The clock now reads 3:01 a.m. Chicago Cubs pinch-hitting specialist Tommy LaStella has a new home. Chicago sent the utility infielder to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Thursday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.
La Stella recorded just 169 at-bats in 123 games in 2018, hitting .266 with a .672 OPS. However, the infielder set a Cubs franchise record in 2018 with 24 pinch-hits, the most in MLB. He was arbitration eligible and projected to make $1.2 million in 2019.
The move to trade La Stella is both surprising and somewhat unsurprising.