FanSided

Cubs invite 3 familiar names to Spring Training

The Cubs invited some old friends to Spring Training, some we haven't seen in years

By Rich Eberwein |
Chicago Cubs v Texas Rangers
Chicago Cubs v Texas Rangers / Dylan Buell/GettyImages
2 of 3
Next

The Chicago Cubs have announced their full list of 19 non-roster invitees for Spring Training this year, and it contains a few familiar names from years past.

The Cubs' Major League training camp begins on Monday in Mesa, Arizona and the team's first Spring Training game will be against the Chicago White Sox on February 23. Here are three old friends that we will see this Spring and possibly in the majors if things go in their favor.

1. IF David Bote

Remember David Bote? The utility man everyone thought would be the next Ben Zobrist? Well, he's still in the Cubs organization and he will be at Spring Training this year. Somehow this man has been with the Cubs since 2012 when they drafted him in the 18th round (554th overall). He played every position except for catcher and pitcher while working his way up the minor leagues and he made his MLB debut in 2018.

He was a good role player and fill-in for injury type of guy who came up with some big hits for the team. Most notable was the walk-off grand slam against the Washington Nationals, which will likely go down as Bote's most memorable moment in his baseball career and one of the most iconic Wrigley Field moments of the era

In April of 2019, the Cubs front office gave Bote a five-year contract extension worth $15 million. 2024 is the last year of that contract and he will earn $5.5 million this season. In hindsight, this extension looks a bit gung-ho considering Bote's steep regression after he signed it. Over the past four seasons, Bote has played in just 183 major league games which was partially due to major shoulder surgery he underwent in 2021.

In November of 2022, Bote was outrighted off the 40-man roster and his return to the Majors seems unlikely at this point. It seems like the team has wanted out of his contract for a while now and the 31-year-old will have to light the stat sheet on fire just to work his way into the big-league conversation.

2. RHP Carl Edwards Jr.

It was way back before in 2019 since Carl Edwards Jr. appeared in a Cubs uniform, but now he's back after signing a minor league deal on January 26. Edwards was of course a main component of the Cubs bullpen and his best years were from 2016-2018. Since leaving the Cubs though, Edwards has floated around to six different teams and 2023 was the year he seemed to get his groove back with the Washington Nationals with a 3.69 ERA.

However, Edwards only appeared in 32 games last year because of a stress fracture in his shoulder blade. Edwards' repertoire is also reportedly much different than it was earlier in his career, as age has slowed down his velocity and turned him into a more contact-heavy hurler who yields fewer strikeouts. There are a lot of bullpen arms in front of Edwards right now but giving him a minor-league deal is a nice way to bring an old World Series winner back into the fold.

Maybe we'll see him crack the major league roster at some point, but right now Edwards is pretty far down the depth chart and his path to the Majors would likely only happen if a ton of bullpen injuries hit the team.

3. LHP Brad Wieck

Another guy I forgot the Cubs had is 6'8 reliever Brad Wieck. There was a very brief period of time where Wieck looked electric coming out of the bullpen, but it's hard to believe that was almost three years ago. In 2021, he tossed 17 innings with a 0.00 ERA and 28 strikeouts. As a big left-handed arm with an insane curveball, Wieck looked like a decent weapon.

But then a series of unfortunate injury setbacks kicked in, starting with an irregular heartbeat followed by a Tommy John surgery. Even though he spent the entirety of 2023 sidelined while he recovered from the procedure, Wieck was given a two-year minor-league contract by the Cubs and he appears to be back in the fold. I have no idea how those injuries will affect his work on the mound so we'll have to wait and see if Wieck is still the viable weapon he used to be.

More Chicago Cubs News

feed

Next
Home / Cubs Roster

Schedule