The Cubs added four minor league players to complete their 40 man roster.
Second baseman Logan Watkins, the Cubs Minor League Player of the Year, right-handed pitcher Trey McNutt, infielder Christian
Villanueva (who came from Texas in the Dempster trade) and right-handed pitcher Robert Whitenack were added to the
Cubs' roster.
Watkins, 23, a 21st-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft,
batted .281 for Tennessee and finished second in the league in walks and
triples. He led the league in runs scored (93) and compiled a 13-game
hitting streak in June, collecting seven multihit games in that stretch.
McNutt, 23, has been considered a top prospect since he went 10-1 with a
2.48 ERA in 2010 for Class A Peoria, Daytona and Tennessee. In 2011, he
was 5-6 with a 4.55 ERA in 23 games for the Smokies, and this season,
went 9-8 with a 4.26 ERA in 34 games (17 starts).
Villanueva, 21, was acquired from the Rangers in the Ryan Dempster deal
in July, and batted .279 for Class A Myrtle Beach and Daytona combined,
with 14 home runs, 24 doubles and 68 RBIs. He was playing for Obregon in
the Mexican Winter League. He began his Cubs career by hitting a home
run in each of his first two at-bats in his first game with Daytona.
An eighth-round pick in 2009, Whitenack, who turned 24 on Tuesday, has
been slowed after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2011. He began the
2011 season 7-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 11 starts between Daytona and
Tennessee, earning Southern League All-Star honors, before he was
sidelined with an elbow injury.
Major league teams must protect players first signed at age 18 on the 40 man roster within five years or they become eligible to be drafted by other
organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years old
are to be protected within four years.
At the winter meetings, clubs can pay $50,000 to select a player in the Rule 5 Draft
If
that player doesn't stay on the 25-man roster for the full season, he
must be offered back to his former team for $25,000.
The Cubs selected pitcher Lendy Castillo from the Phils in the last Rule 5 draft. By all accounts, Castillo was a reach by the Cubs. In 2011, Castillo pitched in A ball. He appeared in 21 games, with a record of 4-2, 2.54 ERA in 46 IP. For the Cubs, Castillo had to remain on the major league roster. He was hid in the bullpen and appeared in only 13 games, going 0-1 with 7.88 ERA and 2.250 WHIP. He spent most of the season on the disabled list. But he is now a Cub property. That is the risk-reward of taking a young player with a live arm.
Two players left unprotected by the Cubs may get drafted by other clubs. Right-hander pitcher Nick Struck, who was
the organization's 2012 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, was left unprotected. Struck, 23, started 26 games in AA in 2012. He went 14-10, 3.18 ERA in 155.2 IP, with 123 K and 44 BB, and 1.182 WHIP. Some may question why Whitenack was protected over Struck.
Also unprotected is Frank Batista, 23,
who converted 23 of his first 24 save opportunities for Tennessee. A
Southern League All-Star, he compiled a 2.22 ERA in 43 games, but did
struggle in a brief stint with Triple-A Iowa, posting a 5.87 ERA in six
games. If the Cubs are trying to move Marmol in the off-season, they need to develop a new closer.
The 40 man roster is the foundation for the major league team. The Cubs foundation currently stands as follows:
Pitchers (21): Baker, Beliveau, Bowden, Cabrera, Camp, Castillo, Chapman, Coleman, Concepcion, Dolis, Garza, Marmol, McNutt, Putnam, Raley, Rusin, Russell, Samardzija, Vizcaino, Whitenack and Wood.
Catchers (3): Castillo, Clevenger, Navarro
Infielders (9): Barney, Castro, Lake, Rizzo, Stewart, Valbuena, Villanueva, Vitters and Watkins.
Outfielders (7) : Campana, DeJesus, B. Jackson, Sappelt, Soler, Soriano and Szczur.
