Cubs Add Owen Caissie, Ben Cowles, Cut Brennen Davis and Adbert Alzolay

[Jacob Zanolla]

Tuesday marked the deadline to protect players from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. In order to be protected, an otherwise eligible player has to be placed on the 40-man roster. The Cubs began the day with that roster full, which means in order to add players, changes had to be made.

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The no-brainer add was Owen Caissie, the 34th-best prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline. Caissie finished the year in Triple-A Iowa and was a top candidate to be promoted to Chicago. His contact skills come and go, but the raw power is unreal. On top of that, his defense has significantly improved. As of right now, there isn’t a clear spot for him on the active roster. The odds are that he’ll start the season in Iowa, ready to be called up if and when an injury occurs. Caissie’s promotion wasn’t a surprise, but it’s exciting to see him finally get some more recognition. He’s been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, of course, but for now, this was an automatic move.

Ben Cowles was the second player to have his contract selected, even though he only played four games in Double-A with the Cubs. Chicago acquired Cowles in July, along with Jack Neely. Cowles was injured before the trade, and Jed Hoyer knew that. It’s a testament to Cowles and his talent that Hoyer was still willing to trade for him, even though there was a risk that the injury would hinder his abilities. Cowles was able to appear in a few games for the Tennessee Smokies before heading to the Arizona Fall League, where he played in 19 games. The returns from the desert weren't pretty, and there was a chance Cowles could have been kept without adding him to the 40-man. Because he controls the strike zone well and has some versatility, though, it was plausible that a team would pluck him in the Rule 5. The front office decided it was worth a roster spot to thwart that risk, and since they're likely to non-tender an infielder (Nick Madrigal, perhaps?) Friday anyway, it cost relatively little to give Cowles the bump.

Since the roster was full to begin the day, two players had to be designated for assignment to make room for Caissie and Cowles. Adbert Alzolay and Brennen Davis drew the short straws, with their time in Chicago coming to an end (for now). 

Alzolay only appeared in 18 games with the Cubs in 2024, posting a 4.67 ERA and 7.38 FIP. After having such a successful 2023, the lackluster performance to begin this season was quite surprising. The team quickly realized Alzolay was injured, and he had Tommy John surgery in August. At first, they tried to find ways around it, but they couldn’t escape the inevitable. Alzolay was set to earn around $2.3 million in arbitration, and is unlikely to pitch at all in 2025. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cubs try to bring him back on a minor-league deal, letting him rehab before potentially appearing in Chicago again. 

The second player to be cut loose stings the most, with the former top prospect Davis finally running out of time to get some runway. Davis was one of the top prospects in baseball before the pandemic. After the lost season in 2020, though, injuries plagued Davis for the next three years. He seemed to be making a comeback earlier this year, with 11 home runs in 55 games. His success didn’t last long, as he suffered a back injury in early July and then broke his lower leg on Sept. 10. Davis is one of the prime examples that prospects are never guaranteed. His downfall had nothing to do with a lack of skill, but instead the fact that he couldn’t ever stay healthy. He is also a candidate to be brought back on a minor-league deal, although probably less likely than Alzolay. 

More roster churn looms for the Cubs, this week and beyond. Tuesday marked a step toward the future, however, with Caissie creeping toward a major role in Chicago and some long-time hopes flickering out.

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