The Cubs have designated P Randy Wells for assignment
Well, this is a surprise. I expected Wells to lose his rotation spot after last night’s poor start, but at worst I expected him to be optioned to Iowa. Being DFA’d, though, means that he’s been removed from the 40-man roster, which throws his future with the Cubs into doubt.
Still, it’s an easy decision to justify. Wells was considerably worse last year than what he was in 2009 and 2010, and he’s been awful this season, both in the majors (5.34 ERA) and in AAA (7.71 ERA). To me, he never looked like a guy with great stuff, and I haven’t been all that surprised to see him take steps back from his 2009-10 seasons.
I’m not sure if the Cubs will need a fifth starter before Ryan Dempster returns from the DL, since they have an off-day tomorrow. If they do, I imagine Casey Coleman will get the spot start, which is not a pleasant thought, although not considerably worse than starting Wells again at this point. On the other hand, it’s worth noting that DFA’ing Wells leaves the 40-man roster at 39 players, so unless another roster move is announced, the front office will have some flexibility in deciding how to proceed.
EDIT 6/29/12: Wells cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Iowa.
