The Chicago Cubs have made another trade Monday, acquiring relief pitcher José Cuas from the Kansas City Royals.
In exchange, the Cubs have sent outfielder Nelson Velázquez to Kansas City, the team announced.
Cuas, a right-handed relief pitcher, made his MLB debut with Kansas City last season. In 45 appearances this year, he has a 3-0 record and a 4.54 ERA, along with a 1.61 WHIP.
His strikeout-per-nine-inning ratio is up significantly to 11.2 after settling at 8.1 last season, and he also has cut down his walk rate to 4.5 per nine innings, according to Baseball Reference.
Cuas primarily throws a sinker and a slider, with the former comprising nearly 50% of his pitches. His expected batting average against the slider is just .235, while his expected slugging percentage is .397 against the sinker, according to Statcast.
His batting average against vs. lefties is a paltry .206 on the season, with 28 strikeouts in 63 at-bats against southpaws.
Velázquez has primarily played in Iowa this season, but did hit three home runs and drive in six RBI’s for the Cubs in 29 at-bats.
He will report to Kansas City’s Triple-A team in Omaha, according to reports.
Earlier in the day, the Cubs acquired third baseman Jeimer Candelario from the Washington Nationals in exchange for two prospects.
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The MLB trade deadline will occur on Tuesday afternoon. The Cubs entered the day four games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central, and are starting a four-game set against the Reds at Wrigley on Monday night.
