Two more Chicago Cubs players were taken off the 40-man roster today, with each of Esteban Quiroz and Jared Young clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A Iowa.
Like Narciso Crook, who was outrighted yesterday, I believe each of Quiroz and Young have enough minor league service time to qualify for minor league free agency. So even though they have been outrighted to Triple-A, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Cubs get to keep them. I’ll update that as soon as I’m sure.
In other words, the Cubs may have to try to sign these guys to a new minor league deal if they want them around heading into Spring Training.
Young, 27, had a big offensive year in 2021 at Double-A, but couldn’t duplicate it at Triple-A. He got a looksee in the big leagues as injuries required, but was never likely to stick on the 40-man roster all offseason. He has power, offers positional versatility in the corners and even at second base. A nice guy to have in your organization, and I do hope the Cubs can keep him.
Quiroz, 30, was injured for most of the year, but also got a late-season looksee. The sample was too small to draw any conclusions, but you could maybe see the outline of a decent bench option there. Unfortunately he’s probably limited to playing second base, and, turning 31 in February, his window to become a contributor is shrinking. Because he’s always raked in the minors, he won’t have trouble finding a minor league deal – maybe from the Cubs, maybe not – or maybe he goes overseas to get paid.
We’ll see what happens with these guys. In the meantime, the Cubs’ 40-man roster is down to 34. The deadline to add eligible prospects to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft is Tuesday.