a San Diego pitcher that may have been left unprotected by some Cub fans. However, with the move to acquire a catcher from the Royals, the Cubs 40 man roster was filled at about the time the Padres waived LHP Jose De Paula.
The Giants have claimed De Paula off outright waivers from the Padres and added him to their 40 man roster.
In his first season at the Double-A level, De Paula posted a 3.86 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 across 14 starts.
It is kind of surprising that the Cubs did not put in a claim for this pitcher, considering Hoyer's knowledge of the Padre system.
