Maddon Says González Could Actually Opt to Remain with Cubs in Minors
The Cubs informed outfielder Carlos González that he was being designated for assignment following Friday’s game in Cincinnati, a move that came as little surprise. The former All-Star hit just .175/.306/.300 over 49 plate appearances with the Cubs and wasn’t providing the kind of pop to justify a roster spot, especially after needing more arms in the wake of Cole Hamels‘ injury.
If he clears waivers, a stint in the minors with the Cubs would be completely at his discretion. As much as the Cubs might like that — after all, they love hoarding every player they possibly can — it initially seemed unlikely that a player of CarGo’s caliber would accept such a role.
But in speaking to the media prior to Saturday’s game, Joe Maddon indicated otherwise.
“So we called him in last night afterwards…And I said, ‘I really believe that this is going to go well based on the conversations that I’ve had with him.’ And it did, Maddon explained. “Highly professional, highly professional.
“DFA’d, there’s a chance he may stick with us. Hopefully that does occur. He knows how I feel, and how we feel, and I got a pretty good glimpse of how he felt too. [He] feels pretty good about being here, he likes what he’s been seeing, so there’s that mutual respect going on, so we’ll see how it plays out.”
Maddon on Gonzalez DFA pic.twitter.com/oL5ulKR4cD
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) June 29, 2019
We will indeed see how it plays out and whether Maddon was simply picking up on CarGo’s professionalism in handling the matter or there’s a legitimate desire to remain in the organization. If it’s the latter, González will have to display a great deal more of his old form in order to have an impact in Chicago in the second half.