The Big Freeze

The Cubs and the other 29 MLB clubs must submit their minor league reserve lists (38-man AAAA roster, 37-man AAA roster, and 35-man Class "A"A rosters) to the MLB office no later than the close of business this Thursday (11/20). What will the Cubs do? Any player on a minor league reserve list on November 20th is considered "frozen" on that roster until the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft, meaning all players on minor league reserve lists as of 11/20 cannot be traded to another organization or moved to a different reserve list in the same organization during that period of time. Players on an MLB 40-man roster can be outrighted to the minorsA and minor league players can be released during this period, however. (Some of you may remember back aA few years ago, when the Cubs had to wait until the conclusionA of the Rule 5 Draft to send RHP Mike Nannini to FLA as the PTBNL in the Derrek Lee deal, because the trade was made during the post-11/20 &quo...