Cubs Bring Back Donnie Dewees In Trade With Royals

Image credit: Donnie Dewees (Photo by John Wiliamson)

The Cubs and Royals struck a minor trade over the weekend, with Chicago sending minor league righthander Stephen Ridings to Kansas City for minor league infielder Donnie Dewees.

The trade marks a return to Chicago for Dewees, who was originally drafted by the Cubs in the second round in 2015 out of North Florida. They traded him to the Royals for righthander Alec Mills in Feb. 2017.

Cubs acquire:

Donnie Dewees, OF
Age: 25

Dewess is the classic tweener who has to fight and scrap for a big league opportunity. He does a lot of things well, but lacks the clear above-average and plus tools that usually pay off in big league jobs. Dewess had plus-plus speed when he was drafted, but he’s slowed down to above-average as a pro. He does run well enough to play average defense in center field and he’s fine in left field as well, but his below-average arm doesn’t work well in right. At the plate, Dewess has struggled to come close to matching his gaudy college numbers that saw him hit .422/.483/.789 at hitter-friendly North Florida. As a pro, he’s shown himself to be more of a bottom-of-the-order bat with an average hit tool and fringe-average power. If he’s going to make it to the major leagues to stick, it’s likely as a fourth or fifth outfielder. Dewess was Rule 5 eligible last December and went unpicked.

Royals acquire: 

Stephen Ridings, RHP
Age: 23

Ridings had Tommy John surgery shortly after the Cubs drafted him in the eighth round in 2016, but he returned to make his professional debut in 2017 and spent last year in the bullpen at short-season Eugene. Ridings is a big man at 6-foot-8, 220 pounds. His primary offerings are an 89-93 mph fastball and an inconsistent curveball that might play better on underlying metrics than via the eye test. He also has a slider. He figures to open his Royals career at low Class A Lexington or high Class A Wilmington depending on his camp performance, and has a chance to rise as a relief arm.