Report: Cubs Engaged with Padres for RHP as 40-Man Cleanup Takes Place

The Padres are one of several teams facing a 40-man roster crunch on Tuesday’s deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. And as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted, the Cubs are among the teams engaged with the Padres for right-handed pitchers Colten Brewer and Rowan Wick.

And with Brewer apparently “on the verge” of heading to the Red Sox, that leaves Wick, a 26-year-old reliever who made his big-league debut in 2018.

Initially selected by the Brewers in the 19th round of the 2010 draft out of Carson Graham High School in Vancouver, Wick opted to enroll at Cypress College instead. He was then taken by the Cardinals in the ninth round of the 2012 draft and began his professional career as a catcher. Wick transitioned to the outfield in 2014 and then to the mound the following season, but didn’t show the Cardinals enough to warrant keeping him around.

The Padres claimed Wick off waivers in February of this year and he breezed through Double- and Triple-A on the strength of his 95 mph fastball, power slider, and solid curveball. He can touch 98 with the heater and the breaking stuff has potential, but he’s still pretty raw given his relatively recent conversion to the mound.

We’ll see if anything come of this, but I very much like the idea of him facing the Cardinals and saying…

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