The Cubs have been saying for two years that they’re being more aggressive with the development of their pitching prospects, but Theo Epstein said they were prioritizing lefty pitching at the trade deadline. So naturally, Justin Steele was called up and optioned back to South Bend without seeing live action before the Cubs went out and traded for southpaws Josh Osich and Andrew Chafin.
They even promoted Matt Dermody for a whole inning of work before designating him for assignment the next day. That move in particular seemed to support an August 22 report from Patrick Mooney ($) that the Cubs “do not view Brailyn Marquez and Burl Carraway as realistic options to help the major-league team this season.