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The Cubs released closer Hector Neris, which probably makes Jorge Lopez the closer for now. The club also recalled deadline acquisition RHP Jack Neely, a former Yankees prospect who checks in at a gargantuan 6’8” 245 lbs. He’s thrown 6.2 scoreless innings with a 52 percent strikeout rate for Triple-A Iowa since the trade that sent him there. RHP Porter Hodge is the early favorite for the gig in 2025 until further notice, specifically a notice of the club getting involved in the reliever reclamation market as it often does. RHP Tyson Miller has been excellent this season but doesn’t feature the wipeout arsenal most teams want in a guy who handles the ninth. Meanwhile, jettisoned Cubbie farmhands RHPs Manuel Rodriguez and Jeremiah Estrada are key pieces of other teams’ bullpens. I won’t count RHP Hunter Bigge because he at least was traded for something. Can’t win ‘em all, I realize, but here’s hoping Neely gets a real opportunity to nail down a long-term roster spot. 

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1. Guardians 2B Travis Bazzana | 21  With Bazzana, the Guardians get their most polished draft prospect in a long time, but he’s not a floor play by any means. At six foot even out of Australia, Bazzana has gotten stronger throughout his career in college ball and added significant impact to his plus-contact profile, […]

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There isn’t much of a consensus opinion surrounding the 2024 MLB Draft, particularly with this year’s grouping of collegiate talent. I’ve seen North Carolina’s Vance Honeycutt, West Virginia’s JJ Weatherholt, Tennessee’s Chase Burns, and Florida’s Jac Caglianone, among other players, all ranked as the No. 1 prospect by various publications. I have to agree because there are a lot of standout tools at the top of this draft but also a lot of high-ceiling players with unrefined aspects of their game or question marks in one or more areas. The fall practice season is going to go a long way in determining the 2024 preseason draft board, with the campaign to follow undoubtedly shaking the trees clean. Who knows, a bald-headed Jonathan Mayo even might come tumbling out of the timber after all of the information we uncover in this year’s crop. Anywho, here are my way-too-early rankings for the 2024 college draft class, with thorough insight to be provided on each player throughout the months ahead.

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