The Chicago Cubs added six international prospects on minor-league contracts Oct. 2, days after the San Diego Padres eliminated them from the postseason.
The signings appeared in Major League Baseball’s transactions log while the playoffs continued elsewhere. None of the players are expected to reach the majors soon. All are teenagers or just out of their teens, signed to build depth in the organization’s lower levels.
The Cubs finished the regular season 89-73 and in second place in the National League Central, 14 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. They secured a Wild Card berth but lost both games of their best-of-three series in San Diego.
The Padres won Game 1 by an 8-0 score on Sept. 29. Fernando Tatis Jr. homered on the first pitch of the series, and Michael King carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Chicago managed only three hits.
San Diego completed the sweep the next night with a 4-1 victory. The Cubs scored their lone run of the series in that game.
The six new signees are Rodelvis Santiesteban, Sebastian Zorrilla, Luis Zapata, Elvin Cepeda, Manuel Cordero and Maykoll Jaspe. Each agreement is a minor league deal, the standard vehicle teams use for international amateurs outside the draft.
Santiesteban, a second baseman, was born Jan. 6, 2009, in San Antonio del Sur, Cuba. He is listed at 5-foot-8 and 169 pounds. Reports tied to the agreement indicated a $20,000 signing bonus plus a scholarship.
Zorrilla, an outfielder born Aug. 6, 2009, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is listed at 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds. He joins a group of position players the Cubs have added from the Caribbean in recent international periods.
Zapata is the oldest of the group. The right-handed pitcher was born Nov. 12, 2007, in Taguay, Venezuela, and stands 6-foot-4, 203 pounds. His size gives the organization a taller arm to develop in the Dominican Summer League or complex leagues.
Cepeda, another right-hander, was born May 2, 2009, in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. He is listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds. Cordero, a left-hander from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, was born March 14, 2009, and is listed at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds.
Jaspe, a right-hander born Jan. 19, 2009, in Bejuma, Venezuela, is listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds. Four of the six players throw right-handed, continuing a common pattern in early international pitching additions.
Teams routinely announce such signings with little fanfare once the regular season ends. The Cubs’ front office has used the international market for years to stock affiliates that feed the major-league roster over a multi-year timeline.
The club’s 89 wins marked a return to the postseason after missing it in some recent seasons, yet the quick exit left the organization free to shift focus to 2027 roster construction. Minor league contracts of this type do not count against the 40-man roster.
No bonus figures beyond the one reported for Santiesteban have been confirmed publicly. The players are expected to report to instructional or Dominican league programs in the coming weeks.
