Late Thursday afternoon, Jeff Passan of ESPN broke the news that over 1,000 minor league players could be released over the next few days. NBC Sports Chicago then reported that the Cubs were going to cut 30 players, though the identities of those players were not known at the time. It was also noted, however, that the Cubs were going to pay the released players through June.
Pitcher Brock Stewart and infielder Carlos Asuaje were the first two players named as part of the cuts, with the rest coming Friday afternoon via JJ Cooper of Baseball America.