Division rival steals former Tigers’ Rule 5 Draft departure in trade with Cubs

At the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft last November, the Tigers chose to save three unranked relievers — Chase Lee, Tyler Mattison, and Tyler Owens — while leaving five ranked prospects at risk of being scooped up by other teams. They ended up losing two prospects overall, one ranked: third baseman Gage Workman (ranked No. 29 when he left the Tigers) was selected by the Cubs with the No. 13 selection.

Per Rule 5 draft regulations, a player taken in the draft has to stay on a team's 40-man roster throughout the season. If he's DFA'ed and cleared waivers, he can be offered back to the selling team for $50,000, or half of what the buying team paid to take him in the draft.

Workman was DFA'ed by the Cubs on Wednesday, after batting .214 with a .553 OPS for Chicago in nine games with four starts, but he won't be coming back to the Tigers organization. On Saturday, the Cubs dealt him to the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations. The White Sox then DFA'ed another former Tigers in Nick Maton to accommodate Workman on the roster.

Cubs trade former Tigers top prospect, Rule 5 draft loss Gage Workman to White Sox after DFA

The Cubs are comfortably ruling the NL Central, and it was hard for Workman to impress in a lineup that includes Kyle Tucker, former Tiger Carson Kelly (who is having a shocking breakout season so far), and former top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. Workman got four starts at third base behind No. 1 Cubs prospect Matt Shaw, but failed to impress at the plate during those starts and flew out in his one opportunity as a pinch hitter.

The White Sox, on the other hand, are (as always) hurting for an offensive spark. They have the worst team batting average and OPS in the major leagues, lower than even the MLB-worst Rockies, and have only four qualified hitters as multiple position players have gone onto the IL.

Although it's difficult to say that Workman will be that necessary spark, given his performance so far this season, but he did bat .364 with a 1.125 OPS, four homers, and 15 RBI in spring training, so there's reason for the White Sox to be optimistic. Besides, it won't be awfully hard for Workman to stand out on a team that's constantly hurting as badly as the White Sox.