Cubs close out 2025 IFA period with a flurry of signings |
Dustin Riese
· · 2 hours ago
While the Cubs may not be making the offseason moves fans want, they haven't been as quiet as some might think. Sure, apart from their relief pickups and retaining both Shota Imanaga and Colin Rea, the Cubs have remained one of the quieter teams this offseason, with most of their work coming on the Minor League front.
That shouldn't surprise anyone when you look at how the Cubs have gone about the business in recent seasons, as building up Minor League depth is just as important to them as filling up their roster. Not only have the Cubs added to their organization on the Minor League front, but they have also remained extremely active on the IFA (International Free Agent) front, which continued on Monday. On the final day of the 2025 International Free Agent Period, the Cubs not only added to their roster, but did so in a big way, as five new players are set to join the organization. Four of them can already be seen on the transaction page, while one has yet to become official on the transaction page but has already been reported in baseball circles. Focusing on the names that have been reported already, you have LHP Fenuel James, RHP Ruben Torres, RHP Esmerbin Guerrero, and Catcher Johan Gomez. Starting with James, the 22-year-old is seen as a relief-only prospect, listed at 5-10 and 172 pounds. That is an extremely thin frame for any pitcher, but look for him to fill out once he gets into the Cubs organization. At this point, there isn't a lot to go off of when it comes to James, but we do know he has a terrific fastball that can touch 94 MPH with movement. That must be the pitch the Cubs noticed when scouting him, as they tend to gravitate toward one specific pitch when adding young arms. Moving to the right-handers, and we will kick things off with Torres, who is also an extremely thin-framed pitcher who checks in at 5-11, but only 149 pounds. Guerrero is the most physically ready for the professional level among the pitchers, as he checks in at 6-0 and 170 pounds. With little to no information on any of these guys, it's not worth diving too deeply into them, as they will be long-term projects for this organization. Moving to the position prospects, Gomez is the last of the names officially listed as a free-agent pickup. Similar in stature to Moises Ballesteros at 5-9 and 186 pounds, Gomez will be interesting to watch as he translates to the professional level, as he is also a long-term project. Now, it's time to dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to late pickups by the Cubs, and although he isn't officially listed yet, all signs indicate that he and the Cubs have agreed to a deal. When it was reported that Nico Zeglin was traded from the Cubs to the Astros for IFA money, many felt a big move was coming. That would be accurate, as the Cubs used the 250K they received from the Astros, plus some more, to land third baseman Bryant Ciriaco, whom they won over from both the Yankees and the Reds organizations. The newest Cubhttps://t.co/5Qn0YXrRpE Listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds, the 18-year-old infielder has already started to fill out frame-wise, but has more growing to do as his potential is through the roof. Known for being one of the best power hitters in his class, Bryant is a low-risk, high-potential guy that the Cubs are going to be patient with, but also are putting plenty of stock into. Given the Cubs' luck on International signings, or should we say their lack of luck, it would be nice for them to hit on someone in the near future, and Ciriaco could be the one, as he, too, is set to debut for one of the two DSL Cubs squads in 2026. Now that these moves are complete, the Cubs can sit back and focus on the rest of their offseason, as the 2026 IFA period won't begin until January 15.
