The Chicago Cubs recently signed lefty Ben Holmes after the Driveline Pro Day, but he isn’t the only recent “prospect-type” minor league signing for the Cubs.
The Cubs have also signed former Mets prospect Jose Moreno:
According to Baseball America, the Jose Moreno that last played in the Mets organization became a free agent in November, so I wonder if this is him or just a new amateur FA.
But the guy who pitched in Low-A for the Mets in 2019 sounds intriguing:https://t.co/ieZAdS3wzV https://t.co/Wa9HME0WQs
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) February 28, 2021
Moreno, 24, was an international signing for the Mets back in 2014, and finally reached A-ball in 2019 – it can take a while for IFAs. There, he posted a 2.28 ERA over 37 appearances (43.1 innings) in relief. The peripherals suggest he was a guy who was really hard to hit, but was also probably really wild. He’s listed at 6’4″ and 165 lbs, which, wow. That is a long and lanky young man. Wonder if those are old numbers.
The Amazin Avenue write-up that Bryan linked in his tweet is effusive in praise of Moreno, albeit based on how he and his stuff looked back in 2018. Harder to say where things stand now, and you’ll note that the Mets did not retain him in free agency.
So, you can look at the signing as a pure scouting play (and an arm to replace recently-traded Zach Bryant). Moreno hasn’t pitched competitively since that stint in 2019, so who knows what you’re going to get developmentally. But if the stuff is good he looks good physically, why not take a shot in a new farm system? It already looked like he was progressing well as a could-be-a-good-relief-prospect type in 2019, so just keep it going.