Cubs trade pitching prospect to Astros |
Dustin Riese
· · 1 hour ago
Twas the Friday before the Winter Meetings, and the Chicago Cubs are still patiently awaiting to make their first big move of the offseason. While that can be said of most teams, apart from the Toronto Blue Jays, we have seen this story before, as the Cubs sure like to take a patient approach to the offseason.
Sometimes patience works in their favor, as you saw with Cody Bellinger a few years back, but there are also times when patience has killed this team, and they have missed out on some key targets. At some point, you need to be aggressive by going to get the guy you want, but that just isn't how Tom Ricketts operates anymore, so it ties the hands of Jed Hoyer and what he can do. While the Winter Meetings are when most feel the offseason officially kicks off, the Cubs have made some small moves since the start of the offseason, and that continued on Thursday as the Cubs and Astros came to what is often considered a minor trade. Going the Astros' way is Cubs Rule 5 candidate Nico Zeglin in exchange for International Free Agent Pool Money, $250,000 worth of it. Unlike the MLB free agent system, where teams can virtually spend as much money as possible, the International Free Agency system ties teams to a maximum amount of cash that they can spend. Should you go over that number, it can affect you in the coming season, so adding more cash gives the Cubs the option to add even more International pieces next year. With the current period set to close on December 15, the implication of this trade is that the Cubs already know who they are going to sign with this money, and just needed to get enough bonus pool space to be permitted to do it, so that could be something to watch on the Transaction wire in the coming days. Diving back into Zeglin for a bit, the 6-4 right-hander is looking to take the next step in his career after being unprotected from the Rule 5 draft. An undrafted free agent in 2024 out of Long Beach State University and Gonzaga, Zeglin showed plenty of potential during his time with the Cubs, as he emerged as one of the better relievers to close out the 2024 season. While playing for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2024 and South Bend Cubs in 2024, Zeglin was about as dominant as you can be, appearing in 25 games (4 starts) and tossing 64 combined innings. While his 7-0 record was impressive enough, so was his 0.95 ERA, as Zeglin was about as dominant as you can be for half the Minor League season. That included a 0.33 ERA during his time with South Bend, as it became automatic that Zeglin would come into the game and toss zeros no matter how many innings he threw. Other things to take note of that season were his overall command: he walked 16 in 64 innings and struck out 90, positioning him to be a major contributor to the Cubs' Minor League system in 2025. Instead, Zeglin was injured in the spring and never pitched a game in 2025, killing the momentum he had built leading up to that point. Based on what he did in 2024, you can see his potential, but that was something the Cubs couldn't bank on when you look at their other arms in the system and thus chose not to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Instead of losing him for nothing during the Rule 5 draft, the Cubs, at the very least, got something for him, as that International Cash is going to come in handy. He will likely be a relief-only prospect at one point, but one who is ready to take the Astros organization by storm. Best of luck to Zeglin and his next step.
