Jose Cuas Trade: Cubs acquire talented Royals pitcher in exchange for Nelson Velazquez

The Chicago Cubs continue to make moves ahead of the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline by acquiring Jose Cuas from the Kansas City Royals. Cuas is a solid relief pitcher who is in his second season in MLB. Having depth in the pitching staff can change the results of many games throughout the season so this pickup makes sense.

In exchange, the Royals received Nelson Velazquez, a second year outfielder currently having a career best season at the plate. His .241 batting average is the best of his career and he has 3 home runs so far. He will likely receive more playing time in Kansas City which could be crucial to his development.

Jesse Rogers of ESPN was the first to report this trade to Twitter.

"The Cubs have acquired RHP Jose Cuas from the Royals for OF Nelson Velazquez" - Jesse Rogers

The Chicago Cubs were supposed to be selling by this point, but have changed course and are instead building up their roster.

Does Jose Cuas help the Chicago Cubs make the postseason?

The MLB Trade Deadline is often seen as the last chance for a team to truly upgrade their roster. In that regard, the Chicago Cubs are taking full advantage of their time. A deal with the Washington Nationals landed them Jeimer Candelario and now this deal gets them a solid relief pitcher. It cost them a good prospect on Nelson Velazquez, but is a move that helps them win now.

Bob Nightengale provided some good context around what makes Cuas valuable to the Cubs.

"New Chicago #Cubs reliever Jose Cuas was 3-0 with four holds and a 4.54 ERA in 45 appearances for the Royals. In the past month, he has yielded a 1.86 ERA with a .200 opponent's batting average" - Bob Nightengale

The Cubs going all-in on 2023 isn't what most had on their bingo cards, but it is an exciting narrative to follow.