Cubs Add Depth to Minor Leagues

On the day of the Rule 5 draft, the Chicago Cubs made three selections and one minor league signing, bolstering their depth in the minor leagues. Three selections came on the mound and the other being a bat with pitching experience. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer said that he wanted to prioritize pitching depth this season, and five of his seven  noteworthy signings this offseason have come on the mound.

Even with open spots on the Cubs 40-man roster, the Cubs opted to not select anyone in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 and instead selected RHP Adam Stone (Yankees), RHP Zane Mills (Cardinals), and UTL Devin Ortiz (Padres) in the minor league phase.

Adam Stone went undrafted out of Harvard in 2021 after throwing just 32 innings during his time in college. Multiple elbow surgeries and COVID left the right-hander with limited action prior to being signed by the Yankees. He would undergo shoulder surgery and wouldn’t make his pro debut until 2023. However, a slew of injuries would deter him from throwing until this past fall where he logged 5 ⅓ innings across 7 games in the AFL. Stone features a 97 mph heater with a slider and a changeup that work off his fastball. There is hope that the 24 year-old can be fitted for a big league uniform if he can stay on the field and develop his secondaries.

Unlike Stone, Zane Mills has thrown a lot of innings since being drafted by the Cardinals out of Washington State in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. Across 119 games, the 6’4” righty has accumulated 303 strikeouts in 368 innings. Mills has had just a cup of coffee in AAA pitching in only two games, spending most of his career in A+ and AA. His 4.43 ERA in the minor leagues doesn’t jump off the page, but his career 2.7 BB/9 and 0.9 HR/9 in the minors paired with his fastball/slider/changeup combo could be a nice depth piece.

The final player the Cubs drafted in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft is utility bat Devin Ortiz. The lack of slug has made it hard for Ortiz to progress through the minor leagues, making it to only AA in his fourth minor league season. Ortiz will take his walks (career .339 OBP) and doesn’t strikeout at an alarming rate (22% K rate) but as mentioned, the power he showed in college has not materialized in the minor leagues (.312 SLG and 13 HR in 321 minor league games).

While these numbers are underwhelming, Ortiz was once an accomplished pitcher, and possibly could make a return to the mound. Mainly working as a reliever in college, Ortiz pitched 34 times across four seasons and flashed major strikeout potential. In his 71.1 innings at Virginia, he punched out 89 and only walked 19 and finished with an ERA of 2.78.

The final move the Cubs made on the day of the Rule 5 draft was to sign former Mariner and Royal Collin Snider to a minor league deal. Snider has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons and compiled a career ERA of 4.48 in 128 games. Snider’s best work came in 2024 where in 42 games with the Mariners, the Vanderbilt product had an ERA under 2 (1.94) and punched out 47 in 41 ⅔ innings. The righty has a low arm slot and limits walks and gets hitters to chase out of the zone. He features a five pitch mix that is headlined by a heater in the low 90’s, a low 80’s sweeper, and a cutter that sits in the high 80’s. Snider will also mix in a slurve and sinker to keep hitters honest. The Cubs are known for their love of cutters and cut-ride fastballs such as Justin Steele and Cade Horton, and Snider is no exception.

The Cubs have added their fair share of pitching depth to the organization so far this offseason and don’t look to be slowing down after adding three arms in one day. With the Cubs still in search of that frontline starter to pair with rookie sensation Cade Horton, the Cubs are making sure that the depth behind the rotation will be ready when called upon and could be the key to a run at the Commissioner’s Trophy this upcoming fall.