Pitching Prospect Chris Clarke Returned to the Cubs from the Mariners

The Chicago Cubs lost pitching prospect Chris Clarke in the Rule 5 Draft to the Seattle Mariners, who were trying to see if he could make the jump from the Double-A rotation to the big league bullpen.

Now the Cubs have un-lost him, because he isn’t making the Mariners:

Clarke, 24, was the Cubs’ 4th rounder in 2019, and posted a 4.64 ERA last year over 120.1 innings split between High-A and Double-A. The peripherals were much better, though, as he struck out 21.0% and walked just 4.8%. His FIP was 3.80.

Clarke appeared in seven games for the Mariners this spring (6.2 IP), allowing four earned runs on eight hits and two walks. He struck out six.

I expect the Cubs are happy to get Clarke back, so they can have another year of seeing him develop as starting pitching depth. And perhaps the experience in a big league spring training will aid in that development. Note that, in accepting Clarke back, the Cubs had to give up $50,000 of the $100,000 they received from the Mariners for the pick. So the Cubs definitely did want Clarke back.