Cubs decline options on 4 additional relievers
CHICAGO -- The Cubs finalized a number of decisions, including making a call on several team options prior to Monday's deadline for such contract stipulations. Here is a rundown of all the options that Chicago had to consider for 2020 and other moves of note.
OPTIONS EXERCISED
1B Anthony Rizzo
The Cubs made their decision to pick up Rizzo's $16.5 million team option on Sunday, and the team officially announced the move on Monday. This one was a no-brainer for Chicago. The 30-year-old Rizzo is a source of offensive consistency and power, plus he took home his third career Gold Glove Award on Sunday.
LHP José Quintana
Picking up Quintana's $10.5 million team option for 2020 made complete sense. The Cubs took that step on Saturday. Quintana -- eligible for free agency next offseason -- will either return as a solid back-end rotation piece, or the Cubs could gauge his value on the trade market in the name of addressing other needs. Either way, his team option was of value to the North Siders.
OPTIONS DECLINED
RHP Tony Barnette
The Cubs opted on Monday against the $3 million team option they had on the right-hander. Barnette, who turns 36 on Saturday, dealt with injuries in 2018 with the Rangers and was limited again by health setbacks in '19. He logged a 2.31 ERA in 11 2/3 innings for Triple-A Iowa and made two appearances for the Cubs in June. Barnette was optioned to Triple-A on June 27, but he was placed on the restricted list two days later for the remainder of the year after he did not report to Iowa.
RHP Kendall Graveman
The Cubs declined a $3 million team option on Graveman on Monday after giving the right-hander a one-year, $575,000 deal in 2019 that allowed him to rehab from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow all season. Graveman, who will turn 29 on Dec. 21, made it back into a game on Aug. 22 in the Arizona League and then worked three innings for Triple-A Iowa on Sept. 1.
LHP Derek Holland
The Cubs declined a $7 million option on the veteran left-hander on Saturday. Holland will receive a $500,000 buyout. Chicago acquired the 33-year-old from the Giants on July 26 in exchange for cash considerations and utilized him mostly as a lefty specialist. While Holland posted a 6.08 ERA in 51 games overall in 2019, he limited lefty batters to a .192/.286/.242 showing.
RHP Brandon Morrow
The Cubs declined Morrow's $12 million team option on Monday, opting instead to pay him a $3 million buyout. The former closer signed a two-year, $21 million contract with Chicago prior to the 2018 season, but he was limited to just 35 games in two years due to a variety of health woes. Morrow underwent a right elbow procedure last November and encountered a series of setbacks in '19 that led to a lost season.
RHP David Phelps
When Phelps notched his 40th appearance of the 2019 season, the value of his '20 team option climbed to $5 million from $3 million. On Monday, the Cubs elected not to pick up that option, making Phelps a free agent. Last season, the righty compiled a 3.41 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 17 walks in 34 1/3 innings (41 games) after returning from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The Cubs acquired Phelps on July 30 from the Blue Jays in exchange for pitching prospect Thomas Hatch.
ADDED TO 40-MAN ROSTER
RHP Colin Rea
The Cubs signed the 29-year-old Rea to a Minor League contract last winter, invited him to Major League Spring Training and then kept him at Triple-A Iowa all season. The righty had a solid comeback campaign, going 14-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 148 innings (120 strikeouts and 60 walks), earning a place on the 40-man roster as rotation depth. Rea posted a 4.69 ERA in 26 games between stints with the Padres and Marlins across the 2015-16 seasons, but he missed all of '17 after Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
REMOVED FROM 40-MAN ROSTER
RHP Allen Webster
The 29-year-old Webster, who had been on the 60-day injured list, was outrighted to the Triple-A Iowa roster on Monday. The right-hander worked 11 innings with a 4.91 ERA for the Cubs in 2019, but he was shelved in May with radial nerve inflammation, ending his season.