Carlos Marmol has finally worn out his welcome with the Chicago Cubs. The organization announced on Twitter that the relief pitcher has been designated for assignment:
UPDATE: Tuesday, June 25, at 5:21 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford
MLB.com reporter Carrie Muskat offers some insight from Cubs GM Jed Hoyer:
—End of update—
At the time of the transaction, he had a 2-4 record with a 5.86 ERA and a career-high WHIP of 1.7.
According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, “The move means the Cubs have 10 days to trade, release or waive him. He’s expected to clear waivers, a 3-day process.”
The 30-year-old veteran is in the final year of his three-year extension that was signed prior to the 2011 season. Therefore, a club might take a chance on a half-season rental, though the Cubs should not expect much in return.
Marmol has been on the major league roster since 2006. He came up as a starter, but quickly turned himself into one of the more dominant set-up men in all of baseball.
By 2010, he was the squad’s full-time closer with an impressive 38 saves and a 2.55 ERA.
Unfortunately, he has not been able to replicate that success in recent years and has been one of the bigger disappointments on a struggling team. In 2011, he led the majors with 10 blown saves, and he has generally had problems closing out games over the past few years.
This season, Marmol lost his closing job in early April after allowing runs in each of his first three appearances.
Things didn’t get much better with the pressure off.
In June, the reliever built up an ERA of 12.15 thanks mostly to two terrible performances in the month. He allowed four runs in only one-third of an inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 1, then did the same thing against the New York Mets on June 16.
While he did manage to get a scoreless inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, it was too little, too late for the pitcher, and the Cubs decided to remove him from the major league roster.
In a corresponding move, Chicago will bring up outfielder Brian Bogusevic. The 29-year-old player batted .207 last season in 146 games with the Houston Astros. However, he can play all three outfield positions and should be able to provide the squad with some depth.
It is unclear what the future holds for Marmol, but he certainly must improve before he is able to help any team.
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