Cubs Deal #20 Prospect Dan Vogelbach To Mariners For Bullpen Help

Photo by Gabe Rodriguez/LOD

The Chicago Cubs sent their #20 prospect, first baseman Dan Vogelbach to the Seattle Mariners along with minor league pitcher Paul Blackburn in exchange for lefty Mike Montgomery and minor league pitcher Jordan Pries.

Vogelbach has been with the Cubs since he was signed in the second round of the 2011 June Amateur draft out of Bishop Verot High School, in Fort Myers, FL.

As he moved through the ranks, he compiled a .290 batting average with 76 home runs, 323 RBIs, and 294 walks in six seasons.

In 2016, prior to the trade, he was batting .318, with 16 home runs and 64 RBI’s with the Cubs Triple-A affiliate the Iowa Cubs.

Cubs President of Baseball Theo Epstein spoke highly of Vogelbach with MLB.com:

“I’m sad to see Dan go, he’s a great guy to be around but also happy for him to go to an American League club. This will be a chance to get at-bats at the big league level pretty soon. He’ll be around for a long time because he can hit and has great energy.”

Blackburn, who will change teams along with Vogelbach, was 6-4, with a 3.17 ERA, and 72 strikeouts in 18 starts with the Cubs Double-A affiliate the Tennessee Smokies.

In return, the Cubs land a lefty pitcher that can add depth to their bullpen down the stretch. Montgomery, who was a starter in 2015 with Seattle posting a 4-6 record, with a 4.60 ERA and 64 strike outs in 90 innings, was primarily used out of the bullpen in 2016. In 32 games he is 3-4, with a 2.34 ERA, and 54 strikeouts in 61.2 innings of work.

The Cubs added depth back to their minor leagues by grabbing Pries in the deal, who was 2-1, with a .3.65 ERA in seven games after moving up from Double-A where he was 5-2, with a 5.46 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 59.1 innings.

David Conde

David is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Legends On Deck®, as well as a Co-Host on Legends On Deck Podcast. David was a Senior Editor for MetsMerizedOnline.com, MetsMinors.net and Contributor for Hardballchat.com that spanned from 2010 to 2014. David made his MLB Debut as a writer in June 2014, while covering the NY Mets at Citi Field, for MetsmerizedOnline.com. David also coaches baseball for ages 13-15, a Babe Ruth League team in his local community. David's passion is coaching the game he loves to the future Legends of Tomorrow as well as making available a website that people can have fun sharing and reading. David is also passionate about his career as a Mortgage Loan Officer which allows him to help many families reach their dreams of owning a home. Connect with David via his Social Media pages as he loves to chat all about baseball.