The Cubs do not have a selection in the first round of this year’s Rule 5 Draft thanks to Lendy-Gate, but they could lose a player or two when it’s all said and done.
You can be a huge nerd like me and listen live to the Rule 5 Draft here, or you can be just a slight nerd and follow along with this post. I’ll update as Cub-relevant selections are made.
Away we go …
The Padres traded up to the first pick (we think), having the Astros select for them Patrick Schuster, a lefty from the Diamondbacks. The White Sox took a catcher from the Nationals with the second pick, and the Phillies took a pitcher from the Diamondbacks. Still in the clear.
Tommy Kahnle and Brian Moran go off the board, as they were expected to.
Then a bunch of passes.
Crap on a cracker: the Diamondbacks do it again to the Cubs, taking reliever Marcos Mateo. The 29-year-old reliever, who has spent a couple years getting over an arm injury, is dominating in the Dominican Republic right now. He has a very good chance of sticking with the Diamondbacks, and actually helping.
The Cubs got a pick in the second round and opted to pass. Absent a trade, they will not have a Rule 5’er this year, which feels like the first time in a while. With a rebuild underway, and a 40-man full of youngsters the Cubs need to keep, this outcome makes sense (including losing Mateo).
No Jae-Hoon Ha, Eric Jokisch, Matt Loosen, Marcus Hatley or anyone else selected from the Cubs. This was actually a pretty good outcome.
The minor league phase is now underway. Short explanation: these guys are gone for good, but the organization had many opportunities/slots to protect the players. You’re not going to get a future star in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
The Marlins take Justin Bour, whom I didn’t realize the Cubs didn’t protect at the minor league level. He’s a big bat who had a down year, and is 1B/DH only.
The Cubs took Charles Cutler from the Pirates in the minor league phase. He’s a 27-year-old who has stalled out at AA (though always hitting well there), and is organizational depth. The Cubs are so thin at catcher that this makes sense, and he could see time at AAA this year. He might actually be the third or fourth option on the depth chart right now. Yikes.
The Orioles take Julio Borbon, whom I did not realize was still under Cubs control. I assumed he was a minor league free agent, given all of the waiver movement last year. He was off the radar. (Lot’s of “whom I did not realize” going on – that’s what makes it the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.)
The Pirates took A.J. Morris, who came to the Cubs from the Nationals a few years ago. He’s 27 and had a very down year in 2013 at AA. It wasn’t going to happen with the Cubs for him.
And it’s over. No crushing losses for the Cubs, and a nice depth catcher. Good day.
NEWSLETTER
