Doing the Bullets after a major Cubs move is always a tricky business. I’ll start out getting into some of the interesting/adjacent/follow-on stuff for the move, and sometimes that plays out all right. But other times, I realize there’s just no way to cram it all into a set of Bullets, which also has its own interesting things I want to get into.
In today’s case, it happened twice – there’s a ton more I want to share and say about Edward Cabrera joining the Chicago Cubs, obviously, but then there’s also separately a ton more I want to share and say about the outgoing side of the trade and the impact on the organization. So that stuff is coming. But there’s more I want to get into today, and these already-ample Bullets will cover that ground.
Besides, the Cabrera trade wasn’t actually the only move the Cubs made yesterday …
Because they came into the offseason with such an inordinately large number of 40-man vacancies, I expected the Cubs to play the waiver wire a whole lot more than they have this offseason. Some of that is explainable by the slower free agency pace (fewer signings = fewer guys being DFA’d and waived), but I’d have to guess that most of it is explainable by the Cubs simply not yet having access to guys they wanted to try to claim. Yesterday, amid the trade breaking, the Cubs finally did claim someone off of waivers, snagging lefty Ryan Rolison from the White Sox, who’d earlier snagged him from the Braves, who’d earlier acquired him from the Rockies. That’s right, the Cubs are Rolison’s FOURTH team this offseason, which tells you a lot about a player before you even do any reading, watching, or scouting. It means he’s a guy a lot of clubs want to have in their organization for the 2026 season, but on whom they aren’t wholly willing to use up a 40-man roster spot. He’s not actually available to sign on a minor league deal, in other words, but the teams claiming him and then trying to outright him to Triple-A are effectively SUPER interested in him on a minor league deal (because that would be the practical effect of the maneuver). We’ll see if the Cubs now try to do the same thing, but they may wait until a more crowded period of the offseason, hoping they can finally be the team to sneak him through. Why would so many clubs want a guy who struggled through much of his minor league journey, was ultimately converted to relief, and then finally made the big leagues only to get absolutely blown up last year as a 27/28-year-old? Well, he was outstanding at Triple-A last year, so it’s possible he was still making good progress. But more importantly than that, you’re talking about a former first round pick who stalled out *in the Rockies organization.* That, uh, happens to a lot of pitchers, unfortunately for them. If you were making a list of the organizations from whom you’d love to pluck a talented but under-developed pitching prospect on the thinking you could unlock some things the original team never could, the Rockies would be way up on that list. There’s also just the very simple explanation when it comes to Rockies pitchers, as Rolison fared almost infinitely better on the road (.246/.341/.377 slash line against) than at Coors Field (.376/.427/.693). Even as an up-down reliever if the Cubs kept him on the 40-man (he has one more option year remaining), maybe he’s a useable match-up lefty even without much tinkering. A very fun note here on a couple lefties who throw uniquely-shaped four-seamers that the pitch evaluation systems kinda hate:pic.twitter.com/xIpuUiRWpM
— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) January 7, 2026 Just have Rolison talk to Justin Steele about how he turns that particular fastball into something that drives hitters mad with their inability to barrel it up, and boom, instant stud. When people talk about the Cubs’ depth starters – a situation that was nicely improved by the domino effect of the Cabrera trade – I feel like a lot of them say the Cubs have a really great duo of swing guys as the 6th/7th starters in Colin Rea and Javier Assad, and have a big upside guy in Ben Brown. That’s correct, but the guy who gets too often overlooked is Jordan Wicks, who has shown he can be an effective starter in the big leagues when healthy, but who received only weird, one-off relief appearances last year in the big leagues. Well, he’s working to keep on improving:"It's strike to ball. It's late!"Cubs lefty Jordan Wicks has been working on dialing in a new curveball this offseason. ?@jordan_wicks99 only threw the pitch 1% of the time in the big leagues in 2025. ?Coach: @TurnerGivens pic.twitter.com/klkMMq6f6G
— Tread Athletics (@TreadHQ) January 7, 2026 Wicks obviously has the great changeup, and he’d flashed a really strong slider (albeit inconsistently), too. The four-seamer may never be more than a baseline average pitch or a little below, but if he were to add in an effective curveball, then you’re talking about a really diverse mix (he also throws a sinker), with potential out pitches against both handed hitters. Wicks, 26, has minor league options remaining, so he may very well be a depth guy again this year until and unless opportunity strikes. I am glad the Cubs have him, though, and I hope that they just let him keep starting this year. Much more on Wicks’ work this offseason here at Cubs Insider. Now combining the two topics of depth pitchers and the Rockies:Right-hander Michael Lorenzen and the Colorado Rockies are in agreement on a one-year, $8 million contract that includes a club option, sources tell ESPN. Lorenzen, 34, will be a starter for Colorado, which holds a $9 million option for the 2027 season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 8, 2026 A relatively steep price for a guy who has been a league average pitcher the last five years, is coming off a not-great year, and is about to turn 35. I’d say maybe the Rockies want him to hit, but, despite the legend, Michael Lorenzen hasn’t actually taken more than a single plate appearance in seven years, and he actually wasn’t THAT great of a hitter back when he did do that more regularly (.233/.282/.429/84 wRC+). After a successful turn in Korea, Patrick Wisdom is coming back to the States:The Mariners and 1B/3B Patrick Wisdom have agreed to a Minor League deal, sources tell @JustBB_MediaWisdom, 34, spent last season in KBO where he launched 35 HR on his way to a 126 wRC+. In parts of 7 MLB seasons, he has posted a 105 wRC+ but with a 36.7% strikeout rate.
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) January 7, 2026 Depending on whether the Mariners add another infielder, that could be a particularly good landing spot for Wisdom to actually win himself a bench job. As we’ve discussed, it does sound like MLB is getting closer to taking back a number of teams’ local broadcast rights (which could be a temporary financial hit for those clubs – which includes the Cardinals, Brewers, and Reds – but a long-term benefit for the league as a whole):The Cardinals are financially prepared to hand their rights to MLB and will broadcast all 162 games next year regardless of their TV partner, a source said.MLB currently oversees the broadcasts of 6 teams (SD, ARI, CLE, COL, MIN, SEA), with the Nationals likely to join as well. t.co/SwuTWye5aR
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) January 7, 2026 MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterBlackhawks 7, Blues 3 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways #blackhawks t.co/xS4qczKAW6
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 8, 2026Built for This: Caleb Williams, Bears Set for Playoff Rubber Match with Packers t.co/ouFvd0WNlC
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 7, 2026Kyler Gordon Could Be the X-Factor in Saturday’s Playoff Game vs. Packers t.co/Xfj8CJA541
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 7, 2026Different Isaiah, Same Nightmare! Bulls 93, Pistons 108 – January 7, 2026 t.co/wbQBlBSw3R
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 8, 2026Hence then, the article about the other pitcher the cubs added wicks new pitch old friend signs and other cubs bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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