The Cubs announced today that they have traded for reliever Jesús Tinoco from the Royals in exchange for cash, as reported by Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Tinoco had recently signed a minor league contract with Kansas City and was not included on their 40-man roster. Unless there was a clause in his contract facilitating this move, the Cubs are not required to immediately add Tinoco to their 40-man roster.
Tinoco appeared in six games for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowing three earned runs while striking out 10 batters and issuing one walk. Earlier in the season, he showed strong strikeout ability with the Rangers’ Triple-A team, striking out 30.3% of hitters across 21 1/3 innings, although his control was less precise, walking over 11% of opposing batters during that stint.
The 29-year-old Tinoco has played in parts of five MLB seasons with the Rockies, Marlins, and Rangers. His most extensive MLB action came in 2019 with the Rockies, where he pitched a career-high 36 innings with a 4.75 ERA as a rookie. Subsequently, his MLB appearances were more sporadic, with his innings exceeding 20 only once since then. He spent the 2023 season in Japan with the Seibu Lions, posting a 2.83 ERA despite average strikeout and walk rates.
Returning to affiliated baseball with the Rangers on a minor league deal last winter, Tinoco made nine MLB appearances earlier this season, conceding nine runs in 10 innings pitched. This brings his career ERA to 4.58 over 76 2/3 MLB innings, with a strikeout rate of 18.1% and a walk rate close to 14%.
Although Tinoco hasn’t consistently succeeded against major league hitters, his recent performance in Triple-A caught the attention of the Cubs. Chicago’s bullpen currently ranks 16th in MLB with a 4.01 ERA, showing strong strikeout numbers but issuing more walks than most teams except the Rangers and White Sox.
