Cubs Finalize Trade for RHP Rowan Wick, Send Jason Vosler to Padres

In a move first alluded to by Ken Rosenthal Tuesday afternoon, the Cubs have indeed completed a trade for 26-year-old righty reliever Rowan Wick. Initially drafted by the Cardinals in 2012, Wick was claimed on waivers by the Padres and made his big league debut this past season. He’s got a big fastball that he complements with a slider and curve, leading to inflated strikeout and walk numbers alike.

A former catcher and outfielder (a little more on that in the link above), Wick has very little tread on the tires and is still somewhat raw as a pitcher despite his relatively advanced age (for a prospect, anyway). That’s fine for the Cubs, who are hoping he can tighten up the breaking stuff enough to offer a little bullpen depth down the road.

Going to the Padres in the deal is third baseman Jason Vosler, who slashed .251/.330/.467 while splitting time between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa in 2018. Vosler hadn’t done much to force his way up and he is blocked at the MLB level for the foreseeable future, so this move addresses a potential need without costing the Cubs much in return.