The Chicago Cubs made a move to bolster their bullpen on Sunday afternoon following a 5-4 loss to the Reds and officially claimed left-handed reliever Alex Hinshaw from the San Diego Padres via waivers:
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— CSN Chicago (@CSNChicago) August 19, 2012#Cubs have claimed left-hander Alex Hinshaw off waivers from the San Diego Padres cmcst.sn/aaa9Sr#CubsTalk
Regarded as the No. 18 prospect in San Francisco's organization following the 2008 season according to Baseball America, Hinshaw posted a woeful 12.00 earned run average over nine appearances with the Giants the following year and was never quite held in the same regard.
Hinshaw's current campaign with the Padres has been nothing short of a career resurgence, and the 29-year-old lefty should slide into a much-needed long and middle relief role for the Cubs immediately. A productive strikeout artist even in short work, Hinshaw's 85 career strikeouts in 73.2 innings clearly impressed Chicago's front office.
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