Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner Among 19 Cubs Players to Agree on 2020 Contracts
The Cubs announced Monday that they have agreed to 2020 contract terms with 19 players on their 40-man roster with 0-3 years of major league service. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed, though some information had begun to trickle out as of post time. Keep in mind that this is all procedural stuff since these players are under their rookie deals and are not eligible for arbitration or free agency.
Among those to agree to deals were right-handed pitchers Adbert Alzolay, Dillon Maples, Trevor Megill, Tyson Miller, Alec Mills, James Norwood, Colin Rea, Manuel Rodríguez, Casey Sadler, Duane Underwood Jr. and Rowan Wick.
Left-handed pitchers Justin Steele and Brad Wieck also solidified their contracts, as did catchers Miguel Amaya and Victor Caratini. Infielders Robel García, Nico Hoerner and Zack Short, along with outfielder Ian Happ, all buttoned things up.
Most of these deals at the MLB level are for the rookie minimum of $563,500, but Mark Gonzales of the Tribune reported that Happ will earn $624,000 and Caratini will get $592,000. Bryan Smith of Bleacher Nation tweeted out another interesting note about Rodríguez, who left Sunday’s game early with what the club said was right biceps discomfort.
Should an MRI reveal something serious, the Cubs can’t option him and will need to place him on the MLB injured list. In addition to accruing service time, he’ll be earning an MLB salary during the time he’s on the IL. It’s never good to be injured, but that’s not a bad deal for him.
A note here. The Cubs cannot option Manny Rodriguez to the minors if he’s injured. So if this bicep injury is deemed a longer term injury, he would be placed on the MLB IL, accruing service time and making the MLB split of his contract for his missed time. https://t.co/GwI7zXrOab
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) March 2, 2020
