Well, not sure anyone had this in mind when the Rule 5 Draft got underway on Wednesday, but the Chicago Cubs have picked up a new infielder. If you’re unfamiliar with the process just know that 25-year-old Gage Workman will be on the Opening Day roster for the Cubs in 2025, after they selected him from the Detroit Tigers.
This was an extremely aggressive move by the Cubs, especially when you consider that Workman has only reached Double-A down in the minor leagues. Again, any player picked in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 Draft has to be on the team’s active roster the following season. Of course, the Cubs could ultimately decide to return Workman back to the Tigers or even trade the infielder to another team this offseason.
Cubs selected 3B Gage Workman from the Tigers org in the Rule 5 draft.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) December 11, 2024
Workman, 25, spent past season at Double A where he slashed .280/.366/.476 with 18 HRs, 29 doubles & 89 RBIs. He predominately played SS and 3B in 2024.
Workman went to high school with Brennen Davis.
Workman has started at second base, shortstop and third base throughout his minor league career, but he logged most of his innings on defense at third base during the 2024 season.
An important thing to note about Workman’s 2024 year is that he eventually stopped switch-hitting and focused on only batting from the left side of the plate in May. As you can see with his .280/.366/.476, slash line, the decision paid off tremendously for Workman, who posted a 140 wRC+, by far his best season at the plate.
Overall against right-handed pitching in 2024, Workman posted an .889 OPS in 472 plate appearances, slashing .290/.380/.509. All 18 of his home runs came against right-handed pitchers.
So, when you see the Cubs surprisingly pick up a third baseman you start to wonder if it means the team is getting close to dealing Isaac Paredes. The Cubs have been in active trade talks with the Houston Astros, with Paredes’ name on Houston’s wishlist. However, adding Workman probably means he’s likely the answer to the Cubs searching for a left-handed bench bat this offseason.
While Paredes may very well be on his way to Houston (fingers crossed because that means Kyle Tucker to the Cubs) picking up Workman probably means no more Miles Mastrobuoni, who has been up and down from Triple-A and the majors as another left-handed bench bat who plays in the infield.
