Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Game 37 Recap: Cubs 2, Brewers 4

Brew Who?

Box Score, Play Log, Game Graphs

W - Anderson (2-5), 3 unassisteds, shifting the third baseman, the "tourniquet" stat.

L - Hendricks (2-3),  lame no-hit bids, homerless streaks.

S - Jeffress (11), what I should do more often when doing recap drafts.

Things to Take from This Game.

1.  Chase Anderson?!

Chase Anderson looked every bit as awful as his over-6 ERA suggested in the first few innings, with rockets getting hit all around the park.  None of them dropped in, though, and he threw strikes, eventually settling in to a very less-than-dominating no-hit bid.

2. One bad inning.

Other than a Lucroy solo homer, Hendricks looked sharp and efficient through the first five. But he got knocked around in the sixth, with the big damage being a gap-splitting double by Chris Carter.  Cahill came in to get eight straight outs and looked quite sharp doing it. Stuff-wise, the Cubs pitching looked better than the Brewers, most all of the night.

3.  Late firepower

With two outs in the ninth, Chase Anderson suddenly remembered he was Chase Anderson. Blame it on going with an off-brand hypnotist. Heyward did what few thought possible, and barreled up a ball for his first home run of the season, just escaping the reach of the right fielder, Santana. Bryant followed with a no-doubter to left, but Jeffress then came on to K Rizzo and end the game. Those of us who stuck around to the bitter end appreciated this modest moment of drama in an otherwise stupid game.

Essential Questions

1.  Is Heyward's bat waking up just as everyone else starts to cool off?

2.  Is it too soon to worry that we might not be the most dominant regular season team in baseball history?

3.  What literary wonders will we never get back from my lost fifth inning recap?

 

Game Recap

Top of 1st

    •  What a sad little crowd in Milwaukee. Lots of Cubs fans in the mix, of course.
    • Aww, Chase Anderson writes the initials of his grandmas in the dirt behind the mound before each game. I do that with the chalkboard in my classroom before each class. 
    • No, I don't.
    • Fowler hits one to within maybe a couple of feet of the wall, just-right-of-center where the fence angles.  A very long out.
    • Heyward pops to Villar just behind second base.
    • Bryant also hits a drive to the furthest reaches of the park, and oh god, you're going to make me look up how to spell his name, aren't you....Nieuwenhuis makes a leaping catch at the wall, where it angles just-left-of-center. May have saved a home run. Nieuwenhuis.

Bottom of 1st

    • Villar swings over the top of a changeup, darting down and away from him for the first out of the night.
    • Citizen Gennett bounces one to Baez at third, who makes a nice backhand.  Two quick outs.
    • First-pitch swinging, Braun bounces to Russell.  An 8-pitch inning. You could hear Braun getting booed.  In Milwaukee.

 

Top of 2nd

    • Rizzo smokes one just to the right of the second base bag, where third baseman Aaron Hill is shifted, to make a diving catch.  Anderson isn't fooling anyone.
    • Zobrist ground to Carter, unassisted at first.
    • Russell K's trying to catch up to a fastball up and in.  Somehow, miraculously, Anderson has retired the first six he's faced. Skill had little to do with it.

Bottom of 2nd

    • Lucroy walks.
    • Carter bounces to Baez, who takes a step back on it and tosses to second to just get Lucroy for the force.
    • An odd non-play, where Santana fouls a ball away and the broken bat comes flying to the mound, clipping Hendricks. No harm done.
    • Santana with a check-swing strikeout.
    • Nieuwenhuis (YES!  SPELLED RIGHT ON THE FIRST TRY WITHOUT LOOKING! SPORTS BLOGGING AWARD FOR TRANS!) up, hits a one-hopper right at Zobrist

 

Top of 3rd.

    • Baez hits one that kicks off the glove of the drawn-in Aaron hill, over to Villar at short, who throws on for the out.
    • Montero grounds to Citizen Gennett
    • Hendricks strikes out swinging.  How in the world is Anderson pitching a perfect game?

Bottom of 3rd

    • Hill chops one to Russell who charges, throws low to Rizzo, who can't quite catch it. Hill credited with a single.
    • Anderson attempts to bunt, and gets one down to Rizzo who fires to second for the force. They almost turn two, but Anderson is running hard down the line.
    • Villar chops one to Zobrist, charging, who makes a nifty little flip to Russell, but again the effort to turn two comes up just short.
    • Gennett strikes out swinging.

 

Top of 4th

    •  Fowler lines another one on the button, but right at NIEUWENHUIS.
    • Heyward bounces to Gennett
    • Bryant bounces out to Hill.  This is the crummiest perfect game ever thrown through four, as the Cubs are BABIP'ed to death.

 Bottom of 4th

    • Braun bounces one off the plate to Russell, who makes the play with time to spare
    • Lucroy takes a fastball over the plate and crushes it out into the bleachers in left.  A serious shot.  1-0 Brewers.
    • Carter K's swinging.
    • Santana K's swinging.  Hendricks has looked really sharp, minus one pitch...

 

Top of 5th

    • Rizzo grounds out to Carter, unassisted
    • Zobrist bounces one to Hill, who again is shifted to the right of second base.
    • Russell K's on a foul-tip.  Anderson settling down, sort of.  This is very dumb.

Bottom of 5th

    •  Nieuwenhuis K's swinging.
    • There's too much going on to recap, between a fast game and huge parachat.  And so I was feeling guilty about how unuseful, undescriptive, and just sort of generic the game recap had become. I therefore committed myself to elaborately, lovingly describing Aaron Hill reaching out to flare a little blooper pop that Zobrist caught in shallow right field.  And then I lost this inning worth of recap to the Internet Gods.  This is my sad effort to recreate that forever-lost piece of baseball prose. Whom the gods would destroy, they first make a game-recapper.
    • Anderson then grounded out to Zobrist.

 

Top of 6th.

    • Baez bounces into an easy 3-1.
    • Montero walks, and we have our first base-runner. Ridiculous.
      • I notice my game recapping beginning to take on the form of Trump Tweets. LAME!
    • Failing to get the bunt down, Hendricks K's swinging.
    • Anderson starts working his changeup more effectively, and Fowler goes down swinging.

Bottom of 6th.

    • Villar walks
    • Gennett hits a broken bat flair into shallow left-center, and we have runners on 1 and 2, no outs, heart of order coming up.
    • Braun pokes one down the right field line, on a breaking piece off the plate. Nice hitting, as Rizzo was way off first base.  runners on 1st and 3rd, 2-0 Brewers.
    • Lucroy popped foul to Montero behind the plate. A very badly needed out.
    • Carter lines one into the right-center gap. The throw goes through to the plate to try to catch the second runner, but it's a bit off line and a bit late.  4-0 Brewers.
    • Cahill in to pitch, gets Santana swinging over a low and away slider.
    • Nieuwenhuis (I AM SO GOOD AT THIS!) rolls out to Zobrist.

 

Top of 7th

    • Heyward pops out to third. This time, with the lefty up, Hill actually is playing a normal third base.
    • Bryant with a routine fly out to Santana in right.
    • Rizzo K's looking at an inside fastball.  The Brewers entire defensive team just stands around, oblivious to it being the end of the Cubs half of the inning. Because Brewers.

Bottom of 7th

    • Hill flies to Heyward down the right field line.
    • Anderson bounces one off of Cahill, to Russell, who gets the out
    • Villar grounds to Zobrist.  Cahill doing some nice damage-control tonight.

 

Top of 8th

    • Zobrist smokes one to dead center, with it landing at the very base of the wall and just sticking there. Kind of neat. The biggest joke of a no-hitter seen in years is no more. Double.
    • Russell pops out to second.
    • Baez flies out to right, Zobrist advances to third.
    • Our sad excuse for a threat ends with Montero rolling out to Villar.

Bottom of 8th

    • Gennett with an easy fly out to Bryant in left, who catches it while looking effortlessly handsome.
    • J.D. thinks Braun (booed again when he comes to bat) looks a bit bigger this year.  Ahem.
    • Cahill gets Braun to chase one in the dirt for the strikeout.  Real nice work tonight by Cahill.
    • Lucroy also K's swinging. I am beginning to wonder if Len genuinely hopes his "tourniquet" stat catches on.

 

Top of 9th

    • LaStella pinch hits for Cahill and hits a lazy fly to center.  Anderson stays in for the ninth.
    • Fowler grounds to Carter, unassisted.
    • When all hope seems lost, Anderson throws a middle-in fastball, 0-2, and Heyward launches it out to right-center. It just gets Santana's homer-robbing effort. Homerun, Heyward, 4-1 Brewers.
    • Bryant follows it up by taking another middle-in fastball, a bit higher in the zone than Bryant's, and hitting it into the bleachers in left.  4-2 Brewers.
    • Jeffress in for Anderson.
    • Jeffress K's Rizzo swinging over something down and in.  Game over.

 

 

Parachat Recap

1st Inning

    •  Tolerance for extreme cold and heat
    • Everyone arrives very suddenly.
    • JAG: a triple shy of the cycle.
    • An extensive discussion of hot dogs.
    • Replacement Dates
    • Hot dog brands.
    • Carlos has many lawns to mow.  This could either be an offensive immigrant joke or an offensive sexual joke.
    • This is the most extensive discussion of hot dogs I have seen in at least a month.
    • Len really is into men in uniform, as johann observes.
    • Who would we trade Rizzo for?  Not many, it turns out.

2nd Inning

    • Pinch-dating.
    • Turning down a straight-up Trout for RIzzo trade.  (Seriously?!?!)
    • Going out with people older or younger than you.
    • Women cutting WHAT off of me?!?
    • Mini-Trans.
    • Mini-Crunch.
    • Fast parachatting = need fast fingers for recapping. Or coke.
    • When was the last time we had more than nine in parachat?
      • When it was in Tijuana.
    • Using parachat to date all of TCR.
    • Hot taeks
    • the Odor punch.
    • TCR comics.
    • Mark DeRosa, good-looking manager.
    • Trump Supporters
    • Freddi Gonzalez firing: about as unfair as celebrating after a home run being a ~punch2~able offense

3rd Inning

    • Joe Nathan Hot Dog.
    • This is what happens when you get drunk at an auction.
    • Videos of parachatters:  Jacos walking someone else's dog, Crunch making corn fuck, Biz playing kickball, Whipple doing... uh... this....
    • More from Crunch...
    • Johann has high self-esteem
    • I don't know what's wrong with Ryno.
    • Jacos identifies what ought to be a parachat sound.
    • JAG had a rat terrier named Carlos.

4th Inning

  • Sinead O'connor riding her bike, eating deep dish pizza with a spoon.
  • <1.0 Cosbys
      • Wouldn't it be Cosbies?
        • No, that would be the award.  (Ugh, thanks, CTSteve.)
    • Kids doing the P.A.: decided to be Cute.
    • Jared Fogel jokes.  Ouch.
    • Jeffrey Dahmer jokes. Ouch.
    • Klemen's is a sausage that links people together. Nice, JAG.
    • Testing out what Trans is willing to recap, and what he's not.  (Sorry, Carlos.)
    • FBI closes down Parachat.
    • More Jared Fogel jokes.  I'm going to hell for this recap.
    • Transgendered peers.

 5th inning.

    • I lose an inning's worth of recapping with an unfortunate click.
    • To paraphrase:  THE NSA joins us.  Jacos starts police sirens. People want to know where I pee.  We give JAG crap for her latest date.  My internet handle abbreviation wouldn't go over well in north carolina. Live-blogging a booty call. NSA propaganda in Parachat.  Terrorists hanging out having fun.  A full dozen (plus a couple fakes) in parachat.  Amazing.

6th inning.

    • Helping me re-recap what I lost in the recap from the fifth.  Thanks, jerks.
    • Kyle Hendrix.
    • "The plump reliever with perpetually flushed cheeks"
    • Hendricks hits his spots. In bed.
    • People named Les.  People re-named Les.
    • Impersonations.
    • Annoyance at losing this game.
    • Things to placate a pissed off Trans: Boobs, bees, gay witchcraft, and Worse than Trump. (In about that order, too!)
    • Block!  Parachatting like it's 2009.
    • This game is worse than....
    • My deep and abiding concern for Dom Booty Calls.
    • What REALLY happened in that lost Fifth Inning recap?

7th Inning

    • They always leave before I can say goodbye.
    • I care about all humans.
    • What is Chance?
      • ah.  Who is Chance.
    • Block will be back in 2018.
    • Chittownians, Chitters, Chits, and Chiites.
    • Jugglers, Buffalo, and Juggalos.
    • Jacos tells some vile story/joke
    • Vile band names, song names.  I don't understand anything that is happening now.

8th Inning

      • Winging the Nuts.
        • celebrating a hit.
        • RALLY CAPS
        • Who kicked out jacos?
        • Marvel Movies
        • Waiting for the Summer Soldier.
        • Parachat curses.
        • Sobriety.
        • Drug papers.
        • Pain pills and piss tests.  You transgressive F____rs.

9th Inning

    • LaSTELLLLAAAAAAAA!
    • Finally getting things to ~thunder~ about.
    • Maddon sacrificing zoo animals after the game.
    • Last-minute hopes.
      • Last-minute hopes, dashed.

 Cubs fall to 1-1 in games recapped in 2016.

Comments

nieuwenhuises. nice recap. awful game.

I wonder if something was wrong with the lighting at the ballpark tonight -- Chase Anderson and Trevor Cahill both dominant? That ain't right.

The chat was definitely the best part of the game last night. It's amazing how much we can cover in 8.5 innings. Nice job, Trans.

* This is the most extensive discussion of hot dogs I have seen in at least a month.
You are welcome.

"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make a game-recapper." That line alone made this recap worth reading. Do this whenever you can, Mr. Transmission!

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).