Today, the Chicago Cubs made the Mychal Givens signing official, and designated infielder Sergio Alcántara for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Givens, 31, signed for a guarantee of $5 million ($3.5 million this year, and then $1.5 million on a buyout of a mutual option for 2023 (the Cubs have increasingly used that tool to punt some of the salary a year into the future)). He’s been a late-inning reliever for a number of years, and is a pretty necessary signing for the Cubs given the many injuries. And, let’s be honest: if he’s good, he could be a flip candidate for the Cubs in July if the team is out of the race.
As for Alcántara, without any minor league options remaining, and with an increasingly crowded infield group, a DFA has been the likely outcome for a while. While a trade is theoretically possible over the next week, it’s much more likely he will hit waivers. The hope is that he’ll clear – it’s a busy time on the waiver wire right now, and a lot of teams are quite full up on their 40-man rosters – and can remain as plus-glove depth at Iowa, and maybe take another step forward with the bat. He’s just 25.