Cubs Acquire LHP Jeff Belge for LHP Richard Lovelady

The Cubs made a deal Saturday to acquire lefty Jeff Belge from Tampa in return for lefty Richard Lovelady, who had been designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Tyson Miller. The 26-year-old Belge is currently pitching at the Double-A for the Rays after spending all of 2023 at that level. Drafted in the 18th round by the Dodgers in 2019, he was traded to the Rays in 2022 for righty J.P. Feyereisen.

There’s not much out there on Belge, but the stats tell us he misses a lot of bats and isn’t in the zone very often. Though his strikeout rate has been above 30% for the most part, his walk rate is well into the teens and will be a detriment to his matriculation if it stays there. Opposing hitters have had a very difficult time squaring him up overall, but the extra traffic on the bases has hampered his effectiveness.

In other Cubs news, Daniel Palencia begins a rehab assignment with the Iowa Cubs on Saturday and Dansby Swanson is participating in more baseball activities as he targets a Tuesday return. Nico Hoerner is absent once again from the lineup and it looks even more like an IL stint is possible.