Rule V Draft Primer: Cubs Add 5 to 40-Man Roster

Early December marks the arrival Major League Baseball’s other draft, commonly known as the Rule V draft. The gist: unlike THE draft, this one makes players on other teams available to the Cubs. Basically, players who are not on a team’s 40-man roster, and who have been in the organization for at least four years (or five years, if they were signed when they were 18 or younger), are available for selection. The selection costs $50,000.

The catch is, the selecting team then has to keep the selectee on the 25-man (i.e., Major League) roster for the entire next season (unless you pull disabled list shenanigans, like the Cubs did with David Patton), otherwise, they have to offer that player back to the original team for $25,000.

So with that super cursory primer, this news makes sense: yesterday, the Cubs added five younger guys to their 40-man roster, some of whom were added specifically to “protect” them from the Rule V draft. In theory, the additions are also the first line of call-ups during the season. The guys added: relievers John Gaub and Blake Parker, starting pitcher Rafael Dolis, catcher Welington Castillo, and outfielder James Adduci. If you’re wonder who you’re most likely to see this year, it’s probably Gaub or Parker in the bullpen at some point. Adduci could make a nice reserve outfielder eventually, and Castillo looked close to breaking out in 2008, before falling flat last year. Dolis is a talented kid, but still a bit away.

The Chicago Cubs today added five players to the 40-man roster, including left-handed pitcher John Gaub, right-handed pitchers Rafael Dolis and Blake Parker, catcher Welington Castillo and outfielder James Adduci. Chicago’s 40-man roster now stands at 38.

Gaub, 24, combined to go 4-2 with five saves, a 2.25 ERA (15 ER/60.0 IP) and a .172 (36-for-209) average against in 52 relief appearances between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. He began the year with Tennessee and went 3-1 with four saves and a 2.83 ERA (9 ER/28.2 IP) in 26 outings, and posted a 1-1 mark with one save and a 1.72 ERA (6 ER/31.1 IP) in 26 appearances with Iowa.

The six-foot-two, 200-pounder boasted a 20.0-scoreless innings streak with the I-Cubs, July 17-August 16. The southpaw was acquired by the Cubs December 31, 2008, along with right-handed pitchers Jeff Stevens and Chris Archer, for infielder Mark DeRosa. Gaub most recently went 1-1 with a 9.31 ERA (10 ER/9.2 IP) in 10 relief appearances for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.

Dolis, 21, posted a 3-9 record with a 3.79 ERA (42 ER/99.2 IP) in 27 games (25 starts) for Single-A Daytona last season after missing the entire 2008 campaign recovering from right elbow surgery. He allowed just four home runs in 99.2 innings of work and limited the opponent to a .221 batting average (78-for-353), including a .202 mark by right-handed hitters (40-for-198). The six-foot-four Dolis allowed two or fewer earned runs in 18 of his 25 starts and went 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA (3 ER/19.0 IP) in five May outings (four starts).

Dolis was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in August of 2004 and is 6-12 with a 4.13 ERA (71 ER/154.2 IP) in 46 minor league games (34 starts) since making his pro debut with Rookie-League Mesa in 2006.

Parker, 24, combined to go 2-3 with 25 saves and a 2.70 ERA (19 ER/63.1 IP) in 55 relief outings between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. The righthander spent most of the season with Iowa, where he went 2-3 with 22 saves and a 3.00 ERA (17 ER/51.0 IP) in 45 appearances after starting the campaign with no record, three saves and a 1.46 ERA (2 ER/12.1 IP) in 10 relief outings for Tennessee.

A Fayetteville, Arkansas native, Parker led the I-Cubs and ranked fifth in the Pacific Coast League with 22 saves, second-most among Iowa’s single-season leaders with Marc Pisciotta in 1997. Parker converted his final 15 save opportunities with Iowa from July 2 through the end of the season.

The six-foot-three, 225-pounder was selected by the Cubs in the 16th round of the 2006 draft. He garnered a 2-1 ledger with two saves and a 4.50 ERA (6 ER/12.0 IP) in 11 games with the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.

Castillo, 22, batted .232 (74-for-319) with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 39 RBI in 95 games for Double-A Tennessee in 2009. The right-handed batter closed out the season by batting .282 (24-for-85) in his final 27 contests dating to August 1. Behind the plate, Castillo threw out 44.4-percent of runners attempting to steal (32-of-72) and had a .990 fielding percentage (629 TC/6 E). He batted .357 (5-for-14) in four games for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League before he was shut down as a precautionary measure due to a minor right knee injury.

Castillo owns a .266 career batting average (318-for-1,196) with 60 doubles, 27 homers and 148 RBI in 354 minor league contests since he was signed by Chicago as a non-drafted free agent in December of 2004.

Adduci, 24, hit .300 (140-for-467) with 63 runs, 35 stolen bases, 21 doubles, four triples, four homers and 51 RBI in a career-high 131 games with Double-A Tennessee last season. The left-handed hitter had the third-most hits of any player in the Southern League with 140, falling short of the leader by two hits. He led the Smokies in hits, stolen bases and walks (58), while he was third in runs scored and RBI.

The six-foot-two, 210-pounder batted .394 (37-for-94) with nine doubles, 11 RBI and a .467 on-base percentage in 27 June contests. He went 37-for-109 (.339) with 46 RBI with runners in scoring position with the Smokies.

The Evergreen Park, Illinois resident was acquired from the Florida Marlins in September of 2006. Originally selected by the Marlins in the 42nd round of the 2003 draft, Adduci owns a .283 (452-for-1,598) career batting average with 89 stolen bases, 68 doubles, 12 triples, 10 homers and 187 RBI in 447 minor league contests.

written by

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

The Cubs Are Among the Most Returning-y Teams

I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...

Maybe the Cubs Are the Favorites in the NL Central, After All?

ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....

The Season Begins, Love for Morel, Counsell’s Value, and Other Cubs Bullets

You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...

Cubs vs Rangers: The First Series of the Year!

Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...

The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

I’m Expecting More This Year, Cubs — It’s Time to Start Winning

There's no way around it: The Chicago Cubs did *not* have the offseason we hoped they might after making Craig Counsell the highest paid manager in MLB history. Not that they did poorly, mind you. Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga, and...

I Dug Deep on the Cubs 2024 Schedule (And I Like What I See)

Finally, with Cody Bellinger in the fold, we can start focusing more seriously on the season ahead. So today, I thought we'd take a look at the Cubs 2024 schedule. You can flip through the Cubs 2024 schedule right here...

Here’s What I’m Betting on the Cubs for Opening Day

I get it. Sports betting isn't for everyone — like, say, the interpreter for an international baseball superstar — but some of us quite enjoy it! If you are one of those people, this article is for you. Below, I'm...

WAKE UP, BASEBALL IS BACK

The day has arrived. Opening Day. The most glorious day on the baseball calendar, save for the day of each Chicago Cubs World Series win, of course. See, I get to say things like that on Opening Day. Maybe the...

Wrigley Field is Gonna Be Lit This Year (As in New Colored Lights!)

Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...

Latest News

Top 25 College Basketball Picks and Best Bets: March 28

The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa State Cyclones hit the court in one of four games on the college basketball slate on Thursday that include a ranked team.How to Bet on Top 25 Games[lasso rel="draftkings-promo-1" id="299003"]Top 25 Games for...

What Does a Chicago Bears NFL Draft Trade Down Look Like?

You'd think we'd be well-versed in trade-back options after months of wondering what kind of haul it would take for the Bears to move off taking quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. But trading...

Diamondbacks vs. Rockies Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Arizona Diamondbacks are moneyline favorites (-230) to begin their season with a home win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, live on ARID.Zac Gallen gets the starting nod for Arizona while Kyle Freeland is Colorado's...

Mariners vs. Red Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Seattle Mariners are moneyline favorites (-162) to begin their season with a home win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, live on NESN.Luis Castillo starts for Seattle while Brayan Bello is Boston's starter for...

Guardians vs. Athletics Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Cleveland Guardians start their season as road favorites (-156) in a matchup with the Oakland Athletics on Thursday at 10:07 PM ET, live on NBCS-CA from Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.Cleveland's Shane Bieber and Oakland's Alex Wood have been named the...

Damian Lillard Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point prop, Damian Lillard must make four from downtown on Thursday, when his Milwaukee Bucks face the New Orleans Pelicans, tipping off at 8:00 PM ET.Damian Lillard's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansDamian Lillard's over/under for three-pointers...

Brook Lopez Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point prop, Brook Lopez needs to make two from downtown on Thursday, when his Milwaukee Bucks meet the New Orleans Pelicans, starting at 8:00 PM ET.Brook Lopez's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansBrook Lopez's over/under for three-pointers...

Giannis Antetokounmpo Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo make just a single 3-pointer when the Milwaukee Bucks play the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at 8:00 PM ET? If so, he'll beat his over/under for the game.Giannis Antetokounmpo's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansGiannis Antetokounmpo's...

CJ McCollum Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Bucks – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point over/under, CJ McCollum must make four from downtown on Thursday, when his New Orleans Pelicans play the Milwaukee Bucks, beginning at 8:00 PM ET.CJ McCollum's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the BucksCJ McCollum's over/under for three-pointers in...

Devils vs. Sabres Prediction: Odds, Picks, Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The New Jersey Devils are -115 on the moneyline and the Buffalo Sabres are at -105 for their game on Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.Devils vs. Sabres Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Devils (-115)Underdog: Sabres (-105)Total: 6.5Best Devils vs. Sabres Promo...

more cubs news