Archive - Nov 2015

Baseball America reports that the Cubs have signed Rule 55 second-contract minor league free-agent RHSP Drew Rucinski(ex-LAA) and Rule 55 minor league 6YFA LHP Jeffry Antigua to 2016 minor league contracts. 

Both will be eligible for selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft, although it's not likely that Rucinski would get picked because he was not claimed off waivers when he was outrighted in September, and the only way Antigua gets claimed is if the Cubs placed him on the AA Tennessee reserve list, which would make him eligible for selection in the AAA Phase of the draft ($12,000 draft price with no roster restrictions and no chance to be re-claimed).  

The Cubs selected the contracts of four minor league players today (all four from AA Tennessee), adding 3B Jeimer Candelario, C Willson Contreras, RHSP Pierce Johnson, and 1B Dan Vogelbach to their MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), and thus insuring that the foursome will not be eligible for selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft.

So what exactly is the Rule 5 Draft? 

Update: Bryant, Maddon, and Arrieta (!) bring it home.

This is the week the BBWAA gets to announce its winners for the 2015 season.

Bryant seems to be a lock for NL ROY (Monday), Maddon is likely to win Manger of the Year (Tuesday), and Arrieta is probably going to come up a bit short for the NL Cy Young (Wednesday). Unfortunately, HBP doesn't carry much weight, or Rizzo would have a real shot at the MVP (Thursday).

NOVEMBER 10th UPDATE: BA transactions reports that the Cubs have re-signed RHP Starling Peralta to a 2016 minor league contract. So now the Cubs have re-signed eight of their 24 2015 Rule 55 6YFA (RHP Frank Batista, OF Pin-Chieh Chen, C Willson Contreras, INF Ryan Dent, RHSP Felix Pena, RHRP Starling Peralta, RHP Jose Rosario, and INF Logan Watkins). Unless added to an MLB 40-man roster by 11/20, each of the eight re-signed Rule 55 6YFA will be eligible for selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft.    

As expected, the Cubs extended a $15.8m qualifying offer to Dexter Fowler, who will decline it. That means the Cubs will get an extra draft pick after the first round, if Fowler signs elsewhere.

The Cubs also claimed Ryan Cook off of waivers from Boston, for some reason.

Now that we all have an extra 3 hours in the day, it's time to play everyone's favorite game: predicting where the free agents will land. I've listed 15 and added a separate category that allows you to pick which of the Cubs will be traded.