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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 69 Recap: Cubs 1, Dodgers 0 (10 innings)

Nine Over

Box Score, Play Log, Game Graphs

 

W- Motte (5-1), fly balls to center, getting paid by the word, pitchers duels

L- Peralta (1-1) going to bed early, offense

Things to Take from This Game

 1. The Cubs "Know How to Win"?

For those who put weight in such things, this sure looked like a knowing-how-to-win/will-to-win/clutch/piss-vinegar-and-gumption sort of game.  An error-free pitcher's duel against a big-time opposing pitcher and team, won in extra innings by the supporting cast after yeoman's work from the bullpen. There's precious little to complain about with this victory.

 

2. Hammel outduels Greinke


Hammel looked in command of this game from the first pitch, and by both the line and the eyeball was superior to Greinke, who also was dealing.

 

3. Waiting to go to Jansen


0 to 0 after nine, Mattingly went to the just-off-the-DL Joel Peralta, not the unhittable Kenley Jansen.  Jansen only surfaced to clean up a bases loaded, no outs mess, and he nearly did.  If Gonzalez doesn't bobble a potential double-play ball at first, he might have made it out of the inning untouched.

 

4. Fan catch of the year.


Seriously. 

 

The gory details, below

 

 

Game Recap

 

Inning 1 - Top

  •  Venerable Cubs fan Dorothy, who I remember being pictured singing along to the 7th inning stretch since I was a little kid, returns to her regular seat, with a complimentary chest protector.  She had been hit with a foul ball in the previous homestand.  Good to see her back.
  • Hammel blows a fastball past Puig to start the game.  Puig takes another fastball looking for strike 2.  Fastball, up, and Puig again is overpowered.  Glorious three-pitch K to start the game.
  • Pederson K's on a slider that got way too much of the plate.
  • Kendrick hits one down the 3rd base line to Bryant's right.  He makes the pick, socks the ball into his mit only once, and fires to beat Kendrick my a step. Nice work, a nine-pitch first inning.

Inning 1 - Bottom

  •  Coghlan hits a sad little chopper that Greinke fields within a foot of Coghlan as he runs to first.  Greinke opts to throw it instead of tagging him. Easy first out.
  • Rizzo shows bunt on the first pitch, but pulls back.  3-1 count, Rizzo puts a nice swing on a pitch to line it into right for a single.
  • Bryant works an 0-2 count back to 3-2 and gets the walk.  We have seen this before.
  • Montero smites one to the warning track in right.  Looks like it just got in on his hands a bit. Rizzo goes to third while Puig throws one on a line into second base, impressive.
  • Castro continues to swing from his heels on fastballs, and quickly goes down 0-2.
  • Bryant takes second without a throw.  Castro flies to Puig in right, ending the threat.

 

Inning 2 - Top

  •  Happy Birthday, J.D.
  • Gonzalez bounces out 3-1.
  • We get an amusing behind-the-scenes look at Len and J.D. who flubbed the taping of the opening segment several times and had to do a Bill O'Reilly "We'll do it live!!" special.  We get video of them jumping up and down celebrating after getting through the live-open without any glitches.
  • Grandal with a soft bouncer to Castro.
  • Ethier K's looking.  6 in a row from Hammel and it's looking easy.

Inning 2 - Bottom

 

Inning 3 - Top

  • Callapso dunks one down the left field line for a double, as the President of SABR Board of Directors yammers on.  But eh, here's to giving SABR a platform for growth, I guess.
  • Rollins pops to Bryant, just in front of the 3B bag. We continue to hear about SABR.
  • Greinke pops to Montero who catches it near the screen behind home plate.
  • Puig has looked pretty lost in two ABs against Hammel. Flies out softly to Szczur in center, throws down his bat. Leadoff double gets stranded.

Inning 3 - Bottom

  • We get an interview from the foul ball-interfering Father of the Year.  "I've got a lot of the anti-Bartman so far" he says.  Adrian Gonzalez is on his fantasy team.  Comedy gold. Somewhere in there Russell struck out.  Nobody cared.
  • And now Coghlan hits one to just about the Bartman Spot, but no play for Ethier.  Or anyone else.
  • Pederson is swung around toward left and Coghlan pulls a fastball into right-center.  Pederson loses his feet as he cuts the ball off, and Coghlan's double is uncontested.
  • Rizzo slices one, well-hit, into left-center, where Pederson makes a nice running catch. No advance.
  • Bryant K's swinging

Inning 4 - Top

Inning 4 - Bottom

  •  Montero lines a loopy slider over the shift into right for a single.
  • Castro laces a fastball to center, just short of the warning track. Nothing is getting out in this wind.
  • Baxter takes strike three looking on a fastball quite a bit low and outside. First time that pitch has been called a strike all night
  • Szczur with a lazy fly out to the busy Pederson, inning over.

Inning 5 - Top

  •  Grandal gets jammed and pops out to Russell in the shallow right field.
  • Ethier foul-tip strikes out on a fastball up and in.
  • Callaspo with a soft bouncer to Russell.  Game is moving quickly.

Inning 5 - Bottom

  •  Hammel battles, but eventually strikes out swinging.
  • Russell watches a 67 mph curve for strike two.  That was not fair. But fun to watch.  He eventually hits a knuckling bloop liner out to Rollins.
  • Coghlan grounds sharply out to Rollins

Inning 6 - Top

Inning 6 - Bottom

  • Greinke kind of pitchers around Rizzo.  Leading off.  In a 0-0 game.  With Bryant behind him. Greinke's pitch count nearing 100. Hammel got through 6 at just 78
  • Bryant goes from 1-2 to 3-2. Pops up to shortstop, where Kendrick, shifted over, catches it.
  • Rizzo steals second without a play as Montero strikes out.  Defense was shifted for Montero, and no one went to cover the base. Mattingly checks in with Greinke before he faces Castro
  • Castro again swings from his ass at a fastball and falls to one knee as he foul-tips it.  Strike one. Strike 2 on the outside corner, great pitch. Takes a slider low and away. Grounds the next slider low and away out to short, inning over.

Inning 7 - Top

  •  Len interviewing Run DMC's Darryl McDaniels, who will be singing the Stretch. We are now getting a rhyme about how he was going to go to St. John's U. Somewhere in there Kendrick K's swinging, but no one cares as we hear about the collaboration with Aerosmith.
  • Hammel makes a nice hopping snare of a bouncer from Gonzalez for the out at first.
  • We see Montero calling slider, we get slider, we get Grandal swinging over the top of it to end the inning
  • Darryl McDaniels sing-yells the Stretch. This is awesome.

Inning 7 - Bottom

  •  Greinke done after six and 111 pitches, in comes Nicasio. Baxter K's looking at the same fastball in the same place he K'd looking last time. It hasn't been a strike for anyone else.  Poor Baxter.
  • Szczur (I'm so proud I've spelled that right each time) with a lazy fly to Pederson.
  • Hammel lines one to Rollins' right; he makes a nice pick of the short-hop to get him.

Inning 8 - Top

  •  Ethier works a leadoff walk.
  • Callaspo with a soft bunt toward Hammel, Ethier advances.
  • Rollins grounds out 3-1, and Callaspo to third as the bullpen warms.
  • 3-0 on Turner, as Hammel struggles for the first time all night.  Passed 100 pitches.  Turner walks, in comes Rondon as Hammel gets a standing O.
  • First pitch, Rondon gets Puig to pop into shallow left-center where Castro, Coghlan, Russell, and Szczur converge on it.  What could have been pure unadulturated cubbery is instead a Coghlan catch to end the inning.  The times, they are a-changin'

Inning 8 - Bottom

  • Liberatore in to pitch. Russell K's swinging at a 95 mph fastball on the outer corner, tough pitch.
  • Denorfia flies to Pederson and Rizzo pops to Rollins, a super-easy inning.

Inning 9 - Top

Inning 9 - Bottom

  • Garcia in, Bryant pops a fastball down the middle to second base.
  • Montero gets called out on a 3-2 fastball on the bottom outside corner.  Montero is displeased.
  • Castro gives the crowd a brief and fleeting thrill before they realize it's a harmless fly out to left

Inning 10 - Top

  •  Motte in. Szczur makes a nice over the shoulder running catch on a slicing liner by Callaspo
  • Rollins takes a feeble check swing at a high fastball for strike three
  • Guerrero pinch hits for Garcia and softly lines to Russell.  Easy inning

Inning 10 - Bottom

  • Peralta in to pitch. Baxter hits the first pitch, a sinking liner into right for a single.
  • Szczur pinch-hitting, and lines one down the third base line where Callaspo is playing in, and can only knock it down.  Runners on 1 and 2.
  • Peralta really slows the game down.  Len and JD note that Jansen isn't even warming up. Well, now he is.  Still....
  • Fowler walks. Bases loaded, no outs, in comes Jansen, and Wood to pinch run for the gimpy Fowler. 
  • Russell squirts one down to first, where Gonzalez, drawn in, bobbles it, but is just able to get the runner at home for the force.  One out, bases still loaded.
  • Five-infield defense, but there's some confusion on how to align the outfield. Pederson in super-short center, Ethier at 2B basically. Left field sort of uncovered. Denorfia up.
  • Denorfia hits a liner to deep center, where Pederson makes a nice over the shoulder catch, and has no hope of getting Szczur at the plate.  Game over, 1-0 cubs.

 

Parachat Recap

Inning 1

  • Greinke's adderall count.
  • Bad cereal names
  • Castro's homemade(?) sign for Caleb. 
  • What rhymes with Caleb?
  • Someone get Kerry Wood a sandwich. 
  • The methhead trucker look.

Inning 2

  • Barney in a silly golf outfit
  • No, Theriot.  Oh, dear god.
  • Northern Lights, if you like that kind of thing.
  • Mixing up your white short-people.
  • Relationship updates.  Bad phrasing.
  • The greatest foul-ball catch of the year.
  • ASCII fail.

Inning 3

  •  What is everyone slacking on?
  • How to Sound Smart on Fangraphs User Comments
  • What women want, according to Crunch: Ollies, Cereal.
  • What women want, according to Mister Whipple:  Beer, Rock and roll.
  • The %%%%% signs censoring our shit.
  • "Parachat blows Santorum"
  • Take a stand for the Ip.
  • %%%% %%%%% stack  (NSFW.  Or really for anything.)
  • This game needs more ____________

Inning 4

  • What's for dinner?
  • Experimenting with fish tacos
  • Things that aren't euphemisms.
  • Sketchy tacos.
  • Hitting on taco trucks
  • Not fucking with organ meat tacos
  • Things that still aren't euphemisms.  I think.
  • Appreciating how Len and J.D. have meshed this year.

Inning 5

  •  Too much HD.
  • Impressive visiages
  • Eastwood-level wrinkling.
  • Why is Joe Kelly trending on twitter?
  • Grading foul ball catching degrees of difficulty

Inning 6

  •  Not the person you would presume, buying Joy Division .mp3s
  • Not the person you would presume, with a Joy Division song stuck in his head.
  • Doom Zydeco and Hatecordian as the music hipsters get music hipstery.  I ~punch2~ the room.
  • I write the Parachat Recaps before they happen.
  • Removing the nostalgic lense through which we view Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
  • Text rickrolling
  • Never gonna give you up
  • Is this game lacking pizzaz?  (No.)
  • This is the type of game that______

Inning 7

  •  Where's Jacos?
  • Why Run DMC?  Why Not.
  • Parachat takes over computers. We blame me.
  • There's Jacos.
  • Critiquing the sound guy on the Stretch.
  • (Just the) (filet mignon) beef tip.
  • Cooking with flu, cooking with smoked paprika
  • No causal connections, just life event sequences.

Inning 8

  • Old-school vs. foodie Mac and Cheese
  • Biz is Back
  • Food Truck Purists.
  • 2008 redux. It's Andrew.
  • Ron Paul vs. Rupaul
  • Andrew learns the hard truth: Ip is not Ip.  Cussing is %%%%%%
  • The kid from Mask?  huh?
  • Bosio is rotund.
  • Cubnut meets Cranston. 
  • Who do we let walk in FA in 2016?
  • Keeping me honest, earning my pay.  Oh my.
  • flouncing out of Parachat.
  • Flouncing, defined.  Thanks, whip.
  • 2008 Carlos never left.
  • Things that are pretty open.
  • Twitter handles.
  • Donald Trump and our favorite TCR trolls.
  • Why Carlos unfriends people

Inning 9

  • People friending and networking via Parachat.
  • What we're doing (or not doing) on Twitter
  • Trans the Trend Setter
  • Who is Trans?  (Me.  Duh.)
  • #crunchyolo
  • Who is Everyone?
  • Gay witchcraft beer.
  • Gay witchcraft bees.
  • More on Beers.
  • RALLY CAPS is now Rally Caps.  This is worse than Ip not being Ip.
  • What am I getting paid in?
  • Andrew is distraught over Rally Caps.
  • Whipple invents Rally Italics, or, as Crunch calls it, ralltalics
  • The best definition of Corner Gas ever

Inning 10

  •  Seriously, what am I getting paid in?
  • More admiring of the foul ball catching dad.
  • Not eating Jack's Links
  • Mexican food.
  • Parachat: Sponsored by________
  • Cake farts?  Cake farts.
  • Oh, dear god.
  • (Oh, dear snopes)
  • Fowler on dick.
  • Maxim's view on Doing Kris Bryant
  • Rally Quacks
  • Andrew/Carlos/Crunch teach me what Df is.
  • Jacos, violator of parachat rule
  • Andrew dials... someone...
  • Missing Mike Quade
  • Who is Jon Snow?
  • The historical accuracy of Game of Thrones.
  • Victory

 

Cubs' record in games recapped in 2015:  1-0.

Comments

No promises, as I may have social events Thursday through Saturday, but I really really really want to do some recaps for the Cards series.... Will try to give notice in advance if it's looking like I can.

*puts on the "That Guy" jacket* the "dad catch" was neat and all, but who brings a small child to sit in the front row behind the dugout away from the screen? i just hope it's something he really wasn't thinking about moreso than taking that risk. the kid is pretty much front/center and most likely facing right into the action with no barrier. also, go cubs.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

As a human being who spent years working as a preschool teacher and hopes to be a dad someday and screams and hollers for the need for pitchers to be required to wear protective head gear and for more protective netting around the park, I whole-heartedly agreee with you.

As a guy writing a piece for TCR and just kicking back and enjoying a game, I say "hell yeah."

But seriously, yeah, if I tried that with my imaginary kid, I would expect my imaginary wife to kill me.  And she'd be right for it.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

Look at the bright side, fellas. At least he's not going to be one of those parents who don't let their kids out. That baby probably won't be sitting in front of screens playing video games all day getting corpulent. Shit. When I was a kid (Dana Carvey SNL old man character voice) we were outside all day all the time unsupervised. These days a lot of kids are prisoners. Free the kids!!!!

Well, that's it, I'm clearing my calendar for tomorrow night. Thanks for the recap, Trans! Surely you haven't been gone as long as I have??

First time at the "new" Wrigley tonight. New scoreboards are nice, but the big one does dominate the park and overwhelms the traditional CF scoreboard. The effect may be more pronounced at night. Agree with all the comments on the fan catch. The guy's an idiot, but it was hilarious, particularly since Mattingly correctly (although foolishly, I thought) challenged it, which created time for several replays on the JumboTron (or whatever they call them now). Also -- Joc Pedersen is one hell of a CF -- got great breaks on every ball, sprinted to the exact spot and was waiting for the ball to come down. Textbook stuff.

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

Agreed that the new scoreboards can dominate the old one, but I do find it nice that there is limited information overlap between the three so there are a lot of times when the old scoreboard is where to look when you want to check on something.

Adrian Gonzalez on fan interference: "It would've been more impressive if the baby had caught it."

Nice recap, Trans. Yesterday's game was really the poster child for how different this team is from teams past. If any game was meant to be lost through Cubbery, that was it. I was very happy Maddon didn't pinch hit Ross for Denorfia. Or something.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I didn't mention it in the main recap, but yeah, when the OF lost sight of that fly ball that dropped in, i just assumed we were about to give up a run and lose.  To recover from that, and then to not drop the fly ball where everyone was converging....  man, it's nice to expect good things to happen.

In Southern League all-star game last night, Contreras was 1 for 2 with a walk, and Vogelbach hit a three-run homer in the second inning. Batista, Pena, Black and Francescon contributed an inning or part of an inning to the shutout win.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

when he was traded there were a lot of people pegging him as a future closer because of control issues and questions of whether he could be a 5+inning starter because of it. hell, that started while he was still a cub. those control issues are part of what allowed him + 2 other guys to come to the cubs for m.derosa to begin with. now he's missing bats and hitting the zone. sigh.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

Not that I wouldn't love to have Chris Archer right now, but the Cubs lost Archer, Lee, and Chirinos (and somebody else I'm forgetting), got 3+ years of Garza + Carl Edwards Jr., Grimm, Ramirez, and Olt, right? That's not exactly a lopsided result. I mean, I'd take Archer right now over any of those former rangers prospects (no offense to Mike Olt), but they also got Garza for a while.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Also it is assuming the Cub's old regime wouldn't have screwed up his development. Something along the lines of yo-yoing him between the bullpen and being a starter and shuffling him between Iowa and Chicago. Probably would have already traded him for more prospects, maybe higher quality prospects than Garza got but the end result is about the same. /Cub Fan Fatalism

Last night the Carolina League sent an all-star team to play the California League all stars. Zagunis and Candelario had two hits each for the losing side. Underwood and Martinez represented Myrtle Beach on the mound. (Jonathan Martinez has looked like a nice acquisition via trade for Barney.)

What about the Midwest League all-stars?--you might be wondering. South Bend players were on the winning (East) side, but (Gleyber) Torres, Burks and Brockmeyer were hitless. Null and Farris struck out the five hitters they faced.

 

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: In the top of the 1st Schwarber was summoned to the mound three times by shaky starter Felipe Paulino. Finally they got on the same page. On the base paths a guy stole 3rd standing up without a throw. Probably on Paulino. Another guy stole 2nd and was gunned down trying for 3rd by Alcantara from CF after he scooped up Schwarber’s wild throw. Later Schwarber threw out another thief at 2nd. He also rang up a PB. Olt made an error; a wild throw to 1st. At the plate Olt and Schwarber went 0-7 w/ 3 K’s between them. No action for Neil Ramirez who was slated for some duty in this afternoon’s game which may not happen due to t-storms. We’re playing the Omaha Storm Chasers but it looks more like the storms are doing the chasing right now. There will be better days.

 

Marginally "outduels". The game score is 10 points apart. strikeouts, BB's nearly dead even. Grienke did throw 30+ more pitches. however. The Cubs hit lots of pop ups against him, and he had some 67-72 mph curves that he used most effectively (I thought Castro was gonna fuck his oblique on one swing he missed badly on). Good W however, and a gem by each pitcher for sure.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

Yes, one by Montero and one by another Cub. However the wind from NWS stated 8mph. I was there also - and don't know... the flags, if anything showed left to right breeze. Stuff hit hard to left could have had more of a chance but nothing was hit really hard enough - or "on a rope" enough to get out.

My impressions from the game yesterday: * I picked a good day to try keeping a scorecard for the first time. It wasn't a real exciting game for the first 9 1/2 innings. * On the fly ball that landed in lala land in the 6th inning- at the time, it was dusk, and the sky was a creamy sort of baseball color, so it's not surprising they lost sight of it. 5 minutes earlier or later and it probably wouldn't have been an issue. Maybe Cub outfielders should be required to carry babies around with them in the outfield- those baby carrying guys tend to catch the ball pretty well. * Rob Richardson is right, the ball wasn't carrying at all. A small breeze from right to left, no humidity, etc, etc. * Castro was noticeably more focused in this game. He wasn't doing any looking around- every pitch he seemed to be very focused on the game. This is a big improvement over the last time I saw Castro play.

Didn't see it live, just on replays, but seemed like Baxter didn't have much of a lead at all at 3B, and then why did he slide into home on a force play? Run through it and try to beat the throw, there won't be a tag. Seemed like a better jump and run there beats the throw given Gonzalez's bobble. But hard to tell from replay. 

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).