The next dominoes of the offseason fell on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Cubs selected the contracts of outfielder Owen Caissie and infielder Ben Cowles, protecting them from next month’s Rule 5 Draft. To make room on the 40-man roster, the team designated Adbert Alzolay and former top prospect Brennen Davis for assignment. The Cubs 40-man roster is full. 

Caissie, the 34th-ranked prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, was a guarantee to be protected and added to the 40-man roster. The 22-year-old spent the 2024 campaign at Triple-A Iowa, where he slashed .278/.375/.472/.121 wRC+ with 19 home runs and 75 RBI. The outfielder was acquired in the Yu Darvish trade with San Diego in the 2020-21 offseason. 

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“He’s really proved himself at every level,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said at the GM Meetings in San Antonio earlier this month. “He’s still a prospect, but a really good young prospect. And he’s done it at every level at a young age.”

There were things that Caissie was able to learn at Triple-A that made 2024 even more valuable than any counting stats that he accumulated. For instance, with Iowa, series are usually 6 games long, meaning hitters and pitchers will see each other multiple times a week, allowing for a cat-and-mouse game that will help Caissie at the major league level.

“It’s really valuable just to be able to be at that level all year, to see guys multiple times,” Hoyer said. “I think it makes a big difference. I think when you’re looking at skipping through there, I think it’s a little different.

“That also means the pitchers got to know him and there’s a back and forth, which I think is good. So, I kind of like the fact he was able to sort of be there the whole year and do that.”

The decision to designate Alzolay for assignment isn’t a total surprise. The righty was the Cubs closer on Opening Day, struggled to start the year, was demoted from the 9th-inning role and wound up on the injured list. In August, he underwent Tommy John surgery by Dr. Keith Meister. 

The recovery from the operation is usually around 12-14 months. The 29-year-old likely wouldn’t be able to pitch until late 2025, if at all. So removing him from the 40-man roster and clearing a spot made sense.

It doesn’t prohibit the two sides from coming to terms on a minor league deal where he can continue his rehab with the organization. 

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Davis was the Cubs top prospect as recently as two years ago. He looked destined to be a contributor for the Cubs at that time, but then injuries sidetracked his career. In June 2022, he underwent back surgery for a vascular formation and returned late in the season. He was participating in the Arizona Fall League that year, but suffered back tightness that caused him to miss most of it.

The next year, he underwent core muscle surgery in June and hit .201 in 71 games. He suffered a fractured back this season with Iowa and landed on the IL this season. He returned to Triple-A later in the year, but fractured his left ankle sliding into second base with Iowa. He was placed on the 60-day IL and missed the rest of the year. He’s played in just 179 games over the last three years.

Cowles was acquired at the trade deadline from the Yankees in the deal that sent Mark Leiter Jr. to New York and brought back the infielder and righty reliever Jack Neely. Cowles was injured at the time of the trade after he had been hit on the wrist by a pitch. 

Cowles returned to play in 4 games for Double-A Tennessee, where he was 1-for-13. He played in 19 games for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .213 with a .618 OPS. His addition provides infield depth at the upper levels of the minor leagues for the Cubs. 

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