Brothers was traded to the Cubs on Wednesday for Wander Cabrera.

EDGE Analysis

He spent most of the year at Triple-A, and walked more batters than he struck out in 10.1 innings with the Rockies, resulting in his designation for assignment last week. The Cubs will take Brothers on as a low-cost reclamation project, but unless the lefty is able to cut down significantly on the free passes, he will have a tough time earning and maintaining a role with the big club in 2016.

Brothers was designated for assignment by the Rockies on Friday, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

After a 2013 season in which Brothers posted a 1.74 ERA and 10.2 K/9 over 72 appearances, many thought the lefty was the future closer in Colorado. However, a disappointing 2014 campaign (5.59 ERA) led to him spending most of 2015 in the minors. While Brothers enjoyed success after his return in September, his overall body of work -- he had a 4.46 ERA and 1.68 WHIP at Triple-A -- wasn't enough to convince the team he deserved a 40-man spot. He will now be subjected to waivers.

Brothers pitched a scoreless eighth inning and recorded the win in relief Sunday against the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

After an uneven year at Triple-A Albuquerque, Brothers seemed to right the ship when he rejoined the Rockies as a September call-up. In 14 appearances spanning 7.2 innings, Brothers gave up no runs on five hits and four walks. The 27-year-old is probably a long shot to regain the closing role he formerly enjoyed in 2013, but his improvement down the stretch could allow him to claim a prominent spot in the Rockies' bullpen in 2016.

Brothers has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.

EDGE Analysis

Brothers has made just three appearances for the Rockies this season, spending the bulk of the year at Triple-A, where he holds a 4.46 ERA across 42.1 innings. He'll simply provide bullpen depth down the stretch in what should be a limited role.

Brothers was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. The lefty will join the big club for the first time this season with Aaron Laffey designated for assignment. Brothers has struggled overall with Triple-A Albuquerque this year (4.71 ERA, 1.67 WHIP), but he's been much better of late, posting a 2.13 ERA since the start of June.

Brothers owns a 5.48 ERA, 1.87 WHIP, and 33:24 K:BB ratio over 23 innings with Triple-A Albuquerque on the season. The overall numbers are still ugly, but Brothers seems to have settled down in recent weeks. He hasn't allowed a run in his last eight appearances, while striking out 11 batters in 7.2 innings during that span. The Rockies are still in need of bullpen help at the big-league level, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Brothers earns a promotion at some point in the near future.

Brothers has struggled in the early going at Triple-A Albuquerque, surrendering four runs on six hits and six walks over five innings. Control issues resulted in a terrible 2014 campaign for Brothers, and ultimately cost him a bullpen job with the Rockies out of spring training this season. It doesn't appear that he's turned the tide at Albuquerque, so until he's able to remedy his inability to find the strike zone, a promotion back to the big club won't be forthcoming. The way things have been trending over the last year and change, it would be less surprising to see Brothers outrighted off the 40-man roster than it would be to see him regain a meaningful setup role with the Rockies.

Brothers was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday, MLB.com's Thomas Harding reports. Brothers was a bit inconsistent with the Rockies in a small sample size this spring, as he had five scoreless outings, but surrendered a combined seven earned runs in his other three times on the hill. He'll get a chance to work it out in the minors, and will have to work his way back up if he wants to pitch in high-leverage situations for the Rockies this year.

Brothers has yet to make his Cactus League debut, as he continues to work with the coaching staff on addressing some mechanical issues, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. Brothers has been limited to throwing side sessions so far this spring while the coaching looks to identify any underlying issues with his approach that might have contributed to his inexplicable implosion in 2014. At this point a year ago, there was a strong belief Brothers would quickly wrest the closer's role away from LaTroy Hawkins, but the lefty's struggles from April on quashed those plans. Any hope that Brothers will bounce back and become a serviceable setup man again will hinge on his ability to trim his walk rate, which ballooned to 6.2 BB/9 last season.

Brothers agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Rockies on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. Brothers was a popular speculative target last spring, with many assuming it would only be a matter of time before he supplanted LaTroy Hawkins in the closer role, but the left-hander disappointed from start to finish. In the end, Brothers had a 5.59 ERA and 1.85 WHIP in 56.1 innings. He'll need to correct his issues against left-handed batters (.908 opponents' OPS last season) in order to turn things back around in 2015.