Neal Cotts Not A Cub

Neal Cotts never compared to Ryan Dempster or Kerry Wood on the mound. But what they do share in common, however, is Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.

Dempster and Wood both rebounded to find success in the big leagues. Cotts went under the knife in July and his return, obviously, is yet to be determined.

But if, in fact, Cotts rebounds it won’t be with the Cubs. The lefty signed a minor league contract with Pittsburgh on Monday.

The signing officially ends his two year stay on the North Side where he failed to win a single game (0-5) while posting a 4.97 ERA.

Cleary, the Cubs can win without Cotts, but I’ve never understood why teams pay injured players to rehab, as was the case with Cotts, and then hand them their walking papers.

Dempster and Wood both rebounded well, so why can’t Cotts? The guy was, after all, a regular contributor to the White Sox ‘05 World Series team posting a 4-0 record and sparkling 1.96 ERA in 69 appearances.

I’m not saying Cotts is All Star bound, but it’s not unusual for Tommy John pitchers to return to the mound with stronger stuff.

The kid’s just 29-years-old and the Cubs need another left-hander in the pen. So why give up on a guy after you spent months paying to rehab him? Does this make sense?