Mariners return Rule 5 pick to Cubs

Right-hander Chris Clarke is once again part of the Cubs organization, as the Seattle Mariners returned the Rule 5 Draft selection to Chicago.  (Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report the news.)

The Mariners took Clarke with the 22nd pick of last December’s R5, taking the opportunity to get a closer look at the 24-year-old in action.  Clarke was a fourth-round draft choice for the Cubs in 2019, and the 6-foot-7 USC product had posted some solid strikeout rates and very impressive walk rates over 196.2 career innings in the minors.

Those numbers came with a modest 4.26 ERA, however, though some bad batted-ball luck was partially to blame. Clarke is more of a grounder specialist, and thus his 58% groundball rate in 96.2 Double-A innings last season would’ve likely led to better results had Clarke not been hampered by a large .375 BABIP.

As per the regulations of the Rule 5 Draft, Clarke would’ve had to remain on Seattle’s active roster for the entire season in order for the team to fully assume his rights from the Cubs.  Even with Clarke’s potential, it seemed unlikely that he would’ve made the jump from Double-A to the majors and won a job in a pretty loaded Mariners relief corps.  Seattle had one of baseball’s better bullpens in 2022, leaving Clarke will little margin for error just in breaking camp with the team, let alone sticking with the M’s throughout the year.