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

Ramirez versus DeRosa for Player of the Month

With three days left in August, the Cubs have two legit contenders for player of the month honors in August. The only player of the month winner so far for the best team in baseball has been Geovany Soto's rookie of the month honor in April, although he's certainly a strong contender to win it again in August. His only real competition is the July winner, Ian Stewart who has a slight edge in OPS and both have 20 RBI's in August.

All the NL contenders after the jump...

 

Name  HR  RBI  XBH  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
DeRosa  24  22  17  .378 .442  .768 1.210 
Cameron  18  17  14  .366  .458  .744  1.202 
Pujols 20  16  16  .372  .481  .721  1.202 
Wigginton
10  22  17  17  .370  .381  .783  1.164 
Ludwick  23  21  17  .359  .413  .739  1.153 
M. Ramirez  23  14  11  .375  .465  .635  1.100 
A. Ramirez  26  20  14  .325  .418  .639  1.057 

Cameron also has seven stolen bases this month although I doubt that's valued too highly for the award. With Ryan Braun and CC Sabathia sweeping the July honors, I doubt they'd give it to another Brewer unless Cameron goes off the next three days. DeRosa has the OPS edge at the moment over everyone and is tied for the most extra base hits. He's tied for second in RBI's with Carlos Delgado, both of whom trail Aramis. DeRosa is second in runs scored to Matt Holliday's 28. So a little battle within the battle to end the weekend.
 
On the pitching side, Rich Harden is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA this month but in just four starts and 24.2 IP. Sabathia and Tim Lincecum are both 4-0 so far with nearly double the innings and 1.37 ERA for Sabathia and 1.27 for Lincecum. 

Comments

phew...using wood in 2 blowouts in a row before his 2 saves (causing him to work 4 days in a row) didnt bite the team in the ass. using howry as a setup man yesterday was iffy while marmol was resting.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

way to avoid answering a question...

Wood hadn't pitched in 3 days, that's why he was used Monday in a blowout. No one knows if Tuesday's game would be a blowout, which didn't turn into a blowout until the 8th anyway. Keeping Marmol and Wood sharp are important until we clinch. I'll agree that using him on Tuesday was questionable, but his only choices were Wood or Howry.

As to why he didn't use Howry, I don't know. Maybe after watching the team piss away most of the game, he didn't care to go through an adventurous 9th. Maybe Howry had a hangnail or a case of the runs. Maybe Lou is sick of Howry's crap pitching this year.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

i explained why i wouldn't use a closer 2 blowouts in a row. i didn't think it was controversial of a topic, really. it's come up in parachat a lot. guessing it's gonna be one guy and it ending up being marmol/wood. i'm not coming at this going "never in a blowout!!!!"...its just when they work multiple ones in a row that it becomes "why?" the answer could be any number of legit or "stupid" reasons...we dont know the why's most of the time. i'm just saying its something i wouldn't do and i know i'm not alone in that one no matter what side of it you find yourself on.

I vote for Soto as player of the season - while the pitching staff is excellent, there has to be major input from the quarterback of the defense. The guy doesn't play or act like a rookie, and the staff reflects that attitude every game.

I can't tell you how happy I am right now. I said for the longest time that if we do 2/3 from the bad teams (or better) and .500 or better against the good teams, we win this division going away. At worst we got our split vs. the phils and Zambrano pitches on Sunday. On Fox, BTW. I like our chances. If we go 1 under .500 from here on out we get 98 wins. This team will get to 100.

brewers up 3-0...top 1st, 0 out. neat.

I'm still not counting my chickens on the division yet. The Brewers still have 16 games left against the Pirates, Padres and Reds and they have been dominating bad teams. Wildcard is a different matter. that's a done deal.

His only real competition is the July winner, Ian Stewart who has a slight edge in OPS and both have 20 RBI's in August. Pretty good for a guy who's been dead since December 1985. Though he did play a nice, bluesy piano for the Stones in his day.

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).