It’s getting to be that time of year. In the next couple of weeks, the Cubs will announce seven or eight prospects they will place with the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Some might be picked relative to their inclusion onto the 40-man roster in December. There could also be a player they might want a better look at in order to keep him away from the Rule 5 Draft. They might want to even advance development of a young prospect or to showcase him as trade bait.
The most common reason for selecting a prospect to participate in the fall league, though, is to make up for lost time during the year.