Headlines

  • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings
  • Alex Reyes To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
  • Counsell: Freddy Peralta To Miss “Significant” Time
  • Dodgers Extend Blake Treinen
  • Brewers To Place Freddy Peralta On Injured List Due To Shoulder Tightness
  • Mariners Sign Justin Upton
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Cubs Designate Mike Olt For Assignment

By Jeff Todd | August 31, 2015 at 6:28pm CDT

The Cubs have designated infielder Mike Olt for assignment, the club announced. His roster spot was needed for the acquisition of Austin Jackson, which Chicago also made official.

Olt, 27, has never regained his trajectory after topping out as a prospect that rated as high as 22nd on league-wide rankings. In the midst of a disappointing 2013 season, he was dealt to Chicago as part of a package deal that sent righty Matt Garza to the Rangers. Vision issues were noted as a cause for concern at the time, and Olt has dealt with a right wrist fracture more recently.

Last season represented Olt’s first real opportunity at the big league level, in spite of that rough 2013, but he did not make the most of it. Over 258 plate appearances, Olt swatted 12 home runs but slashed just .160/.248/.356 while striking out an even 100 times.

He cracked the Opening Day roster as Chicago’s starting third baseman, but that run was short-lived. Olt suffered the aforementioned wrist injury and was ultimately replaced, as had been expected anyway, by Kris Bryant — after the team was assured of keeping another year of future control.

Nevertheless, another team will likely be glad to take a shot on Olt’s upside. He’s always been regarded as a potentially solid defender at third base and has shown plenty of pop in his right-handed bat. And despite his struggles in relatively scant action at the big league level, Olt has hit will at Triple-A over the last two years. In 246 turns at bat there this season, he’s slashed .273/.346/.477.

Share 25 Retweet 48 Send via email0

Chicago Cubs Transactions Mike Olt

Cubs Acquire Austin Jackson
Main
MLBTR Mailbag: Carter, Cardinals, Fowler, Desmond
View Comments (12)

Comments

  1. seamaholic

    7 years ago

    Wow. I remember when the big argument was whether he or Arenado was the better prospect.

    Reply
  2. tigerbulldog13

    7 years ago

    Good add for a non-contending team to give him a shot for the last month of the season, see if a change of scenery will help. Could see Brewers, White Sox, Braves, maybe even Tigers if they are considering moving Castellanos to LF

    Reply
  3. Matt

    7 years ago

    Phillies should grab him and let him play 1st the rest of the year. Maybe a change of scenery will help him.

    Reply
  4. ilikebaseball

    7 years ago

    He’s got soft hands at 3rd, not the greatest range, but he can pick it. I predict Casey McGee 2.0 but more value with the glove.

    Reply
  5. bigh52334

    7 years ago

    Padres- definitely Padres. Preller is very familiar with Olt from his days in Texas before he was apart of the Garza deal.

    Reply
  6. Brixton

    7 years ago

    Didn’t the Phillies once say to Texas that they weren’t trading Lee there unless they got Olt back? Howard is still struggling, and Franco isn’t expected back for another 2-3 weeks. Phillies have first say on waivers.

    Reply
  7. soxcess1

    7 years ago

    I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the White Sox take a flyer on Mike Olt. They have had little success finding a solution to their third base problem in recent years. There appears to be no good options in free agency this off-season at the position which would require the White Sox to pursue a trade in order to upgrade at the hot corner since they are lacking immediate internal options in their minor league system.

    In my opinion, recently promoted infielder Tyler Saladino who has predominately been a shortstop in his minor league career has the glove but lacks the desired power to be considered a core option for the team going forward. Former top prospect Matt Davidson has been a bust at AAA since his acquisition from the Arizona Diamondbacks for then team closer Addison Reed in December of 2013. Unlike Davidson, at least Olt has shown an ability to hit successfully at the AAA level and might be worth the gamble if acquired by the White Sox in the coming days. He could audition for a spot on the team’s 2016 roster in the final 5 weeks of the regular season.

    Reply
    • Bill Smith

      7 years ago

      I will save you the trouble, the Olt audition would be a failure. IMO, sox should look into acquiring a guy like Alex Guerrero from the Dodgers. You probably could get him inexpensively and though he is at best adequate at 3rd, I think he will hit a bit if he gets everyday ABs. Though he has an opt out if traded he would likely waive it if promised the everyday role.

      Reply
      • soxcess1

        7 years ago

        As I mentioned, my suggestion was for the White Sox to take a “flyer” on Olt in the coming days and utilize him in September to see what he may offer in terms of offense and defense at a position of need. A change of scenery, reworking his approach at the plate, even further vision testing all might make a difference.

        Olt is at a crossroads in his career and the White Sox have nothing to lose at this point with limited internal options at 3B and an additional need for more power in their lineup. If he fails, then the White Sox would need to explore trade options anyway, which wouldn’t present themselves until the upcoming offseason.

        Reply
  8. Larry

    7 years ago

    Little risk for a team to pick him up and work on his approach at the plate but I don’t think he’ll ever hit big league pitching.

    Reply
  9. ChicagoSportsFan

    7 years ago

    i really fell bad for mike but im pulling out for him hope he can get things figured out mike still has time to have a good career. hopefully a team claims him change of scenery may help him

    Reply
  10. firstbleed

    7 years ago

    So glad the Brewers past on this AAAA player when Texas offered him for Greinke. Not that they got a lot from the Angels either but at least they didn’t get this guy as the centerpiece.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    2022-23 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings

    Alex Reyes To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

    Counsell: Freddy Peralta To Miss “Significant” Time

    Dodgers Extend Blake Treinen

    Brewers To Place Freddy Peralta On Injured List Due To Shoulder Tightness

    Mariners Sign Justin Upton

    Chad Green To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Orioles Promote Adley Rutschman

    Luis Gil To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Carter Kieboom To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Cardinals To Promote Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore; Tyler O’Neill To IL

    Max Scherzer Likely Out Six To Eight Weeks Due To Oblique Strain

    Chris Paddack Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

    Brandon Lowe Diagnosed With Stress Reaction, Shut Down For At Least Three Weeks

    DeGrom MRI Reveals “Continued Healing”; Still No Clear Timetable For Return

    Recent

    2022-23 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings

    Injury Notes: Civale, Ross, Odorizzi, Canning

    Yankees Place Giancarlo Stanton On Injured List

    Sign Up For The Free MLBTR Newsletter

    Cubs Outright Ildemaro Vargas

    Mets Notes: deGrom, Megill, McNeil

    Mets Acquire Daniel Johnson From Guardians

    Marlins Place Anthony Bender On 15-Day IL, Select Willians Astudillo

    Orioles Claim Chris Vallimont From Twins

    Yankees To Place Jonathan Loaisiga On IL Due To Shoulder Discomfort

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Trevor Story Rumors
    • Frankie Montas Rumors
    • Michael Conforto Rumors
    • Arbitration Tracker
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • MLB Player Chats
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version