Bleacher Bums Forum

Agree that Cubs probably would rather lose Correa than lose Devers or Franklin, that is, “lose” meaning not just getting picked but “gone”—— by sticking in the majors all season.

But that doesn’t mean that either Franklin or Devers was closer to being protected by Cubs than Correa being protected by Cubs.

Every club has to weigh likelihood of ACTUALLY losing the player with the risk of exposing another higher upside or long-term potentially more valuable guy less likely to be drafted and retained.

As neither Devers or Franklin has pitched beyond A ball and, in Franklin’s case, pitched ineffectively, that has to be weighed in roster decision-making, of course. Obviously, Cubs did that.

Think that Rule 5 picks have to earn their way these days, to actually make and stay on an active roster. Even a bad club is very disinclined to keep an unoptionable dead spot in a 8-man bullpen all season. So, to keep Franklin or Devers, that guy would have to be a contributor of some sort and not a dead spot. Could see drafting one or both just to look at the guy in spring training and evaluate whether can contribute. But, seems like a longshot for any club. Correa, on the other hand, might actually be one of some club’s top 8 bullpen guys by end of spring training—could see that.