The Chicago Cubs this evening added infield prospects James Triantos and Pedro Ramirez, as well as lefty relief prospect Riley Martin, to the 40-man roster.
Today was the deadline for teams to add prospects to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from next month’s Rule 5 Draft. Prospects who are eligible for the draft tend to be guys who’ve been in a team’s farm system for a certain number of years without yet reaching the 40-man roster.
James Triantos, 22, was the Cubs’ 2nd round pick in 2021, noted as one of the best high school bats in the draft. He progressed well through the minors, dealing with a couple physical issues but generally hitting well at each stop, until he reached Triple-A. This past season was a struggle for Triantos at Iowa (.258/.315/.369/76 wRC+), with the only silver linings being that he played quite well defensively at second base and added some strong outfield work to his repertoire, and he may have slightly over-performed his results (walk and strikeout rates were fine, contact quality was poor but not abysmal, BABIP was way down).
He is not regarded as the top-10 prospect he once was, but he’s still relatively young that a corner turn at the plate next year would not be a surprise. Even if a break-back-out never comes, he’s defensively versatile and continues to improve out there, and runs the bases very well. There are worse guys to have on your 40-man roster as big league depth.
Pedro Ramirez, 21, was an international signing for the Cubs back in 2021, and he has hit at every stop in the minors, even if you would like to see a little more lift at some point. He plays third base and second base – well enough to win a minor league Gold Glove this year – and is a switch-hitter with enough pop to keep defenses honest. He runs the bases well, and could probably play some left field in a pinch.
Ramirez is probably a little behind Triantos in terms of being thought of as big league depth in 2026 – adding Ramirez to the 40-man is more of a pure protection play – but is probably ahead of Triantos overall as a prospect, even if only slightly. As for Ramirez’s near-term big league future, hey, you never know what might happen when a guy gets to Triple-A, as Ramirez will next season.
Broadly speaking, the additions of Triantos and Ramirez make for some extra positional depth on the 40-man overall, in comparison to the relatively thin pitching group.
Riley Martin, 27, was the Cubs’ 6th rounder in 2021, and has steadily been ascending the ladder since then as a reliever. The 2025 season was his best in the minors, posting a 2.69 ERA over 63.2 innings at Iowa, with a 30.7% K, a 13.4% BB rate, and a gorgeous 52.1% groundball rate. The Cubs are obviously hoping he can be an up-down lefty reliever for them in 2026, with a chance to establish himself – that’s always a possibility in these situations, even if the optionable flexibility means going up and down is a little more likely.
Martin has some nasty stuff, and I’m glad the Cubs aren’t going to risk losing him. Now, you hope the walks can tick down just a bit at the next level without losing too many of the strikeouts.
Even after these three additions, and Shota Imanaga accepting the Qualifying Offer, the Cubs’ 40-man roster is still at only 32 players.
The Cub Reporter has the full list of the Cubs’ Rule 5 Draft-eligible prospects here, but I don’t know how many of the unprotected guys are at risk for selection. Among the more well-known eligible prospects: Brandon Birdsell (recovering from surgery), Cristian Hernández (has yet to play at Double-A), Grant Kipp (succeeded at Double-A, but older and limited projection), Connor Noland (reasonably solid at Triple-A, but older and limited projection), Brody McCullough (missed all of 2025), Tyler Schlaffer (turned it on late at Double-A, but re-signed a minor league deal suggesting no other club wanted him on 40-man), and JP Wheat (triple-digit arm, but hasn’t pitched above Low-A).
Sometimes you’re surprised, obviously, and there are some Cubs who will probably get plucked in the minor league phase of the Rule 5, if nothing else. It takes place December 10 at the close of the Winter Meetings. All we know for today is that Triantos, Ramirez, and Martin are safely staying in the Cubs organization.
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