The Cubs’ minor league contract with right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. is being opt-out, as was originally announced by The Bigs Media on X. Though Edwards was granted the option to opt out of his contract as an Article XX(B) free agency yesterday in the event that he was not selected to the 40-man roster, Edwards signed the minors agreement with Chicago back in January.
Edwards, 32, was taken in the 48th round of the 2011 draft and began his professional career with the Rangers organization. Even though he didn’t have a strong prospect history, Edwards made a name for himself in 2013 when he was sold to the Cubs in exchange for Matt Garza. Following his 2015 Chicago premiere, Over the course of four seasons, Edwards pitched to 159 innings thrown with a 3.06 ERA and 3.12 FIP. During that time, he struck out a fantastic 33.9% of hitters faced, despite a high walk rate of 13.6%.
Between 2019 and 2021, the right-hander struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness, which affected his performance. He made 34 appearances for the Cubs, Padres, Mariners, Braves, and Blue Jays, posting a 7.90 ERA. As a result, he signed a minor league contract with the Nationals in February 2022, and while he was in Washington, D.C., he experienced a bit of a career comeback. In his two seasons on the team, Edwards pitched to a 4.11 FIP and 3.07 ERA. Even though the right-hander’s run prevention percentage was comparable to what it was during his prime in Chicago, he was punching out only 20.1% of batters faced, which was lower than his slightly raised walk rate of 10.5%. Nevertheless, he delivered strong outcomes for the Edwards’ 2023 season was cut short by a stress fracture in his shoulder, despite the fact that he looked perfectly.
OK when he reported to Chicago’s camp last month. In seven outings with Chicago this spring, he’s struck out six and walked three, giving up just two runs (one earned). Although it seems that those strong performances were insufficient to make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster, it wouldn’t be shocking if they attracted the interest of another team in need of bullpen support in the days ahead. If Edwards can’t get on a major league team to start the season, he seems like a good bet to land another minor league deal elsewhere in the league.