Cam Sanders by Dylan Heuer

Welcome to our fifth mailbag post for the 2022–2023 minor league off-season! We’re excited with all the questions that we received over the past week and we are still taking questions if you would like to get one in. You can tweet at us on Twitter, you can send us an email, or you can just put one in the comments down below.

Let’s get started!

“Do the Cubs have anyone selected in the Rule 5?”

.

Greg Huss

Although I’m sure I will mimic the words of my colleagues below, I’m going to highlight the fact that the vast majority of players selected in the Rule 5 Draft are righty bullpen arms. Yes, I am aware that there is a roster limit on how many pitchers a team can have on their roster last year, but I don’t think that will impact the Rule 5 in the way some people assume it will.

That means Cam Sanders and Danis Correa are the favorites to be selected away from the Cubs and I’ll predict that it will be Sanders that makes his way to another organization. There is still a likelihood that no Cubs are selected, especially given the large number of super talented players available. But if a Cub will be making his way to a new home, it’s gonna be Sanders.

Greg Zumach

I’ve operated under the assumption for a while that Cam Sanders will get taken and I’m sticking with it. It’s bittersweet because I’m all aboard the Sanders bullpen conversion hype train, but would also be excited to see him receive a legitimate major league opportunity. Sanders represents an ideal path for a club looking to add to its pen at an inexpensive price. Could former Cubs exec-turned-Detroit-President Scott Harris select Chase Strumpf, who was drafted by the Cubs a few months prior to Harris leaving the organization? I wouldn’t discount the possibility.

Todd Johnson

.For me, there’s a big dichotomy between what could happen and what will. The Cubs have several players that other teams could covet, but $100,000, is a pretty steep price this year. Relievers Danis Correa and Cam Sanders are two obvious, big-armed candidates that can throw close to 100. The odds of them staying on a major league roster is a different story. I could also see Darius Hill being an option for a team looking for a back up outfielder. However, the Cubs are most likely not going to lose anyone. It is highly unlikely Kohl Franklin or Luis Devers get taken especially since they’ve never pitched above class A. The most obvious choice for other teams is likely Danis Correa. Still, despite the fact that Correa sits at 98-99 with his fastball, other teams are probably looking for a prospect with a bit more….how shall I say this…a bit more of a positive track record at Triple-A. Correa has a positive track record throughout his career, but he has struggled some at Iowa. As a result, the odds of a Cub getting taken are between slim and none.

We will be back next week, maybe, with Episode 6 of our mailbag! We will see you then!

Offseason Mailbag Series
Episode 1 – Canario and Davis to Chicago
Episode 2 – Cade Horton in 2023
Episode 3 – Nazier Mule
Episode 4 – Who’s Your Guy in the Draft
Episode 5 – Rule 5 Predictions
Episode 6 – Is the System for Real
Episode 7 – Weakness