The cancellation of the minor league season moves up the discussion of several events taking place in the offseason. We’d normally review the 40-man roster and the Rule 5 Draft at some point in August, but the pandemic will impact how teams will go about protecting their prospects this winter. The threat, either real or imagined of economic uncertainty could have teams looking more seriously at acquiring young talent at low cost.
The Cubs will have some decisions ahead of them come November, many of which will be informed by the events of the next several weeks. Six or seven players from the current 40-man roster won’t have contracts for next year, though not all of those can be filled by one of the 56 prospects who will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.