
Roster Decisions Looming for Cubs
11/20 UPDATE: The Cubs have selected the contracts of INF Arismendy Alcantara and RHP Dallas Beeler from AA Tennessee and both have been added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster. Alcantara was rated the Cubs #7 prospect by Baseball America last week, and Beeler likely earned his spot on the 40 with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League after missing much of the 2013 season with a finger injury.
Because they were eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft and were added to an MLB 40-man roster after August 15th, both Alcantara and Beeler have Draft Excluded status and cannot be outrighted to the minors until 20 days prior to MLB Opening Day, even if the Cubs decide they need one of the two roster slots sometime later during the off-season.
With the addition of Alcantara and Beeler, the Cubs MLB Reserve List now numbers 39 players (one slot is open).
Notable Cubs minor leaguers who will be eligible for selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft include OF Jae-Hoon Ha, RHP Matt Loosen, LHP Eric Jokisch, and 2B Gioskar Amaya.
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ORIGINAL POST 11/19:
Each MLB club is required to file its MLB Reserve List and the reserve list for each of its minor league affiliates with the MLB Commissioner on November 20th each year (or November 19th if November 20th falls on a Saturday, or November 18th if November 20th falls on a Sunday).
If a minor league player who is eligible for selection in the MLB Rule 5 Draft is not added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) by tomorrow's deadline, the player cannot be added to an MLB 40-man roster, traded, or transferred to a different minor league reserve list within the same organization until after the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft.
RULE 5 DRAFT:
Although it could be held anytime after November 20th, the MLB Rule 5 Draft (AKA "Rule 5 Selection Meeting") is traditionally the last order of business at the MLB Winter Meetings, and it is a mechanism that allows MLB clubs to select (draft) eligible players off minor league reserve lists. This year the Rule 5 Draft will be held on December 12th.
There is a "Major League Phase" where an MLB club can select Rule 5 Draft eligible players off the reserve lists of minor league clubs for $50,000, a "AAA Phase" where a club's AAA minor league affiliate can select Rule 5 Draft eligible players off the reserve lists of minor league clubs of a lower classification for $12,000, and finally a "AA Phase" where a club's AA minor league affiliate can select Rule 5 Draft eligible players off the reserve lists of Class "A" clubs for $4,000.
RULE 5 DRAFT ELIGIBILITY:
1. A minor league player who was 18 or younger on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract is eligible for selection starting with the 5th Rule 5 Draft after he signs, and a minor league player who was 19 years or older on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract becomes eligible for selection starting with the 4th Rule 5 Draft that followed his signing.
2. If a player signs his first contract after the conclusion of the season of the MLB or minor league club to which he is first assigned, the next season is considered to be the player's "first season" for Rule 5 eligibility purposes.
3. A free-agent with prior MLB and/or minor league service who signs a minor league contract prior to the Rule 5 Draft is eligible for selection if the player was 18 or younger on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 5th Rule 5 Draft since he signed his first contract, or the player was 19 years or older on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 4th Rule 5 Draft since he signed his first contract.
4. Any player on a minor league reserve list who has either been released or had his contract voided and then re-signs with the same MLB organization within one year is eligible for selection.
5. Any player on a minor league reserve list who has been outrighted to the minors previously in his career is eligible for selection.
6. A player on the Voluntary Retired List, Disqualified List, or Ineligible List is not eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft, but a player on the Restricted List or the Military List is eligible for selection.
7. An MLB club can designate any player on a minor league reserve list "eligible for selection" in the Rule 5 Draft even if the player would not normally be eligible, but once a player is made eligible for selection, he remains eligible for selection in all subsequent Rule 5 drafts. However, a player who was signed after being selected in the First-Year Player Draft (MLB Rule 4 Draft) cannot be designated "eligible for selection" in a Rule 5 Draft until after the first anniversary of the player signing his first contract with an MLB organization.
8. A minor league player-manager who would be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft if he was only a player can be selected, but if he is selected, the player-manager can reject the selection. He has 30 days to decide. If he rejects the selection, the player-manager cannot be re-signed as a player during the following season.
CUBS MINOR LEAGUERS ELIGIBLE FOR SELECTION IN 2013 MLB RULE 5 DRAFT (last updated 11-17-2013):
Players who are most-likely to be placed on the AAA Iowa reserve list on 11/20 are in bold
Players who were eligible to be a post-2013 Rule 55 minor league 6YFA but who signed a successor contract for 2014, Rule 55 "second-contract" players signed for 2014, and free-agents signed to minor league contracts for 2014 are underlined
Arismendy Alcantara, INF (will almost certainly be added to Cubs MLB 40-man roster on 11/20)
Gioskar Amaya, INF
Frank Batista, RHP
Dallas Beeler, RHP
Julio Borbon, OF (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Justin Bour, 1B
Marcelo Carreno, RHP
Lendy Castillo, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Javier Castro, RHP
Zach Cates, RHP
Hunter Cervenka, LHP
Pin-Chieh Chen, OF
Casey Coleman, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Gerardo Concepcion, LHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Willson Contreras, C
Aaron Cunningham, OF (Rule 55 6YFA post-2013 - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Wes Darvill, INF
Michael de la Cruz, RHP
Antonio Encarnacion, RHP
Carlos Figueroa, INF (player-coach)
Eduardo Figueroa, RHP
Luis Flores, C
Anthony Giansanti, OF
Edgar Gonzalez, INF (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Enyel Gonzalez, RHP
Carlos Gutierrez, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Jae-Hoon Ha, OF
Marcus Hatley, RHP
Marco Hernandez, INF
Walter Ibarra, INF (Rule 55 6YFA post-2013)
Eric Jokisch, LHP
Austin Kirk, LHP
Matt Loosen, RHP
Jeff Lorick, LHP
Eric Martinez, RHP
Marcos Mateo, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Trey McNutt, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
A. J. Morris, RHP
Jonathon Mota, INF
Chad Noble, C
Alan Oaks, RHP (ex-MIA - acquired from independent league club & signed for 2014)
Yomar Pacheco,RHP
Loiger Padron, RHP
Juan Carlos Paniagua, RHP (see NOTE)
Amaury Paulino, RHP
Felix Pena, RHP
Starling Peralta, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Dae-Eun Rhee, RHP
Orbandy Rodriguez, RHP
Greg Rohan, INF
Jose Rosario, RHP
Victor Salazar, RHP
Dave Sappelt, OF (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Brian Schlitter, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Ryan Searle, RHP
Elliot Soto, INF (on RESTRICTED LIST)
Nick Struck, RHP
Jeudy Valdez, INF (Rule 55 6YFA post-2013)
Chris Valaika, INF (Article XX-D FA post-2013 - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Yao-Lin Wang, RHP
Eli Whiteside, C (Article XX-D FA post-2013 - can elect free-agency if selected in Rule 5 Draft & then reclaimed by Cubs)
Oliver Zapata, OF
NOTE: Juan Carlos Paniagua signed his first contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks as "Juan Callado" on 5-8-2009 and pitched for the DSL Diamondbacks in the Dominican Summer League in 2009-10, but the contract was "pending" for almost two years and was never officially approved by MLB. The contract was eventually rejected by MLB due to "fraudulent paperwork" and Paniagua (Callado) was suspended for one year and then was declared a free-agent. He signed with the New York Yankees in March 2011 but then was suspended again and that contract was rejected, too, because his birth certificate could not be verified. Paniagua was cleared by MLB in 2012 and he signed with the Cubs on 7-9-2012. Therefore, Paniagua could be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in December 2013, since 2009 was his "first season" on the field, and he was 18 on the June 5th immediately preceding the signing of his first contract, or he might not be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft for the first time until December 2015 if 2012 is considered Paniagua's "first season" for Rule 5 eligibility purposes (TBD).
SO WHO WILL BE ADDED TO THE 40?
The Cubs must decide by tomorrow how many and which of their minor league players eligible for selection in the December 2013 Rule 5 Draft they wish to "protect" from selection.
The Cubs also must decide which of their Rule 5 eligibles to place on the AAA Iowa 38-man reserve list, making them eligible for selection in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft only. This is an important decision, because the Cubs (at present) have 61 players eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft (62 if Juan Carlos Paniagua is declared eligible by MLB), but there are only 38 roster slots available on the AAA roster. Most clubs leave three or four AAA roster slots open for free-agents who sign minor league contracts prior to the Rule 5 Draft (most free-agents who sign minor league contracts prior to the Rule 5 Draft want to be placed on the AAA reserve list so that they are eligible for selection in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft), so the Cubs will probably place about 25 of their Rule 5 eligibles on the AA (Tennessee) reserve list or on a Class "A" reserve list to leave more slots open on the Iowa roster.
This matters because if a club decides not to keep a player selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 draft on its MLB 25-man Active List (and/or MLB DL), the player must be placed on Outright Assignment Waivers, where any of the other 29 MLB clubs can claim the player for the $25,000 Rule 5 waiver price and assume the Rule 5 obligations. If the Rule 5 player is not claimed off Outright Waivers, the player then must be offered back to the minor league club from which he was drafted, and the player's former club can reclaim the player for $25,000, with the player being automatically outrighted to the Reserve List of the minor league club from which he was drafted.
There is no such "right of return" for players selected in the AAA and AA phases of the Rule 5 Draft, so if a player is selected in the AAA or AA Phase, he is gone.
Which players the Cubs might decide to add to their MLB 40-man roster is unknown at this time, although it is a virtual lock that one will be SS Arismendy Alcantara. RHP Juan Carlos Paniagua (if he is ruled eligible for selection), OF Jae-Hoon Ha, and RHP Dallas Beeler are the other most-likely candidates to be added to the 40.
The Cubs presently have three openings on their MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), so if they add no more than three players tomorrow they will not need to drop any players from the 40. However, if they do need additional roster slots tomorrow or later in the off-season (for Rule 5 Draft picks, waiver claims, or any free-agents they might sign), there are some restrictions on which players they can drop from the 40, especially if they wish to try and outright the player to the minors.
DRAFT-EXCLUDED PLAYER
A "Draft-Excluded Player" is any minor league player eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft whose contract is selected and who is added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) between August 15th and the Rule 5 Draft.
While a "Draft-Excluded Player" can be non-tendered on 12/2 and released or traded at any time, he cannot be sent to the minors by Optional Assignment beginning with the conclusion of the MLB regular season up until 20 days prior to MLB Opening Day, and a Draft-Excluded Player can be outrighted to the minors prior to the Rule 5 Draft only if Outright Assignment Waivers are requested no later than 2 PM (Eastern) on the 4th day following the conclusion of the World Series.
If Outright Assignment Waivers are not requested by 2 PM (Eastern) on the 4th day following the conclusion of the World Series, Outright Assignment Waivers cannot be requested until 25 days prior to MLB Opening Day, and the player cannot be sent outright to the minors any earlier than 20 days prior to MLB Opening Day.
CUBS WITH DRAFT-EXCLUDED STATUS POST-2013 (last updated 9-3-2013)
Zac Rosscup, LHP
So any Cubs minor league player eligible for selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft who is added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster tomorrow will have Draft-Excluded status throughout the off-season. In other words, if the Cubs were to add Dallas Beeler (for example) to the 40-man roster tomorrow and then find out sometime later in the off-season that they need his roster slot for a free-agent or a waiver claim, they could not outright him to the minors (at least not until 20 days prior to MLB Opening Day).
RIGHT TO REFUSE OUTRIGHT ASSIGNMENT
A signed player who has accrued at least five years of MLB Service Time cannot be sent outright to the minors without his consent. The player can waive this right, but the waiver cannot be signed more than ten days prior to MLB Opening Day, the player has the right to designate in advance which minor league team to which he can be assigned, and the waiver automatically expires if the player is not outrighted to the minors within 45 days or by the 45th day of the MLB regular season (whichever is later).
CUBS WHO MUST GIVE PERMISSION BEFORE THEY CAN BE SENT OUTRIGHT TO MINORS:
Edwin Jackson, RHP
Ryan Sweeney, OF
Carlos Villanueva, RHP
A player on an MLB 40-man roster who has been outrighted previously in his career and/or who has accrued at least three years of MLB Service Time can elect to be a free-agent if he is sent outright to the minors. The outrighted player can elect to be a free-agent immediately upon being outrighted, or he can accept the Outright Assignment and defer his option to elect free-agency until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season. However, a player eligible to be a free-agent if outrighted who accepts an Outright Assignment and defers his option to elect free-agency until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season forfeits his right to elect free-agency if he is added back to an MLB 40-man roster prior to the conclusion of the MLB regular season.
If a player eligible to be a free-agent if outrighted elects to be a free-agent immediately, his contract is terminated and he receives no termination pay. But if the player accepts the Outright Assignment and defers his right to be a free-agent until the conclusion of the MLB regular season, the player continues to get paid, receiving the balance of his salary through to the end of the season. And then if the outrighted player is not subsequently added back to an MLB 40-man roster prior to the conclusion of the MLB regular season, the player can elect free-agency anytime beginning on the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season through October 15th.
A player who has not previously been outrighted to the minors or who has not yet accrued three years of MLB Service Time but who qualified for salary arbitration as a "Super Two" player after the conclusion of the previous MLB regular season can elect free-agency if he is outrighted to the minors, but an outrighted "Super Two" player cannot defer free-agency until the conclusion of the MLB regular season. To become a free-agent, the outrighted "Super Two" player must elect free-agency immediately.
CUBS ELIGIBLE TO ELECT FREE-AGENCY IF SENT OUTRIGHT TO MINORS:
Daniel Bard, RHP
Darwin Barney, INF
Brian Bogusevic, OF
Starlin Castro, INF
Mat Gamel, 1B
Donnie Murphy, INF
Blake Parker, RHP
Hector Rondon, RHP
James Russell, LHP
Jeff Samardzija, RHP
Nate Schierholtz, OF
Pedro Strop, RHP ("Super Two" player)
Luis Valbuena, INF
Travis Wood, LHP
OTHER RESTRICTIONS ON OUTRIGHTING PLAYERS DURING THE OFF-SEASON:
A player cannot be outrighted to the minors on the two days prior to the Rule 5 Draft.
Also, an unsigned player who is eligible to be an Article XX-D minor league free-agent if outrighted can be outrighted to the minors anytime during the off-season, but a player who would have been eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent if the player had been on a minor league reserve list cannot be outrighted to the minors after 5 PM (Eastern) on October 15th or after 5:00 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day following the conclusion of the World Series (whichever is later) unless and until the player signs a major league contract for the following season or agrees (in advance) to sign a minor league contract for the following season.
POST-2013 MLB RULE 55 PLAYERS ON CUBS 40-MAN ROSTER
Alberto Cabrera, RHP
Welington Castillo, C
Junior Lake, OF
Josh Vitters, INF
60-DAY DISABLED LIST:
Players placed on the 60--day DL do not count against the club's MLB 40-man roster, but all players on the club's 60-day DL must be reinstated no later than 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day following the conclusion of the World Series. Players cannot be placed back onto the 60-day DL until after the start of Spring Training in mid-February, so even though RHP Kyuji Fujikawa (2013 TJS rehab) will almost certainly start the 2014 season on the 60-day DL, the Cubs won't be able to move him off the MLB 40-man roster and onto the 60-day DL until after the start of Spring Training (and then only if the 40-man roster is full).
SUMMARY:
Arismendy Alcantara is a virtual lock to get added to the Cubs MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) tomorrow, and Jae-Hoon Ha, Dallas Beeler, and Juan Carlos Paniagua (but only if he is ruled eligible for selection in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft) are possible additions, although don't be too surprised if it's just Alcantara.
If the Cubs do need additional roster slots tomorrow, RHP Daniel Bard (claimed off waivers from BOS in September) and 1B Mat Gamel (claimed off waivers from MIL in October) would probably be the most likely candidates to get outrighted, even though both can elect to be an Article XX-D free-agent if outrighted.
And even if they aren't outrighted tomorrow, Bard and Gamel could be non-tendered on 12/2 to open up additional slots for a Rule 5 Draft pick, players claimed off waivers, and/or free-agents signed during the off-season. Once non-tendered, one or both could be re-signed to a minor league contract with an NRI to Spring Training, although that would require the mutual consent of the player & the club.
Also, since he is out of minor league options and can elect free-agency if he is outrighted, OF Brian Bogusevic could perhaps get non-tendered on 12/2 and then be re-signed to a minor league contract (but for "big league money" - maybe as much as $750K) plus an NRI to Spring Training, Besides opening up an additional slot on the MLB 40-man roster during the off-season for a Rule 5 Draft pick, a free-agent, or a waiver claim, it would also allow the Cubs to send Bogusevic to AAA if he doesn't make the Cubs Opening Day roster out of Spring Training without exposing him to waivers and without having to be concerned that he might elect to be a free-agent if he does get outrighted.
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