The Cubs signed five players to minor-league contracts earlier this week. Outfielder Rafael Ortega, right-hander Jake Jewell, catcher Taylor Gushue and left-hander Jerry Vasto are all joining the organization, relays Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. (Marc Delucchi had previously reported Vasto’s signing). Additionally, outfielder Ian Miller has re-signed with Chicago, as noted by MLB.com’s transactions tracker.
The pair of outfielders are probably the most notable players involved. Miller was once a decently-regarded speed/defense prospect in the Mariners’ system. The 28-year-old has logged 18 MLB plate appearances between the Twins and Cubs over the past two seasons. Ortega has seen big league time in four seasons, picking up 447 plate appearances between the Rockies, Angels, Marlins and Braves. The 29-year-old has a career .229/.287/.290 slash line.
Jewell tossed 28.1 relief innings for the 2018-19 Angels. He got knocked around for a 6.99 ERA/6.67 FIP despite mid-90’s velocity. The 27-year-old made it into the Giants’ 60-man player pool in 2020 but didn’t see any MLB action. Similarly, Gushue got to the Nationals’ alternate training site this summer but never made the majors. The former fourth-rounder has a career .240/.309/.396 line in six minor-league seasons. Vasto, 28, pitched in six MLB games with the Rockies and Royals in 2018. He hasn’t seen any game action since, having spent all of 2019 on the minor-league injured list.
Blow it up!
Dumpster divin’ (what’s the new guy’s name?) !
How’s the Labooza thing working out? Even when they let the fans back in you still won’t break your attendance record that you set in 2020 with cardboard cut outs…unless you count dog day. Maybe you should come up with a show your GED certificate day? You’d pack the place!
ChiSoxCity, put that Tony La Russa love doll away. ChiSox_Fan is too immature for it.
Oh yeah… Uncle Jed!!
Regularly scheduled random hoard of minor league deals that go absolutely nowhere for the Cubs.
as happens with every team.
Absolutely
Jerry Vasto is a guy who has a shot as a LOOGY role. Nothing special but has a nice mix of pitches.
3 batter minimum has all but eliminated the loogy
Wait so where’s Schwarber’s deal
Whenever the manager called out Taylor’s last name, the whole bench said “Gesundheit”!
Miller it seems has been around forever.
The Cubs and Jays should do business together on the pitching side. Hendricks should bring a ton in return.
The Hendricks contract is too good to trade. Cubs need to jettison big dollars.
Signing Heyward for the amount they did when they did handcuffed them, similar to what happened with the cardinals and signing Fowler.
No way Cubs trade Hendricks, the position player contracts will be traded, not cost controlled reliable starting pitching they are starved for, this is what went wrong in Chicago, why they didn’t win more than 1 world series. They had the pieces of a dynasty at the core, but lacked the cost controlled reliable starting pitching. If they had that they would have been the same as the Red Sox, and Giants from the past decades.
Few last pickups for dumpster diving Theo. Lol
If I was a Cubs fan id love that dumpster diver, at least he wasn’t banging the trash can instead
Cubs Lol
What’s really frightening to me are these networks that broadcast these games also want you to place bets now. Widespread gambling, should signify the death of society, like the 1920s are giving way to the 1930s right now. Somebody tell me did Taft just get elected President?
You filed this under the wrong section
Porn belongs on west coast or east coast headlines, right next to the public ban on churches and synagogues
Daft elected president
Hmmm daft punk?
When you load up on 28 yo minor leaguers your system is simply awful. It’s going to be a looooong rebuild
for the north-siders as Theo leaves them in a lurch. One has to wonder if Ricketts told Theo to scram before he was fired?