Cubs Trade Infielder to Mariners

Hey, hey, the Cubs and Mariners finally hooked up on a trade this offseason, but it’s not exactly what fans were thinking. Seattle is getting an infielder from Chicago, but this move isn’t making Mariners fans feel any better about improving their roster. The Cubs have sent utility-man Miles Mastrobuoni for some cash in return.

Mastrobuoni, who was with the Cubs from 2023-24, was designated for assignment last week. Now, the left-handed hitter is heading out to the AL West.

#Cubs today have traded INF Miles Mastrobuoni to the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) January 14, 2025

The Cubs initially acquired Mastrobuoni on Nov. 15, 2022, from the Tampa Bay Rays. He made his MLB debut during the 2022 season, appearing in eight games at the end of the regular season for the Rays. Mastrobuoni was surprisingly added to the Cubs’ Opening Day roster in 2023, but he was optioned back to Triple-A following a couple sluggish weeks.

The idea behind having a guy like Mastrobuoni on your MLB roster is fine as a bench guy, but once he was given more playing time the light-hitting infielder and sometimes outfielder simply could not produce positive results. His best stretch with the Cubs came in the second half of the 2023 season, hitting above .300 in about 75 at-bats.

In 2024, Mastrobuoni once again found his way on the Opening Day roster and unfortunately had the same fate as the previous season, ending up in Triple-A a few weeks into the regular season. He was called up a few more times throughout the year, but never provided solid results. Mastrobuoni ended 2024 with a .470 OPS in 106 plate appearances.

Yeah, not quite Nico Hoerner, who had been heavily involved in trade rumors with the Mariners at the start of the offseason.

The Cubs DFA’d Mastrobuoni earlier in January to make room on the 40-man roster for right-handed reliever Matt Festa, who the team acquired in a trade with the Rangers.