The Chicago Dogs they claimed the still young gardener Phillip Ervin from the Waivers list of the Seattle Mariners, as announced by both teams. Seattle designated Ervin for the assignment last week. Ervin will return to the NL Central after spending more than four seasons with the Reds, although his final act in Cincinnati was not a pleasant one.
After a solid bar line of .262 / .326 / .438 over 571 at-bats as part time for the Reds from 2017-19, Ervin only had a .324 OPS over 42 chances for the Reds in 2020. This led to a DFA (Designated for Assignment) in late August and a Mariners claim, as Ervin hit only slightly better (.205 / .340 / .282) in 47 plate appearances for Seattle.
Ervin has experience in all three outfield positions, so he could be a useful bench piece for the Cubs as they discover their new outfield after Kyle Schwarber.
Right-handed hitter Ervin, at 1.78 meters tall and 93 kilos, has good numbers against left-handed pitchers during his career, so he could seat Jason Heyward or Ian Happ when a southpaw is on the mound.
Ervin could have an advantage in the battle for the backup role as he is out of minor league options, so the Cubs would have to risk losing him on waivers if they wanted to send him to Triple-A.
– .
