Cubs Skipper Sends Rare Dodgers Message After ‘Pretty Darn Good’ Move

Chicago Cubs skipper Craig Counsell has established himself as a trusted dugout leader, bringing the experience of his successful Milwaukee Brewers tenure to a team that has quickly returned to National League contention.

His willingness to make creative roster decisions has become a defining part of his tenure in Chicago, though he very rarely compares one of his players to anyone else in Major League Baseball.

"Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell dislikes 'comps,' the baseball lingo for measuring one player against another, a shorthand form of communicating within larger evaluations," Patrick Mooney noted for The Athletic . "Counsell almost always avoids playing that game."

But with the postseason approaching, Counsell made a notable exception.

Chicago Cubs Send Los Angeles Dodgers ' Message After Key Pitcher Move

While discussing Edward Cabrera 's recent move from the Cubs' rotation into the bullpen, Counsell pointed to a Dodgers postseason success story from last year as a potential blueprint.

"A great example from last year is what Roki Sasaki did the last month, into the playoffs," Counsell said, offering a rare direct comparison with another National League player, per Mooney. "That could happen. That's a roadmap to how this could be really successful. Is that the best result? That was a pretty darn good result. But that's what you keep yourself open to."

The comparison is significant because Sasaki's transition came at an important point in Los Angeles ' season.

"The hard-throwing Dodgers righty moved into a bullpen role in September of last season and then was a key part of Los Angeles' run to the World Series title in October," Jordan Bastian reported for MLB.com . "He spun a 0.84 ERA across nine playoff appearances, including a couple multi-inning efforts. If Cabrera could follow a similar path, it would be a rousing success story for the North Siders."

Cabrera was activated from the 15-day injured list last week after dealing with another recurrence of a blister on his pitching hand. The Cubs placed right-hander Trent Thornton on the injured list with left ankle soreness to clear a spot for Cabrera and will be hoping he can have a Sasaki-like resurgence into October this season.

Chicago Cubs Land Key October Option After Pitcher Move

The bullpen experiment represents a significant change from Chicago's original plan. The Cubs acquired Cabrera from the Miami Marlins during the offseason expecting him to contribute as a starting pitcher, but injuries and blister problems repeatedly interrupted his season.

Through 15 starts, Cabrera posted a 5.68 ERA with 67 strikeouts and 32 walks over 76 innings. His move to relief gives Counsell another opportunity to maximize the right-hander's power stuff while limiting the workload that comes with starting.

The Cubs entered the final stretch of the season with postseason aspirations and a bullpen that has required additional solutions. Cabrera now represents one of the more intriguing possibilities.