While they certainly are not expected to be buyers at the MLB Trade Deadline, the Chicago Cubs have landed a major league caliber player. In a move that was first reported by Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Cubs have acquired LHP Felix Doubront from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a player to be named later.
Doubront has been awful this season (6.07 ERA, 1.601 WHIP and 5.29 FIP), but at 26-years-old he still has plenty of potential. Doubront made his big league debut back in 2010, but was limited to only 35.1 combined MLB innings in his first two seasons.
He finally became a full-time big league regular in 2012, where he had mild success with a 4.86 ERA and 4.37 FIP in 29 starts. Doubront was even better last season (4.32 ERA and 3.78 FIP), but has really struggled the entire 2014 year thus far.
Doubront was pushed to a bullpen role about a month ago, and has reportedly not been happy about the move. He feels like he is a starter, but the Red Sox simply felt that he was no longer good enough for the rotation.
In what ended up being his final appearance as a member of the Red Sox, Doubront got drilled on Monday night. He was only able to record two outs, while giving up six earned runs, on six hits and two walks.
It has been a tough season for Doubront, but he is a talented pitcher who does have some upside. Expect the Cubs to give Doubront a chance to start, even if it is at the Triple-A level right away.
Doubront could easily become a player who simply needed a change of scenery. The return is expected to be small for the Red Sox, making this deal likely to be worth the shot for the Cubs.