Cubs Acquire Versatile Miles Mastrobuoni from Rays

The Cubs have acquired infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Alfredo Zárraga. The Cubs 40-man roster stands at 34 players.

Mastrobuoni spent a majority of 2022 with the Triple-A Durham Bulls, hitting .300 with a .377 on-base percentage, 32 doubles, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 129 games. He led the International League with 92 runs scored and was tied for the league lead in hits while ranking second in doubles, fourth in on-base percentage, and fifth in average and total bases (238).

That led to him being called up to make his major league debut in September, when he appeared in eight games and put up a .188 average with a stolen base.

In six career minor league seasons, Mastrobuoni owns a .286 average and .367 OBP with 108 doubles, 23 triples, 29 home runs, 242 RBI, 82 stolen bases, 288 walks in 615 games. He has seen time at second base (247 games), left field (110 games), right field (94 games), shortstop (81 games), center field (42 games), third base (38 games), and pitcher (three games).

Selected by Tampa Bay in the 14th round of the 2016 draft out of the University of Nevada, Reno, the left-handed hitting Mastrobuoni batted .296 with a .378 on-base percentage in 106 games between Double-A Montgomery and Durham in 2021.

Zárraga, who turns 22 tomorrow, was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 17 relief appearances between Low-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend. He was signed by Chicago as an undrafted free agent in January of 2021.

Looks like a pretty darn good return for the Cubs, all things considered, and I could see this making Nick Madrigal more expendable.