Cubs acquire RHP Alec Mills from the Royals for OF Donnie Dewees … Designate LHP David Rollins for assignment
The Cubs made another deal Wednesday to add pitching depth to the system. The Cubs acquired RHP Alec Mills from the Kansas City Royals for minor league outfielder Donnie Dewees. To make room on the 40-man roster for Mills, left-handed reliever David Rollins was designated for assignment.
With Wednesday’s roster moves, the Cubs 40-man roster officially stands at 40 players less than a week before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training.
Alec Mills, 25, combined to go 5-5 with a 3.22 ERA (45 earned runs in 125.2 innings) and 1.19 WHIP in 24 appearances, all but one as a starter, last year between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. He went 1-2 with a 2.39 ERA (18 earned runs in 67.2 innings) and 1.02 WHIP in 12 starts in Double-A to earn Texas League Mid-Season All-Star honors and a promotion to Triple-A, where he went 4-3 with a 4.19 ERA (27 earned runs in 58 innings) and 1.39 WHIP in 12 appearances, 11 as a starter. Mills made his Major League debut with the Royals in May of last season and made a second stint with the club in September, posting no record, a 13.50 ERA (five earned runs in 3.1 innings), 2.40 WHIP and 6.15 FIP in three relief outings.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Mills was originally selected by the Royals in the 22nd round of the 2012 Draft out of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Clarksville, Tennessee, native is 19-22 with nine saves, a 3.03 ERA (132 earned runs in 392.1 innings) and 1.16 WHIP in five minor league campaigns. Mills struck out 377 batters with 85 walks in 392 1/3 innings.
Mills was designated for assignment Wednesday by the Royals upon their signing of right-handed pitcher Jason Hammel.
Alec Mills was added to the Royals’ 40-man roster in November 2015. Mills has two minor league options left.
Mills was ranked as the eighth best prospect in the Royals system. Projections are mixed as to whether he will end up as a starter in the big leagues or in the bullpen. Mills had Tommy John surgery in 2013 and will likely begin the season in Triple-A Iowa’s rotation.
• Alec Mills’ Page on Baseball-Reference
The front office dealt the 12th best prospect in the Cubs system in Donnie Dewees to the Royals for Mills.
Dewees, 23, batted .278/.327/.402 (221-for-796) with 39 doubles, 15 triples, 10 home runs and a .729 OPS to go along with 103 RBI in 195 minor league games covering the last two seasons. He was selected by the Cubs in the second round of the 2015 Draft out of the University of North Florida.
Dewees is an exciting player and has a very bright future. Dewees hit a combined .284/.338/.416 with 25 doubles, 14 triples and five home runs for a .754 OPS in a combined 129 games last season, his first full in pro ball, between Low-A South Bend and High-A Myrtle Beach.
• Donnie Dewees’ Page on Baseball-Reference
David Rollins, 27, was previously claimed off waivers by Chicago from Texas on December 23 of last year. Rollins was working out at the Cubs complex in Mesa over the last three days according to Jerry Crasnick. Rollins was DFA’d for the sixth time since Nov. 18.