The Chicago Cubs executed a trade before the MLB's Aug. 31 waiver deadline and acquired a reliever to help the back end of their bullpen while baseball's home run king, Barry Bonds, came up short in a grievance against the league.
Chicago acquired closer Fernando Rodney from the Seattle Mariners, according to Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago. Mooney also noted the Mariners will receive either a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Cubs expect the right-hander to be in their bullpen on Friday night for their series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs confirmed the deal on their Twitter account.
After notching a career year in 2014, the 38-year-old Rodney has been having his worst season since 2003. In 54 games (50 2/3 innings) with the Mariners in 2015 the veteran is 5-5 with a 5.68 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 43 strikeouts and 16 saves.
Perhaps a change of scenery can help Rodney. The Cubs are in need of a definitive ninth-inning presence especially after Jason Motte hit the disabled list. Rafael Soriano didn't work out for Chicago and they're now taking another risk on an aging reliever.
Chicago is in the midst of a playoff run and the Mariners are one of the most disappointing teams in baseball.
As for other news around the league, Barry Bonds lost his collusion case against the MLB, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The MLB's home run king had his felony conviction of obstruction of justice overturned earlier this year, but he didn't have the same luck when filing a grievance against the league.
"Baseball arbitrator Frederic Horowitz has ruled in favor of MLB in the case in which Bonds claimed he couldn't get a playing job following the 2007 season due to a concerted effort by MLB to keep him out of the game, CBS Sports has learned," Heyman wrote.
"Bonds' career ended at the time, when no job was forthcoming.
"The ruling, made within the last few days, came in the form of an opinion written by Horowitz, who heard Bonds' case back in May."
Bonds and his lawyers attempted to make a case that the MLB used its powers to prevent him from signing with a team after the 2007 season, even after he batted .276/.480/.565 with 75 runs scored, 28 home runs and 66 RBIs in 126 games with the San Francisco Giants as a 42-year-old.
However, the reports that linked him to performance-enhancing drug usage that year did not help him whatsoever, and that was perhaps enough for Horowitz to determine Bonds did not have a legitimate case.
Nonetheless, Bonds still worked with the Giants during spring training this year and trained with other players privately, including Alex Rodriguez and Dexter Fowler.
Stay tuned for updates once more statements on the subject are made public.
