The Cubs have selected left-hander Bailey Horn as well as right-handers Porter Hodge and Michael Arias to their 40-man roster, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Today is the deadline for adding players to protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.
Horn, 26 in January, was a fifth round pick of the White Sox in 2020 but came to the Cubs in the 2021 Ryan Tepera trade. He has since climbed his way up the minor league ladder, generally running high strikeout rates but also high walk rates. He tossed 62 innings in 2023 between Double-A and Triple-A, posting an earned run average of 4.21. He punched out 28.7% of hitters but also gave out free passes at a 12.5% clip.
Hodge, 23 in February, was a 13th-round selection of the Cubs in 2019. He had been working as a starter, with a similar profile to Horn with plenty of strikeouts and walks, though he was moved to the bullpen midway through 2023. He had a 5.59 ERA through 12 starts in the middle of June but then a 4.45 ERA as a reliever the rest of the way. Working out of the bullpen, he struck out 29.3% of batters faced but still walked 14.3%.
Arias, who turns 22 tomorrow, originally signed with the Blue Jays as a shortstop but was released in 2020. He was signed by the Cubs, who converted him to a pitcher. Like the other two names on this list, he has struggled with control but has racked up his share of punchouts. In 2023, he made 22 starts between Single-A and High-A, posting an ERA of 4.09 in 81 1/3 innings. He struck out 31.3% of guys who came to the plate but gave 14.5% a free trip to first base.
Baseball America ranks Arias the #22 prospect in the Cubs’ system, has Hodge at #30, though Horn doesn’t crack the list. The three of them will give the Cubs some optionable depth to add to the pitching staff, though each of them have work to do in harnessing their respective stuff for better results.
