The Cubs decided last Friday to add four minor leaguers who were eligible for selection in next month's MLB Rule 5 Draft (C-1B Victor Caratini, OF Jacob Hannemann, LHP Jack Leathersich, and RHP Duane Underwood Jr) to their MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), thus preventing them from being drafted.
The next order of business for the Cubs will be to decide whether to tender or not tender a 2017 major league contract to the 31 unsigned players on the club's MLB Reserve List (40-man roster).
TENDERING MAJOR LEAGUE CONTRACTS
If an unsigned player on an MLB Reserve List is not tendered a contract on December 2nd (or on December 1st if December 2nd falls on a Saturday, or on November 30th if December 2nd falls on a Sunday), the player is said to be "Non-Tendered," he is immediately removed from his club's MLB 40-man roster, and he becomes an unrestricted free-agent, free to sign a major league or minor league contract with any club, including the club that non-tendered the player.