Top prospect De La Cruz put on 40-man roster

CHICAGO -- Ahead of Monday's 7 p.m. CT deadline to protect players from next month's Rule 5 Draft, the Cubs selected the contracts of right-handers Adbert Alzolay and Oscar De La Cruz plus infielder David Bote, and added them to their 40-man roster. Outfielder Jacob Hannemann also cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa.
With the moves, the Cubs' 40-man roster is at 36. The Rule 5 Draft is Dec. 14 at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.
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Ranked No. 1 on MLB.com's list of Top 30 Cubs prospects, De La Cruz, 22, went 4-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 12 starts for Class A Myrtle Beach last season. Overall, he has gone 20-10 with a 2.83 ERA in 53 Minor League appearances, all but four as a starter, over the past five seasons.
He originally signed with the Cubs as a undrafted free agent in October 2012 as an infielder, but converted to a pitcher in 2013.
Alzolay, 22, combined to go 7-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 22 starts last season between Myrtle Beach and Double-A Tennessee, earning midseason Carolina League All-Star honors. He also pitched for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. The right-hander was ranked No. 3 on MLB.com's list of top Cubs prospects.

Bote, 24, was named a midseason and postseason Southern League All-Star in 2017 after batting .272 with 30 doubles, 14 homers and 59 RBIs in 127 games with Tennessee. An 18th-round pick in 2012, he also played in the AFL. Bote has a career .262 average.
Players first signed at age 18 must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. If that player doesn't stay on the 25-man roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $50,000.
Alzolay and De La Cruz were among the seven Cubs prospects ranked in the top 30 by MLB.com the team needed to consider for protection. The others include right-handers Trevor Clifton (ranked No. 9) and Erling Moreno (No. 26); left-hander Jose Paulino (No. 29); infielder/outfielder Chesny Young (No. 16); and outfielder Charcer Burks (ranked No. 22).
The Cubs drafted Hannemann in the third round in 2013, and he was claimed off waivers by the Mariners in September. The Cubs then claimed him off waivers Oct. 26. He batted .265 in 80 games with Iowa last season and appeared in 11 games for the Mariners, batting .150.