Cubs Add Trio Of Prospects To 40-Man Roster
With free agency in full swing and the Rule 5 deadline happening yesterday, the Chicago Cubs have added additional players to their roster for next season.
While it remains to be seen whether or not outfielder Kyle Tucker comes back to the team (he rejected his qualifying offer), starting pitcher Shota Imanaga accepted his and is now on a one-year, $22 million deal.
Also joining Imanaga and the Cubs are a trio of minor league players, including a pair of second basemen and a left-handed pitcher, who all had their contracts picked up this week by Chicago.
Adding depth to a roster that saw its fair share of injuries never hurts, especially if the Cubs look to have their third winning season in a row and return to the MLB Playoffs. In addition, these three players are now protected from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
Riley Martin, LHP
Allan Henry-Imagn Images
Martin was a sixth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Cubs. He played collegiate baseball for Quincy University, a school located on the western part of Illinois.
With the potential to break into Chicago's bullpen, Martin has shown what he's made of with Triple-A Iowa the past two seasons. In 63 and two-thirds innings for the Iowa Cubs, the 27-year-old pitcher racked up 80 strikeouts.
Chicago's bullpen will see closer Daniel Palencia return, along with Porter Hodge and young pitcher Jordan Wicks. Reliever Brad Keller, just like Tucker, is also a free agent for the Cubs. Adding Martin could help with the loss of any of their own arms for 2026.
Pedro Ramirez, 2B
MANDATORY CREDIT: Austin Hough / South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK
This young addition to the Cubs roster is just 21 years old. Ramirez posted a team high in batting (.280) for the Knoxville Smokies, while also recording 28 stolen bases.
Born in Venezuela, Ramirez also played third base and is a versatile player and an asset behind both Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw.
James Triantos, 2B
In more than 100 games for Triple-A Iowa, 22-year-old James Traintos recorded 28 stolen bases. In addition to playing second base, he shared time in the outfield, also playing center field. He would join another Cubs center fielder in Peter Crow-Armstrong, who is known for his speed on the base path.
Just like Ramirez and Martin, this utility player became a part of the Cubs organization in 2021. Chicago took Triantos in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft. The team still has multiple spots to round out its 40-man roster, as well.
New doc 'Homecoming: The Tokyo Series' chronicles MLB's imprint in Japan
Baseball might be America’s pastime, but it is also an omnipresent part of everyday life in Japan.
Never was that more clear than during Major League Baseball’s Tokyo Series between the Cubs and Dodgers that opened the 2025 regular season this past March. That two-game series -- headlined by Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki -- and the impact of baseball all around the country is the focus of a new documentary that will be coming to movie theaters soon.
“Homecoming: The Tokyo Series” celebrates the intersection of culture and global sport, illuminating how baseball unites beyond borders. Produced by Supper Club and in coordination with MLB Studios and BD4, Banijay Americas’ premium documentary label, the documentary will be shown in theaters on Feb. 23 and 24, distributed by Fathom Entertainment.
"We focused on the places where the game really lives, from workshops to local fields to people’s homes," said director and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jason Sterman. "The Tokyo Series gave us a clear look at how baseball sits inside the country’s identity."
The vérité-style documentary also reveals how Japan took an American invention and infused it with its own values, rituals, and spiritual relationship to work. As the Tokyo Series unfolds, human stories intertwine with the atmosphere and emotion surrounding the games, revealing baseball to be a true global sport.
"Major League Baseball continues to transcend around the globe," said Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business & Media. "The 2025 season started in grand fashion with five Japanese-born MLB players returning home as larger-than-life sports figures. It ended with the great Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers winning the World Series, watched by record-setting global audiences.
"Collaborating on this film to showcase how America’s pastime has become a world game is an opportunity we couldn’t pass up and are excited for fans everywhere to see."
