This evening, the Cubs announced that they have acquired reliever Jesús Tinoco from the Royals for cash (via Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times on X). Tinoco, who signed a minor league deal with Kansas City three weeks ago, was not on their 40-man roster. Unless there was an upward mobility clause in his contract, the Cubs don’t need to place Tinoco on their 40-man roster immediately.
Tinoco pitched in six games for the Royals’ top affiliate in Omaha, recording 6 2/3 innings with three runs allowed, striking out 10 and walking one. Earlier this season, he struck out 30.3% of batters faced in Triple-A with the Rangers across 21 1/3 innings, though his control was less consistent, walking over 11% of batters.
The 29-year-old has played parts of five MLB seasons with the Rockies, Marlins, and Rangers. As a rookie in 2019, he pitched 36 innings for Colorado with a 4.75 ERA. Since then, his MLB appearances have been sporadic, exceeding 20 innings just once. Last season, he pitched in Japan with the Seibu Lions, posting a 2.83 ERA despite average strikeout and walk numbers.
Tinoco returned to MLB on a minor league deal with the Rangers this winter, making nine appearances for Texas earlier this season and allowing nine runs over 10 innings. This brings his career ERA to 4.58 over 76 2/3 MLB innings, with an 18.1% strikeout rate and nearly a 14% walk rate.
Despite his struggles at the major league level, Tinoco’s recent Triple-A performance caught Chicago’s interest. The Cubs’ bullpen ranks 16th in the majors with a 4.01 ERA, with a high strikeout rate but also a high walk rate, only behind the Rangers and White Sox in free passes issued.
The Cubs currently have six relievers on the injured list: Julian Merryweather, Adbert Alzolay, Colten Brewer, Yency Almonte, Keegan Thompson, and Luke Little. Today, they optioned Daniel Palencia to Triple-A Iowa, opening a spot in their major league bullpen. If they choose to add Tinoco to the MLB roster, they will need to create a 40-man roster spot.
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