The Cubs have acquired reliever Jesús Tinoco from the Royals for cash, according to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Tinoco recently signed a minor league deal with Kansas City and wasn’t on their 40-man roster. Unless there was an upward mobility clause in his contract, Tinoco won’t immediately need to be placed on the Cubs’ 40-man roster.
Tinoco, 29, appeared in six games for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, pitching 6 2/3 innings with a 4.05 ERA, striking out 10 and walking one. Earlier this season with the Rangers’ Triple-A team, he struck out 30.3% of batters over 21 1/3 innings but struggled with control, walking over 11% of opponents.
In his MLB career spanning parts of five seasons with the Rockies, Marlins, and Rangers, Tinoco has pitched 76 2/3 innings with a career ERA of 4.58. He spent last season in Japan with the Seibu Lions, posting a 2.83 ERA. Returning to the minors this winter with the Rangers, he made nine MLB appearances earlier this season, allowing nine runs over 10 innings.
Despite mixed results in the majors, Tinoco’s recent Triple-A performance caught Chicago’s attention. The Cubs, currently ranked 16th in MLB with a 4.01 ERA from their bullpen, are dealing with several injured relievers and optioned Daniel Palencia to Triple-A Iowa to make room for potential MLB roster additions like Tinoco, pending a 40-man roster move.