Former Chicago Cubs Top Prospect Released by Seattle Mariners
A former Chicago Cubs second-round pick and highly-rated prospect is back on the free-agent market after his release.
A former Chicago Cubs second-round pick and reliever is back in free agency after he was released by the Seattle Mariners earlier this week, per the MLB Transactions wire.
Cory Abbott, a 28-year-old right-hander, made one start with Triple-A Tacoma and gave up three earned runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Abbott spent the first two weeks of spring training in the Mariners’ Major League camp before he was sent to minor-league camp. The Mariners signed him to a minor league deal in January.
Abbott spent 2022 and 2023 with the Washington Nationals, where he carved out a part-time role as a reliever. He went 1-7 with a 5.87 ERA in 38 games (with nine starts). He struck out 85 and walked 44.
He spent part of the 2021 season with the Chicago Cubs, where he made his Major League deal and did not figure in a decision in seven games (one start) with a 6.75 ERA. After the season, he was designated for assignment and traded to the San Francisco Giants, who eventually waived him before he joined Washington.
Chicago drafted Abbott out of Loyola Marymount in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
He worked his way through the Cubs’ minor-league system, and in 2019 with the Tennessee Smokies he went 8-8 with a 3.01 ERA and led the league with 166 strikeouts.
Abbott did not play in the minors in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Cubs put him on the 40-man roster and promoted him to the Majors in 2021.
