*Photo from MLB trade rumors*
During the lockout, the only contracts that are permitted to sign are minor league contracts, as those do not affect the 40 man rosters of MLB teams. So the Chicago Cubs took full advantage. The Cubs have signed LHP Stephen Gonsalves, LHP Locke St. John, RHP Jonathan Holder, RHP Mark Leiter Jr, C PJ Higgins, IF Ildemaro Vargas, and IF Dixon Machado to minor league deals, according to an announcement by the Cubs.
The announcement was made on Friday, with the Cubs saying that all 7 players will receive non roster invites to big league spring training in Mesa, Arizona, in February, or, scheduled to be in February anyway. They will have the chance to compete for big league roster spots when the time comes around.
In his professional career, Gonsalves has mostly been a minor leaguer, but has 10 games in the majors under his belt, 7 with the Minnesota Twins in 2018, and 3 with the Boston Red Sox in 2021. He has a 2-2 record with a 6.21 ERA in 29 innings pitched in the majors, also having a 1.86 WHIP in that time. St.John's only experience in the majors came in a 7 game stint with the Texas Rangers in 2019, authoring a 5.40 ERA in that stretch.
After being drafted by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, Higgins finally made his MLB debut as a backup catcher last season with the Cubs. In 9 games, Higgins had one hit and drew two walks in 25 plate appearances. He would've been up longer if not for a right forearm injury that needed surgery, ending his season in June.
After missing all of the 2021 season due to a shoulder injury, Holder is back in a minors capacity for the Cubs, after signing him to an MLB deal last winter. In 5 seasons, Holder has a 10-6 record with a 4.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, throwing 176 2/3 innings in 155 relief appearances and two starts, all in a New York Yankees uniform.
In the 2021 season, Leiter Jr spent time in Double A and Triple A in the Detroit Tigers system. In stints in the majors in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Leiter Jr has a 3-7 record with a 5.53 ERA and 1.47 WHIP, throwing 114 innings in 11 starts and 36 relief appearances, split between the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays.
Coming back to the U.S. is Machado, who spent the last two seasons playing for the Lotte Giants of the KBO, and also has experience with the Iowa Cubs, the Triple A team. In parts of 4 MLB seasons, Machado has a .227 batting average, with two home runs and 37 RBI's in 172 career games, all with the Tigers.
The last piece to the puzzle here is Vargas, who spent the 2021 season playing in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Cubs. In his MLB career, Vargas has a .233 batting average with 8 home runs and 42 RBI, playing in 176 games split between 4 different teams.
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