2 days Ago By Ron Luce, On Tap Sports Net
The Chicago Cubs continued their way through important deadlines on Tuesday. As the month of November persists, a series of league deadlines have come and gone. On Tuesday, teams needed to add Rule 5 Draft-eligible players to their 40-man roster if they wanted to protect them come the Winter Meetings.
For the Cubs, a pair of youngsters were added to the 40-man roster at the cost of some familiar faces. Per numerous reports, outfielder Owen Caissie and infielder Ben Cowles were added to the Cubs' 40-man roster, protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft in December. However, to free up those two roster spots, the Cubs parted ways with right-hander Adbert Alzolay and outfielder Brennen Davis.
The #Cubs today selected the contracts of OF Owen Caissie from @IowaCubs and INF Ben Cowles from @smokiesbaseball . To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Adbert Alzolay and OF Brennen Davis have been designated for assignment. The 40-man roster now stands at 40 players.
Reports of Alzolay's designation for assignment rang through the rumor mill earlier in the afternoon on Tuesday. The pitcher will likely miss the entire 2025 season as he recovers from Tommy John Surgery. That said, the Cubs could certainly bring him back if he clears waivers with a minor-league deal.
The organization did the same thing with RHP Ethan Roberts while he was returning from the same major setback as Alzolay. Alzolay's dismissal came as a surprise to many Cubs fans, but given his lack of availability, the move makes perfect sense. As for Brennen Davis' departure, the move is a heartbreaking one.
Once a top prospect in the organization, Davis showed signs of stardom. However, insanely odd injuries resulted in Davis constantly missing games, ultimately leading to his fall on the prospect lists and in the eyes of the club. Now, Davis has a chance to find a new home, and hopefully he gets another look.
The talent is there, the injuries are the culprit in this move. Caissie's addition to the 40-man is a no-brainer. The 22-year-old had a splendid 2024 campaign with Triple-A Iowa, slashing .
278/.375/.472 with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs.
Although Caissie's name as been thrown around in hypothetical trades this winter, he is far too valuable of a prospect to expose to the Rule 5 Draft. Caissie is currently the Cubs' No. 2-ranked prospect and No.
34 overall in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. As for Cowles, the infielder was acquired at the trade deadline in 2024 as a part of the Mark Leiter Jr. trade .
That same trade also netted the Cubs reliever Jack Neely, who made six appearances with the Cubs in 2024. Although returning from an injury, the Cubs clearly like the former New York Yankees farmhand, leading to his addition to the 40-man roster. This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.
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