NEWSLETTER
Today the Chicago Cubs announced that they’ve come to terms on deals for all 22 of the pre-arbitration players on their 40-man roster.
Recall, players who don’t yet qualify for arbitration (i.e., fewer than three years service time and also not enough for Super Two status) are subject to team control at any price tag so long as it meets the Major League minimum salary. Typically, teams offer their players who have big league experience a touch more than the minimum, based on a formula, and the team and player agree to that deal. That’s what happened here with the Cubs, as I *think* has happened every year in recent memory.
By contrast, sometimes a team and a player cannot agree on a deal, and the team simply “renews” the player at whatever price they choose to pay (usually it’s what they offered in the first place, and the whole thing is just symbolic). This happens sometimes when a player feels the team is treating him unfairly with what they’re offering, and he would rather risk being renewed than say that the offer is acceptable. He’s got no actual leverage in that situation, so that’s what makes it symbolic. But it can be ugly. You do not want it to get to that point, and the Cubs have historically been one of the better-paying teams on their pre-arb players.
The official team release:
The Chicago Cubs have agreed to 2023 contract terms with 22 players on their 40-man roster with zero-to-three years of major league service. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
The following players have agreed to 2023 contract terms:
Right-handed pitchers Adbert Alzolay, Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Jeremiah Estrada, Ryan Jensen, Caleb Kilian, Julian Merryweather, Ethan Roberts, Michael Rucker, Keegan Thompson, and Hayden Wesneski, as well as left-handed pitchers Brandon Hughes and Justin Steele.
Infielders Miles Mastrobuoni, Zach McKinstry, Christopher Morel, and Patrick Wisdom.
Catcher Miguel Amaya.
Outfielders Kevin Alcántara, Alexander Canario, Brennen Davis and Nelson Velázquez.
