Cubs News: Carl Edwards Jr. Traded to Padres for LHP Brad Wieck

The Chicago Cubs announced they traded right-handed relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. and international bonus money to the San Diego Padres in exchange for left-handed relief pitcher Brad Wieck prior to Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Edwards has been an effective bullpen option for the Cubs in the past, but he has struggled with injuries and performance this season with a 5.87 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in just 15.1 innings of work.

Wieck made 30 appearances for the Padres this season and has also struggled from a statistical standpoint with a 6.57 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.

Chicago needed to improve its bullpen heading into Wednesday's trade deadline to be taken seriously as a contender. It is tied for the third-most blown saves in the league, hasn't received a single inning from an injured Brandon Morrow and has watched normally reliant setup man Pedro Strop put up a 5.20 ERA after finishing the last five seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA.

Jesse Rogers of ESPN noted the Cubs are the only team in all of Major League Baseball to hold a lead at one point in every game since the All-Star break, yet they are a mere 9-7 in that time frame.

The bullpen is at least partially to blame that more of those games didn't end in the win column.

As a result, Chicago added Wieck and announced it acquired David Phelps and Derek Holland as additional arms. It is a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central and has larger goals than just winning the division after reaching three National League Championship Series and winning a World Series in the last four years.

It will need the new additions and the rest of the bullpen to perform at a higher level to accomplish those goals.

As for San Diego, it is looking toward the future from fourth place in the National League West. Edwards is still just 27 years old and finished the 2017 and 2018 campaigns with a sub-3.00 ERA. Ideally for the Padres, a change of scenery will help him rediscover his form in the coming years since he is under team control through 2022.