Matt Shaw's long-term future sure Happens to look like its in left

The Cubs' offense has awakened in recent games, and just in time to remind us all just how terrible this bullpen is. On Saturday, they led 5-0 in the seventh, and were on their way to their seventh win in their last nine games when the parade of stooges that came out of that bullpen combined to give up eight runs over the span of 12 Blue Jays batters.

You know your bullpen is bad when you can realistically worry, "Did Craig use Ryan Rolison too early?"

Also, I know how ridiculous it used to be when baseball scouts would talk about stuff like how a player had a "good face." The simplistically terrible (and somehow real) concept was that some guys just "looked like great players" and that if a reasonably talented player was handsome that the innate confidence that came with such handsomeness meant he had an enhanced chance of fulfilling his great promise. It was laughable nonsense. But it was also real. Still is, I'm sure in Colorado.

There is no such thing as a "good face," but one good look at Trent Thornton and you can certainly make a case that the opposite can be true.

There is no way anybody who looks like that is going to be any damned good.

But don't worry. Jed Hoyer fixed the bullpen on Saturday evening with a big trade to get a reliever from the Astros.

Ahh, when has that ever gone wrong?

This time the deal was minor league first baseman Cameron Sisneros (a 25-year-old who started the season in the Midwest League--never a good sign) for right-handed reliever Jayden Murray. Murray made nine appearances last season for Houston allowing 10 hits in 11.2 innings with eight strikeouts and just two earned runs (1.54 ERA). Yay! He's pitched in eight games for them this year and allowed 19 hits in 13.1 innings with seven walks and has given up 11 runs (7.43 ERA). Oh.

Who says nobody's trading great players this early in a season?

On Friday, the Cubs sent Moises Ballesteros to Iowa. Moises got off to a great start to the season, hitting .328/.392/.620 with five homers and 16 RBI through April. But just .141/.229/.188 with a homer and seven RBI since.

It's fine to send him back to Iowa to get regular bats for a while. They did this with Matt Shaw last year and when Shaw came back he sported an OPS of .714 the rest of the way, and was particularly good in the season's second half, where he slashed .258/.317/.522. He did tail off in September, largely due to the unexpected cancellation of his favorite podcast, and he was terrible in the postseason (two singles in eight games).

Shaw is part of the reason Moises was sent down.