The Cubs introduced this afternoon that right-hander Jose Cuas has been claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays. Cuas was designated for task earlier this week in an effort to make room for righty Ethan Roberts on the membership’s 40-man roster. The transfer places Toronto’s 40-man roster at capability.
Cuas, who will rejoice his thirtieth birthday later this week, made his large league debut with the Royals again in 2022 however was traded to the Cubs in change for outfielder Nelson Velazquez on the commerce deadline final summer time. He was a good center reliever for the Royals throughout his time in Kansas Metropolis, pitching to a 4.08 ERA (106 ERA+) with a 4.41 FIP in 79 1/3 innings of labor for the membership between the 2022 and ’23 campaigns. Sadly for each Cuas and the Cubs, the wheels started to come back off for the sidearming righty upon his arrival in Chicago final 12 months.
Whereas his 3.04 ERA in 27 appearances for the Cubs down the stretch final summer time was really pretty robust, it got here with regarding peripherals. His strikeout price dipped from a robust 27.1% throughout his time with the Royals final 12 months to a worrisome 19% in Chicago, whereas his stroll price concurrently ballooned from a manageable 10% determine in Kansas Metropolis all the best way as much as 14% for the north siders. Whereas a robust 55.6% groundball price allowed Cuas to maintain the injury to a minimal, he was now not wanting the a part of a top quality center reduction possibility.
Issues took a good worse flip for Cuas in 2024 when his groundball price plummeted to simply 31%. Whereas his stroll price dropped all the way down to a career-best 9.2% determine, that got here no less than partially on account of opposing hitters teeing off Cuas pitches with a 14.3% barrel price and a forty five.2% Exhausting Hit price. Whereas Cuas’s strikeout price crept again as much as a extra acceptable 21.5% this 12 months, that also wasn’t sufficient to cease the right-hander from surrendering 12 runs (11 earned) in 13 1/3 innings of labor for the Cubs this 12 months, leaving him with a 7.43 ERA and a 5.99 FIP.
Regardless of these deep struggles throughout his time in Chicago, it’s not laborious to see why the Blue Jays would need to take an opportunity on the righty. In spite of everything, when Cuas’s arsenal is working nicely, his sinker/slider combo permits him to strike out round 1 / 4 of the batters he faces whereas maintaining walks to a clip of round 10% and eliciting grounders on round half of his batted balls. That’s actually the profile of a beneficial pitcher, though Cuas has not been capable of put all of it collectively on the large league degree but throughout his profession.
Even when he isn’t capable of attain that potential, the right-hander nonetheless offers the Blue Jays with an optionable reduction arm on a minimal wage who could be shuttled from Triple-A to the majors as vital. That’s a beneficial commodity for any bullpen, however particularly for a Blue Jays bullpen that has posted a league-worst 4.83 FIP thus far within the 2024 marketing campaign. Ought to the membership flip to Cuas in some unspecified time in the future, he’d doubtless issue into the center reduction combine alongside the likes of Zach Pop and Genesis Cabrera.