The Pirates announced the acquisition of Reliever Duane Underwood Jr. of the Cubs. First base prospect Shendrik Apostel will go to Chicago in return. To create a space for the 40-man squad, Pittsburgh appointed the right-hand man Carson Fulmer for assignment.
Underwood, 26, has released 36.1 Chicago bullpen entries over the past three seasons. Its 5.20 ERA is not particularly impressive, but Underwood showed some promising peripherals. The right-handed hit an impressive 27.7% of batters at the MLB level against a solid 7.7% advance rate. He was at his best last season, accumulating eliminations at a speed of 30.7% while walking only 6.8% of the hitter. The right-hand man has an average of just under 95 MPH in his fastball and also features a curved ball and a changeup, the last of which received many scents in limited action from the major league.
However, the Cubs assigned Underwood to the assignment earlier in the week. He never managed to claim a permanent place in the Chicago bullpen, thanks in large part to persistent problems keeping the ball in the yard. Underwood is also out of options, which means he cannot be sent to the minor leagues without being exposed to other teams. This is less of a concern for the rebuilding of the Pirates than for the hopeful Cubs in the playoff.
The acquisition of Underwood brings Fulmer down from the Pittsburgh squad for the second time in six months. The former eighth general choice has been claimed by Tigers, Pirates (twice) and Orioles since last July, but has not found a permanent home. However, the teams are clearly intrigued by his promise. Fulmer has only an ERA of 6.34 with weak stripes (18.9%) and walking numbers (13.9%) above 105 MLB entries. Like Underwood, he has no options. Any acquiring team must therefore keep it in the active squad or offer it again to other clubs.
In exchange for Underwood, the Cubs take Apostel, a 20-year-old first baseman who signed with Pirates outside Curaçao. He had a .252 / .381 / .463 line in the Dominican Summer League between 2018-19. His older brother Sherten Apostel he also originally signed with Pirates and made his MLB debut last season with Rangers.