Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

A Schwarbernundrum

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

It was fantastic and almost unbelievable that Kyle Schwarber was able to DH in the World Series, and a case could be made that the Cubs would not have won the World Series without his presence in the lineup.

That being said...
Being able to DH in World Series road games in A. L. parks is one thing, but the Cubs will have to decide at some point if Schwarber will be able to play a defensive position going forward.  

Obviously it's much too early to come to any conclusions, but IF (big "IF") it becomes apparent that Schwarber cannot be at least a semi-regular catcher or even a passable left-fielder in the field, it may become necessary for the Cubs to think seriously about trading Schwarber to an American League club where he can be a full-time DH. It's not that Schwarber is indifferent about defense, because nobody works harder than he does. It's just that he might not be able to play defense (whether it be catcher or left-fielder) with enough skill to avoid future injuries.  

Supposedly the Yankees asking price for Andrew Miller last July was Schwarber, so if he can actually fetch a pitcher of that quality in a trade with an A. L. club, it might not necessarily be a bad thing to trade Schwarber IF it turns out that he is limited defensively. 

That's why it was unfortunate that the National League did not adopt the DH in the new CBA, because that would have solved the problem before it became one. 

If the Cubs do find it necessary to trade Schwarber, it is at least good to know that the Cubs top two prospects (Ian Happ and Eloy Jimenez) project to be left-fielders at the big league level (Happ ETA 2018 and Eloy ETA 2019), and two other Cubs Top 10 prospects (Mark Zagunis and Eddy Julio Martinez) are corner outfielders as well.

If the Cubs want to indeed sustain success beyond the 2015-21 Bryant-Rizzo-Russell-Lester-Hendricks-Baez contention window, they will need to avoid trading any more next generation top prospects for short-term fixes. While Gleyber Torres was seemingly blocked by Russell and Baez, he actually was part of the next generation of Cub prospects who would have theoretically provided potential replacements for Bryant, Rizzo, Russell, and/or Baez, should any or all of them not sign contract extensions beyond 2021.  

That doesn't mean that trading Torres for Aroldis Chapman was in and of itself the wrong thing to do, just that it can't become a blueprint for roster management going forward, IF the Cubs want to avoid another three-year rebuild 2022-24.

With both Jake Arrieta and John Lackey scheduled to be free-agents after next season, the Cubs will likely need two starting pitchers in 2018. So the idea of trading Schwarber to an American League club for a quality starting pitcher with (let's say) three years of club control might become a lively topic of conversation at next year's Winter Meetings. Schwarber could be next year's Jorge Soler.

Again, it it obviously too early to think too seriously about the possibility of trading Kyle Schwarber, and while I would certainly hate to see him go, it is something to keep in mind as the Cubs go forward through the 2017 season.  

Tags
Kyle Schwarber

Comments

Submitted by Hagsag on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:06 pm

AZ Phil, I know the Cubs have re-signed Manny Parra to a minor league contract. Do you think he is a possible loogy in 2017? How far along is he with his rehab? Thanks.

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:12 pm

neat...didn't hear about that. he was doing well last season in spring training before his arm blew up. there was even talk of a pen arm being traded to make room for him on the roster. he's a lefty that throws low 90s with a slider...when healthy...which hasn't been a common theme for him since 2013 or so.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:13 pm

HAGSAG: Manny Parra is still in the Cubs organiation only because the Cubs are on the hook for his April 2016 TJS. I think he will probably continue his rehab by throwing "live" BP and eventually pitch in "sim" games & EXST Cactus League games at Extended Spring Training, and then the Cubs will see where he's at come June. Or he could get released before that. 

Submitted by billybucks on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:45 pm

I think the Cubs need to tell Kyle to forget about catching and focus on becoming an All-Star LF. The hope of being a catcher may dilute his focus a bit, and, given the emphasis Joe and Theo team put on strong defense at catcher, I just don't see it for Schwarber. I have to believe that an athlete with his skills and his work ethic can become at least an average LF if that is the only position he focuses on. In this lineup, hitting ahead of Bryant and Rizzo, he could put up All-Star numbers as a LF. If Jay/Almora man CF, with Heyward in right, they should be able to help cover a bit for Schwarber. But, it comes down to practice and reps -- stay in LF and don't go behind the plate, Kyle.

Submitted by TheCHISportsFan on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:46 pm

I'm not sure the issue is whether he can play defense or not. He improved dramatically in LF at the end of 2015 (obviously with NLCS hiccups) and we truly have no significant sample size to judge. That being said - even if he is as marginal as Soler, the evaluation on a team with so many options is more likely in how good of an offensive player he is. ZIPS only has him at 2.1 zWAR. With an OPS that exceeded Kris Bryant (I know small sample size), the proposition changes entirely if WARBear performs more like the offensive-only side of Mike Trout. With the athleticism of Almora/Hayward, the net increase in OF platoon WAR suddenly is BETTER than last year with Dex, if Kyle is more in the mid 4 WAR range and Heyward rebounds to only his career average (as he has done twice before following 1 or under WAR in bad seasons.) Clearly the front office doesn't think it's that big of a concern, and Kyle isn't exactly slow in LF either. He's an athlete - albeit a non-traditional one for that role. With this coach (and our new bullpen toys), I could envision a seamless transition for a .380/.390+ OBP leadoff Schwarber who gets leads before the 8th - and is pulled for Szczur/KB/Zobrist in close games. Frankly not to different from how Joe used both Soler and Willson. I remember back to when Kyle was drafted with a couple of reports saying that there was a sizeable contingent in the front office who actually felt Schwarber had a BETTER potential impact than Kris. They are two completely different players of course and that doesn't mean they didn't think Kris would be anything but great. But I suspect there is a reason they quickly quashed the Yankee rumors and actually called Kyle. I don't get that they foresee anything but a permanent piece for a long time. (Of course I will deny all of this if he goes bust by June....lol)

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:12 pm

Schwarber will be fine in LF, I look forward to him hitting 30 plus Hrs next year. He is not Pablo Sandoval

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:28 pm

mark trumbo kyle schwarber should be okay in LF. hopefully with jay/almora it won't sting too much. the bar is already set pretty low for expectations there. hopefully he can meet those expectations as a minimum.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:41 pm

phil bickford (MIL pitching prospect, 2015 1st round pick) suspended 50 games after a second positive for a "drug of abuse" ...weed takes down another minor leaguer. yes, they know the risk...and yes it's stupid to take that risk, but it's also played out (imo) to keep cracking down on this particular non-performance-enhancing drug in the minors.

Submitted by ddevonb on Fri, 12/09/2016 - 12:47 pm

There is no reason to think that he won't be up to full strength and range of motion by spring. That would be normal for this surgery now.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 12/10/2016 - 12:58 pm

"According to Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago, the Cubs have had continued dialogue with free agent right-hander Tyson Ross since the winter meetings ended." meh. sure, he's not trash, but when he's not pitching in the caverns of OAK and SD home parks that gloss becomes less shiny. still, he's looking 8-12m or something like that so it wouldn't be an expensive gamble comparable to what he can do. it would be kinda weird to slow montgomery's entry into being rotation-ready for 2017+, though.

Submitted by cubbies.4ever on Sat, 12/10/2016 - 12:21 pm

Why does everybody forget about Trevor Clifton? He's done well at every level. (very poor run support so not a fair W/L). He'll be a rule 5 eligible next year. Everybody talks about Cease (rightfully so)/Johnson/Underwood etc. (All three have had significant injuries Clifton never has). Everybody talks about Happ and Jimenez, who face the same problem as Soler, no place to play, given Happ is more of a Zobrist type. Why does Clifton or Stinett even slip off the radar. They'll both start at AA depending on AAA one or both could push a SP to the bullpen like Rob Z. did last year after starting at AA.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 12/10/2016 - 12:36 pm

CUBBIES-4-EVER: I haven't forgotten about Trevor Clifton. I have him rated as the Cubs #7 prospect overall and #2 starting pitcher prospect (behind only Dylan Cease) and I've been saying that here at TCR for months, and I have Jake Stinnett as the Cubs minor league SP breakout candidate in 2017. Both are Rule 5 Draft-eligible post-2017, so barring injuries or collapse Clifton will very likely be added to the MLB 40-man roster by next 11/20 (at the latest) and Stinnett should get strong consideration for the 40 as well. 

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Submitted by Eric S on Sun, 12/11/2016 - 12:29 am

Fwiw, Clifton is rated by Sickels as the Cubs #3 overall prospect behind only Eloy and Cease. He also has Underwood at #9 overall with a B-/C+ rating. Pierce Johnson is outside his top 30, with a C rating. He also notes in the comments that he believes that Johnson can still make it to the majors as a reliever and that, if he was another team, he would try to buy low on him.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Tue, 12/13/2016 - 12:08 am

Why, cubbies.4ever? Because after five drafts beginning in 2012, only Zastryzny and Zack Godley (now with the Diamondbacks) have thrown a pitch in the majors. We didn't draft Arrieta or Hendricks. Fun fact: Rob Z. and Godley are the only McLeod-era draftees to play in the majors who were drafted lower than 6th overall. (I certainly concede that McLeod nailed the #2 and #4 picks.) Pitching-wise, apart from Clay Buchholz I don't see much during McLeod's stints in Boston or San Diego. I was kind of rooting for McLeod to land that GM job with the Twins a few months ago.

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 12/12/2016 - 12:52 am

Jon Morosi‏ @jonmorosi #Cubs have been in contact with #Tigers on a possible Justin Wilson trade, source says; unclear if there is current momentum

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 12/12/2016 - 12:40 pm

supposedly LAD/k.jansen are close to a deal. WAS has been linked to a ton of top FA and trade targets...and have nothing to show for the rumors. they got j.lobaton and c.heisey, though...so well...yeah. anything they can do to not be uber-competitive works for me. they got a hell of a crew of talent as it is without getting top tier additions.

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 12/12/2016 - 12:21 pm

Peter Gammons GM respected for scouting and highly asture in analytics today said, "I think Adam Eaton is one of the 15 best players in the game." /fart

Recent comments

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
    The Cubs wanted to deal JHey off well before they bought him out. They just didn't want to pay him to play for someone else for that long. Jed did give him 20+mil to play for LAD last yr.
    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team. 

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