The Cubs acquired right-hander Spencer Patton from the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league infielder Frandy Delarosa.
The club also selected the contracts of infielder Jeimer Candelario, catcher Willson Contreras, right-hander Pierce Johnson and infielder Dan Vogelbach from Class AA Tennessee, protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft. Thc Cubs 40-man roster now stands at 37 players.
Patton, 27, owns a hefty 6.75 ERA over parts of two seasons with the Rangers, covering 36 appearances. His ERA at AAA Round Rock, though, was 1.67 over 26 relief appearances with only one homer and nine walks allowed in 2015.
Delarosa, a 19-year-old switch-hitting second baseman, batted .273 with no homers, 20 doubles, two triples and 30 RBI for Class A Eugene last season.
The Cubs also claimed left-hander Jack Leathersich off waivers from the Mets and signed right-hander Andury Acevedo this week.
Patton, from Urbana, Illinois, was a 24th round pick of the Royals in 2011 out of SIU-Edwardsville.
Here is more on the prospects protected in the Rule 5 draft:
Candelario: Will be 22 Tuesday. Switch-hitter. Last season combined to bat .277 with 35 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs and 64 RBI in 128 games between Class A Myrtle Beach and Tennessee. Batted .270 with 25 doubles, five homers, 39 RBI and a .733 OPS in 82 games. Earned Carolina League All-Star honors and a promotion to AA, where he batted .291 with a .379 on-base percentage and .462 slugging percentage in 46 games with the Smokies. Named a 2015 Arizona Fall League Rising Star.
Contreras: Age 23, named the Cubs’ Minor League Player of the Year after batting .333 with 34 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 75 RBI in 126 games with AA Tennessee. Led the Southern League in batting average, and ranked second in the league in doubles, RBI and on-base percentage. His .478 slugging percentage ranked third and his 217 total bases were fifth. Baseball America Double-A All-Star.
Johnson: Age 24, is 22-13 with a 2.50 ERA in 65 minor league appearances covering 327 innings, all but three as a starter. He has struck out 309 batters in 327 while limiting opponents to a .226 batting average against. Was 6-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 16 starts with Tennessee this season.
Vogelbach: Age 22, batted .272 with 16 doubles, seven homers and 39 RBI in 76 games with Tennessee last year. Left-handed hitter walked 57 times to contribute to .403 on-base percentage and .425 slugging percentage. Had OPS of .828.
