As reported (and discussed at length) over a month ago, the Chicago Cubs have signed lefty pitching prospect Gerardo Concepcion to a Major League deal that saw him added to the 40-man roster today. Concepcion, 20, gets a five-year deal and $6 million, half of which is a signing bonus, and half of which will be spread across the five years.
Assuming it’s a traditional deal, the Cubs will still get six years of big league control of Concepcion, when he does finally make the Majors. Despite this being a “Major League deal,” however, don’t expect to see Concepcion with the Cubs for a few years.
Concepcion will report to Minor League camp, and will probably pitch at one or more A-ball levels this year (Low A Boise, A Peoria, or High A Daytona).
For more on the pitcher, feel free to peruse the original Concepcion signing post (in which I analyze the implications of Concepcion’s Major League deal (note that his age has … changed a few times since the original signing)), as well as another earlier post with a variety of takes on the signing and on Concepcion.