21 Cubs Minor Leaguers Declared Free-Agents - Three Others Will Return

21 Cubs minor leaguers eligible to be MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agents (the so called "six-year minor league free-agents" and the so-called "second-contract minor league free-agents") were declared free-agents by MLB at 5 PM last Friday, while three others who could have been Rule 55 free-agents agreed to 2013 minor league "successor contracts" and thus will be returning to the Cubs organization next season.

However, the three who are returning will be eligible for selection in next month's MLB Rule 5 Draft (as will any other minor league free-agent signed prior to the Rule 5 Draft).

The 21 Cubs who were declared Rule 55 minor league free-agents join six others who elected to be minor league free-agents per Article XX-D of the CBA over the past month.

WERE ELIGIBLE TO BE RULE 55 MINOR LEAGUE FA - RE-SIGNED (SUCCESSOR CONTRACT):
Kyler Burke, LHP
Marcos Mateo, RHP
Jonathon Mota, INF
NOTE: Burke is a former outfielder (he was the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year in 2009 before being converted to pitcher at Minor League Camp 2011) who pitched at Peoria and Daytona in 2012... Mateo and Mota both underwent TJS in June and likely opted to re-sign so that they can continue their rehab at Fitch Park in 2013 (as happened with Justin Berg this past season)...

DECLARED MLB RULE 55 MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENT BY MLB:

SIX-YEAR MINOR LEAGUE FA:
Jim Adduci, OF
Alfredo Amezaga, IF-OF
Juan Apodaca, C
Jairo Asencio, RHP
Justin Berg, RHP
Adrian Cardenas, INF
Brian Esposito, C
Jeff Frazier, OF-1B
Vladimir Frias, INF
Diory Hernandez, INF
Rodrigo Lopez, RHP
Seth McClung, RHP
Blake Parker, RHP
Horacio Ramirez, LHP
Ryan Rowland-Smith, LHP
Nate Samson, INF
Miguel Socolovich, RHP
Alvaro Sosa, C (player coach)
Matt Tolbert, INF
NOTE: Most of these players finished the season at AAA Iowa, and a few (Asencio, Cardenas, Lopez, Parker, and Socolovich) also spent some time in the big leagues with the Cubs in 2012... Lopez and Parker could have filed for free-agency earlier per Article XX-D but opted not to do so... Sosa was signed to a minor league player contract but served as a coach with the AZL Cubs...

SECOND CONTRACT (PREVIOUSLY RELEASED) FA:
David Macias, IF-OF (player-coach)
Nate Maldonado, C (player-coach)
NOTE: Macias and Maldonado were both signed to 2012 minor league player contracts after being previously released by the Cubs... Macias served as a coach at Extended Spring Training, AZL Cubs, and Instructs in 2012, and was recently hired as an Assistant to Cubs Minor League Player Development Director Brandon Hyde... Maldonado served as a coach at AA Tennessee during the 2012 season and at Instructs last month...

ELECTED TO BE ARTICLE XX-D MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENT:
Manny Corpas, RHP
Blake DeWitt, INF
Justin Germano, RHP
Alex Hinshaw, LHP
Joe Mather, OF
Randy Wells, RHP
NOTE: These six filed for free-agency per Article XX-D of the CBA at various times over the past month... They were eligible to be free-agents after the conclusion of the MLB regular season because they were outrighted to the minors after signing 2012 major league contracts, and they either had been previously outrighted in their career and/or had accrued at least three years of MLB Service Time...

A minor league free-agent can sign a minor league (or a major league) contract with any club, including the player's former club.  

The player's former club receives no compensation if the player signs with a another club.