Chicago Cubs claim Jacob Turner off waivers
By Hayden Kane
The Miami Marlins designated 23-year-old pitcher and former first round pick Jacob Turner for assignment on Tuesday night.
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Once he was on waivers he only made it to the second team that had a crack at him before he was claimed. The Chicago Cubs, with the second worst record in the National League, claimed Turner on Wednesday according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.
Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago writes the following about the move:
"Jacob Turner looks like the next change-of-scenery pitcher the Cubs will try to fix.The Cubs got the waiver claim on Turner, an industry source confirmed Wednesday, though a deal with the Miami Marlins hadn’t been finalized yet. But it would certainly fit the vision for Theo Epstein’s front office, allowing the Cubs to trade from their stash of position-player prospects."
The move is technically not official, but given the way the Marlins appeared to bid Turner farewell it seems unlikely that they would pull him back.
Having established a strong base of position player talent in their farm system, the Cubs now face the task of putting together a starting rotation that can put them in position to contend in the next couple seasons as their young stars arrive.
That will be the reason that the Cubs will be linked to frontline guys like James Shields and Jon Lester this winter, and in a different sense, it is why they made this move.
If they get Turner, it is a low-risk move that could potentially pop and get them a quality starter on the cheap. If not, little to no harm done.