The Pirates announced the acquisition of enlightener Duane Underwood Jr. of the Cubs. First basic outlook Shendrik Apostel will go to Chicago in return. To create a grid space for 40 men, Pittsburgh pointed the right hand Carson Fulmer for assignment.
Underwood, 26, has thrown 36.1 overs from the Chicago bullpen over the past three seasons. Its 5.20 ERA is not particularly impressive, but Underwood has shown promising edge equipment. The right-hander scored an impressive 27.7% of the MLB-level hitters at a solid rate of 7.7%. He was at his best last season and scored a shot of 30.7% while walking only 6.8% of the batsmen. The right hand has on average just under 95 MPH on his fast ball and also has a curvature and change, the latter of which got a lot of swing in the limited action in the big league.
Nevertheless, the Cubs named Underwood for allocation earlier this week. He never managed to claim a permanent place in the Chicago bullpen, mainly due to persistent problems keeping the ball in the yard. There are also no options for Underwood, which means he cannot be sent to minor leagues without being exposed to other teams. This is less worrying for the rebuilding of Pirates than for the play-out-hoping Cubs.
The acquisition of Underwood knocks Fulmer off the Pittsburgh list for the second time in six months. The former eighth overall pick was returned by the Tigers, Pirates (twice) and Orioles until last July, but has yet to find a permanent home. Teams, however, remain clearly interested in his promise. Fulmer only has an ERA of 6.34 with a poor elimination (18.9%) and figures (13.9%) over 105 MLB overs. Like Underwood, he has no more options. An acquiring team must therefore keep him on the active roster or offer him to other clubs again.
In exchange for Underwood, the Cubs pick up Apostle, a 20-year-old first baseman who signed with the Pirates from Curacao. He had a .252 / .381 / .463 line in the Dominican Summer League between 2018 and 19. His older brother Sherten Apostel also originally signed with the Pirates and made his MLB debut last season with the Rangers.