Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 8-24-25

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Scheduled Games (Central Time):

Iowa vs. Sugar Land, 1:08 pm
Knoxville vs. Montgomery (game one), 12:00 pm
Knoxville vs. Montgomery (game two), TBD
South Bend vs. Cedar Rapids, 1:05 pm
Myrtle Beach vs. Charleston, 3:05 pm

Probable Starters:

Iowa: RHP Antonio Santos
Knoxville (game one): RHP Jaxon Wiggins
Knoxville (game two): TBD
South Bend: RHP Yenrri Rojas
Myrtle Beach: TBD

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Good recovery from Wiggins after walking the first two batters.

[Donzo]

Excellent.

Projected to start next Saturady, probably looking for five innings... Wondering, if he continues to excell in Tennessee, he ends the season in Iowa.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[Rcal10]

13 minutes ago, Donzo said:

Excellent.

Projected to start next Saturady, probably looking for five innings... Wondering, if he continues to excell in Tennessee, he ends the season in Iowa.

Maybe the MLB pen of the Cubs? 

[Jason Ross]

29 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Maybe the MLB pen of the Cubs? 

Highly, highly unlikely at this stage. He looked rusty today - not terrible but rusty. He's also not on the 40-man roster and the Cubs are already playing the up/down game with Javier Assad and Mike Soroka will return. Both of those pitchers will be on the roster. The Cubs would probably need a rash of injuries and a few IL-60 candidates to call him up. 

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Man, next year’s rotation could be fun whenever Wiggins is ready and Steele is healthy.

[Donzo]

48 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Maybe the MLB pen of the Cubs? 

It just doesn't make sense this year; @Jason Ross broke it down pretty good.

Also, he's never been a reliever for the Cubs. I remember him coming in one game for MB, but they used LHRP Chase Watkins as opener, for some reason, and I think Wiggins came in the 3rd inning. If I remember correctly he wasn't very good that game.

I'd put him on the Horton path. If he can stack 4-8 good starts next year in Iowa, he'll be starting early next year for Chicago.

[Rcal10]

29 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

Highly, highly unlikely at this stage. He looked rusty today - not terrible but rusty. He's also not on the 40-man roster and the Cubs are already playing the up/down game with Javier Assad and Mike Soroka will return. Both of those pitchers will be on the roster. The Cubs would probably need a rash of injuries and a few IL-60 candidates to call him up. 

I know. More wishful thinking than anything else. Wouldn’t mind seeing another guy coming out of the pen with upper 90’s to low 100’s. I know they would have to do a lot of maneuvering to make it happen and it is very unlikely. 

[Rcal10]

2 minutes ago, Donzo said:

It just doesn't make sense this year; @Jason Ross broke it down pretty good.

Also, he's never been a reliever for the Cubs. I remember him coming in one game for MB, but they used LHRP Chase Watkins as opener, for some reason, and I think Wiggins came in the 3rd inning. If I remember correctly he wasn't very good that game.

I'd put him on the Horton path. If he can stack 4-8 good starts next year in Iowa, he'll be starting early next year for Chicago.

I agree. As I said in the post I was writing as you sent this, I was more wishful thinking. 

[Rcal10]

19 minutes ago, Bobson Dugnutt said:

Man, next year’s rotation could be fun whenever Wiggins is ready and Steele is healthy.

Still hope they add a MOR arm. But sure, Boyd, Steele, Imanaga, Horton, Wiggins and even Tallion wouldn’t be a bad group. Injuries happen and Steele and Wiggins probably won’t be here until June (Wiggins on an innings limit) so the more pitchers they can get the better. 

[Donzo]

16 minutes ago, Bobson Dugnutt said:

Man, next year’s rotation could be fun whenever Wiggins is ready and Steele is healthy.

A July 2026 starting rotation of 1: Imanaga, 2: Horton, 3: Boyd, 4: Steele and 5: Wiggins would be somethin'.

 

[Donzo]

Sanders with a rough game for Iowa.  I was hoping he'd be better in AAA, but he's do well. He's on a good track.

For some reason I think he's older, but he's only 23. He was a 4th round pick in 2023, Wiggins was the 2nd round pick... 2023 is looking like a nice draft for the Cubs.

[Tryptamine]

44 minutes ago, Bobson Dugnutt said:

Man, next year’s rotation could be fun whenever Wiggins is ready and Steele is healthy.

Steele/Shota/Horton/Taillon/Wiggins has the potential to be ridiculously deep. If Brown ever puts it together it's almost an embarrassment of riches.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

9 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Steele/Shota/Horton/Taillon/Wiggins has the potential to be ridiculously deep. If Brown ever puts it together it's almost an embarrassment of riches.

+Boyd

[craig]

1 hour ago, Jason Ross said:

Highly, highly unlikely at this stage. He looked rusty today - not terrible but rusty. He's also not on the 40-man roster and the Cubs are already playing the up/down game with Javier Assad and Mike Soroka will return. Both of those pitchers will be on the roster. The Cubs would probably need a rash of injuries and a few IL-60 candidates to call him up. 

Haven't word anything about Soroka.  Are you anticipating him being back this season?  I've just kinda totally forgotten he existed, and assumed his Cub career was done. Have also forgotten about Morgan, but he pitched today, his second outing.  he's got options, though, so no problem keeping him down.  

I also tend to forget the new September roster rules exist.  Not like old days with a handful of added guys possible.  With just one extra pitcher, I've been kinda hoping for Assad to replace Wicks, and then add a re-calibrated Hodge, and that's it.  

No Wicks, no Soroka, no Morgan, no Pearson, no Brasier in my ideal September expanded roster.  .

Edited August 24, 2025 by craig

[Donzo]

5 minutes ago, craig said:

Haven't word anything about Soroka.

The Cubs give good updates on injured players. If his shoulders is OK, he'll be back in a few weeks and ready for the playoffs.

Edited August 24, 2025 by Donzo

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I feel like I've never seen him throw his other pitches because he's just throwing everything by the Southern League guys.

[Jason Ross]

21 minutes ago, craig said:

Haven't word anything about Soroka.  Are you anticipating him being back this season?  I've just kinda totally forgotten he existed, and assumed his Cub career was done. Have also forgotten about Morgan, but he pitched today, his second outing.  he's got options, though, so no problem keeping him down.  

I also tend to forget the new September roster rules exist.  Not like old days with a handful of added guys possible.  With just one extra pitcher, I've been kinda hoping for Assad to replace Wicks, and then add a re-calibrated Hodge, and that's it.  

No Wicks, no Soroka, no Morgan, no Pearson, no Brasier in my ideal September expanded roster.  .

Mike Soroka was an awesome reliever last year and way under played his xData this year in Washington likely due to their pathetic defense. Do you think the Chicago Cubs gave up an interesting pair of prospects for a player they don't expect on the MLB playoff roster? C'mon. Also that's a very weird list. Soroka was acquired for real capital, Eli Morgan is on the IL-60 and has been hurt all year, Nate Pearson has been awful and barely been on the MLB roster since April and Ryan Braiser is a perfectly fine, if unexceptional RH reliever. Two of those guys have 0-shot, and the other two are very likely.

The time table on Soroka sounds like it will happen sometime in September. He was out playing catch on the field a week ago and I suspect we're closer to a rehab assignment than we realize. 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[Bobson Dugnutt]

1 hour ago, Rcal10 said:

Still hope they add a MOR arm. But sure, Boyd, Steele, Imanaga, Horton, Wiggins and even Tallion wouldn’t be a bad group. Injuries happen and Steele and Wiggins probably won’t be here until June (Wiggins on an innings limit) so the more pitchers they can get the better. 

Agreed, but I wonder how seriously they pursue one. They have a $6 million option on Rea. Would it be too surprising if their April/May plan was the quintet they’re currently sending out there with Wiggins and Steele as midseason reinforcements?
 

I don’t love how quickly they’d need to dip into Wicks/Assad/Brown territory (depending on which of them is still in the org) if there’s an early season injury, but come June/July, that’s a strong group.

[Donzo]

14 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

I feel like I've never seen him throw his other pitches because he's just throwing everything by the Southern League guys.

The video had two Ks. The 2nd one looked a 99mph 4-seamer. The first one was something different. He has a good slider and changeup, but that first K kinda looked like curveball.

[Tryptamine]

12 minutes ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

 

I'm really stuck on how I fee about Balleteros right now. I have very little doubt that he wont be an above average MLB hitters, but he's much more likely to be a DH than a catcher at this point and while I think he'll hit for good average, have a good obp, I don't know if there's enough power currently to say he's more than a 20-25 HR bat. I kind of see his 90th percentile outcome as like a .275/.360/.450 guy which is really nice and all, but it's not special enough that I hesitate to give him up for a Ryan or a Gore.