You can expect to see these deals trickling in over the next month or so (well, normally, anyway, but there’s always the possibility that the high-end free agent market holds up the lower tier, which holds up the minor league vet tier, which holds up the true minor league signing tier), as the Cubs add a variety of minor leaguers for the coming season.
The Cubs have reportedly signed former Red Sox minor leaguer Ryan Court to a minor league contract for 2018. Court, 29, was a Diamondbacks draft pick back in 2011, and ultimately joined the Red Sox organization at AA in 2016 by way of an independent ball stint in 2015. He played at AAA last year for the Red Sox, hitting .263/.347/.410 (113 wRC+) while playing basically every position on the field.
Court will head to AAA Iowa to serve in a utility role there, and be available in case of emergency at the big league level. He’s the kind of guy a good organization has to have around, even if you do not necessarily expect him to be a big league contributor in 2018.
Point in fact, the Cubs may yet add a couple more veteran minor leaguers in this mold before Spring Training rolls around. If Mike Freeman returns, and if Chesny Young continues in that role, too, the Cubs could actually have a plethora of utility options before dipping into the group of potential big league veterans who may wind up having to take a minor league deal.