Today was the deadline for the teams to set their 40-man lineups before the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings and so the Cubs moved to protect three players. Right-handed pitchers Adbert Alzolay and Oscar De La Cruz, two of the Cubs top prospects, and infielder David Bote were all added to the 40-man roster.
Additionally, outfielder Jacob Hannemann, who was re-claimed by the Cubs when the Mariners placed him on waivers, has cleared waivers for the Cubs and has been assigned to Iowa.
This puts the Cubs 40-man roster at 36 players, meaning they have four open spots to make trades, sign free agents, make a Rule 5 selection or claim players who were placed on waivers from other teams.