Marmol, Stewart say goodbye

The Cubs designated Carlos Marmol for assignment today, marking an end of the longest tenure in the organization. Marmol was signed in 1999 as a catcher/outfielder and was converted to a pitcher beginning in 2002.

The Cubs tried to fix what wasn't broken in Marmol, turning an all-star setup man into a shaky closer, and he never really recovered. I'm confident he'll turn things around, though once you lose the fans in Chicago, winning them back is no simple task, so it's best for both parties that he do it elsewhere.

He leaves with a career ERA of 3.50, with high totals in strikeouts and walks but holding opponents to a .185 batting average and .301 slugging percentage over eight seasons. Like Mariano Rivera, the numbers are inflated by a few starts early in his career. As a reliever, despite the rocky outings that punched his ticket out of town, he had an ERA of 3.15 while batters hit .176 and slugged .273 against him. Not too shabby.


Former Astros outfielder Brian Bogusevic got the call to fill Marmol's roster spot after batting .319 with 10 homers at Iowa. Despite the numbers, I don't see a major role for him unless the Cubs are looking to move an outfielder. Even with David DeJesus on the DL with a separated shoulder, his addition gives the North Siders six outfielders on the active roster. That's a lot of outfielders when none of them can fill in at first or third.

I was less disappointed to read that Ian Stewart was given his unconditional release. Stewart wasn't expected to fill the shoes of Aramis Ramirez at third, but Tyler Colvin wasn't going to turn things around with the Cubs and D.J. LeMahieu wasn't slated to be a starter anyway. I can't blame the Cubs for rolling the dice with Stewart even if it just didn't work out. He didn't win a roster spot out of spring training and was batting .168 at Iowa after hitting .201 last season.

So who's next? I keep hearing Scott Feldman's name in trade rumors, and I'd rather see them extend his one-year deal than send him packing. I'd rather see Matt Garza go if they have to deal a starter. There's no question of Garza's stuff or his makeup, or his trade value and potential upside for that matter, but if the Cubs' chances rely on him getting 32 starts a year, that's a big risk.

Meanwhile, based on the big names in the farm system, I don't see any outfielders on the active roster whom I consider part of the big picture. Nate Schierholtz is having the best season of his career, and that could bring a basket of goodies from the right team. Maybe with one-plus seasons left on his deal, this is the year somebody takes a chance on Alfonso Soriano.

In any case, changes are coming.