Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
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

Cubs Hitting Coach Jaramillo Gets 3/2.4

Submitted by Dr. Joseph Hecht on

Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

It looks like Jim Hendry accomplished the first splash of the offseason. Rudy Jaramillo is the new Cubs hitting coach. The highly respected Jaramillo has signed a 3 year, $2.42 million deal (according to a David Kaplan tweet and a Bruce Levine/ESPN post) to spin his 5 point hitting magic on Cub hitters both young and old ($800K a year, but we all know you-know-who likes to write back loaded contracts). Bruce Levine reports that Jaramillo will fly to Chicago Wednesday to meet with Cubs officials and after he officially signs his new contract, will attend a mid-afternoon press conference. Jaramillo has spent the last 15 seasons with the Texas Rangers and sports the resume of helping the likes of Mark DeRosa, Michael Young, Lee Stevens and early in their careers, Sammy Sosa and Jeff Bagwell. He won the Baseball America's Major League Coach of the Year in 2005.

The Cubs hope he can fix whatever was broken last year with Alfonso Soriano who still has 5 years left on his contract. Soriano in his 2 years with the Rangers loved working with Jaramillo.   Soriano said, ‘We had very good communication because he speaks Spanish. He’s very good and smart. He works very hard, too.’’

Although the media doesn't want to hear or write about it, he's even left his magic touch on Milton Bradley who parlayed the 2008 season into "feeling like $30 million bucks". It was one of Bradley's best hitting seasons and propelled him to his first All-Star game. I'm not sure the Jaramillo signing will restore any of the burnt bridges Bradley left in his wake but who knows, especially if Hendry can't pull a Todd Hundley for Karros and Grudz trade out of his tush once again.

Jaramillo has broken his batting instruction into 5 tenets to hitting and he explains it in detail in this video.

• Rhythm.

• Timing the arm and the ball.

• Separation of hands and front foot.

• Staying square to the plate.

• Weight shift.

Hopefully the Cubs newest coach can bring back our 2008 rookie of the year's swing, working with Geo Soto and putting special emphasis on Weight Shift. I'll hope Jim Hendry will include a copy of the Rosetta Stone software, Japanese edition, so we won't see so much SPIN-A-RAMA next season. Remember that after the season, when the Cubs didn't re-hire Von Joshua, Derrek Lee said neither Perry not Joshua deserved any blame.  "I hate to say it, but a hitting coach is overrated,"

So expecting tangible evidence that Jaramillo will make a difference in 2010 is a lot of magic to expect out of just a hitting coach. Still, if he does to hitters what Cardinal's pitching coach Dave Duncan does to pitchers, next summer just might be fun once again at Wrigley.

 

Tags
Rudy Jaramillo
Alfonso Soriano

Comments

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:04 am

Derrek Lee can say that because he's not Mike Fontenot or Geo Soto or Alf Soriano (who hit like Alf the alien last year). If I was Lee I wouldn't want anyone fucking with my swing, either.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:12 am

Rudy Jaramillo was the highest-paid hitting coach in MLB last season ($500K) and the Rangers supposedly offered him a 10% pay raise for 2010, so even though the Rangers had a down year offensively in '09, they apparently didn't put the blame on Jaramillo.

Submitted by Seamhead on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:20 am

Hendry probably feels that other teams took advantage of the Cubs' ownership instability the last two years, and now he finally gets to have some revenge by taking advantage of the Rangers' cash-poor ownership situation.

Submitted by Jumbo on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:29 am

3/2.4 has a nice ring to it. It reminds me of 3/44 If Soto bounces back, it's going to be credited to RJ. Same with every other down year, so he will certainly be considered "worth the money" if anyone gets better. Not sure he'll be the difference, but if he's as good as everyone says it will be like making a trade for 7 all stars. I wonder what we should expect from Zambrano at the plate?

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:50 pm

You could make up a decent staff of guys that are making a living off being around the right group of 'roiders. Billy Beane as your GM Rudy as your hitting coach Dusty as your manager Mel Stottlemyre as your pitching coach yet Leo Mazzone can't get a job....

Submitted by Cubster on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:09 pm

anyone hear the rumor that Soriano's goal is to become a neurosurgeon once his baseball career is over? --- Back in the day, he was..."He’s very good and smart. He works very hard, too.’’ So the opposite is bad, dumb and...rich? Works for Soriano and the WWF.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:11 pm

Submitted by Cubster on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 4:02pm. mlbtraderumors has their offseason outlook on the Cubs...says non-tender candidates are Heilman (woo...), Fontenut and Cotts (duh). Not much else amused me.

================================

CUBSTER: I think the Cubs will very likely non-tender Neal Cotts, but then try to re-sign him to a minor league deal with a Major League split ($150K base pay while he is on a minor league roster, and maybe a pro-rated $900K MLB salary if he gets added to the 40-man roster prior to the end of the 2010 season).

And if offered that deal, Cotts is likely to take it, too, since he is in the middle of an off-season rehab at Fitch Park, and I doubt that he would want to change trainers, facilities, and routine in the middle of that. Also, he has got to know that he is unlikely to get an offer of much value from any club given his lack of leverage (TJS rehab).

And while I think the Cubs may end up trading Aaron Heilman and/or Mike Fontenot (the Giants supposedly claimed Heilman off waivers at the end of August, so he could get traded there), I doubt that either will get non-tendered. Tendered and then traded prior to Spring Training or Opening Day? Yes. Non-tendered on 12/12? Probably not, unless the player's roster slot is desperately needed, which probably won't be the case since minor leaguers likely to get added to the 40-man roster next month (W. Castillo, Gaub, Parker, and possibly Dolis) will just take slots opened by the five free-agents leaving (plus roster slots for the minor leaguers are needed on 11/20, three weeks before the CTL date on 12/12), plus the Cubs probably won't be too active in the free-agent market this year so roster slots won't be needed for MLB FAs, and also if the Cubs make a trade, it would probably be a two-for-one or a three-for-one, rather than the other way around (which would require open roster slots).

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:44 pm

I also think the Cubs will offer John Grabow arbitration if they don't re-sign him by 12/1.

Grabow was brought into a game the last Friday of the season, a meaningless game where the Cubs were down 10-3 after seven. It was Grabow's 75tn appareance of the season, the significance of which is that Grabow had a performance bonus in his contract that paid him $25K if he appeared in 75 games, and the Cubs could have avoided that just by not pitching him once he hit 74 games (the Cubs had been eliminated), but they brought him into the game on 10/2 and Grabow picked up an extra $25K.

I suspect that was not lost on Grabow, since other clubs don't always do that. For instance, the Twins optioned RHP Glen Perkins to AAA AFTER September 1st to keep him from becoming a "Super Two" (although Perkins will probably file a grievance). But I think the Cubs were letting Grabow know that they liked him, and wanted him back in 2010.

So I wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs offer Gtabow arbitration on 12/1 (the only FA I believe they will offer arbitration) and that Grabow will accept (presuming he doesn't re-sign with the Cubs prior to that date), since clubs would be less-likely to sign Grabow as a FA of it costs them a 1st or 2nd round draft pick (Grabow is a Type "A" FA). And a one-year contract (even if it goes to an arbitration hearing) wouldn't be bad for the Cubs, since Grabow would probably get $3.75M (max) via arbitration, or even less per year if it's a multi-year deal (like maybe two years plus a club option).

Submitted by The E-Man on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:40 pm

Thanks AZ PHIL. I like the spin of baseball politics between team and player that you share. It is interesting. We will see. But during the Hendry regime, I would have to say it is a rare occurrence to see a player get "stiffed". In fact, you have shown us that Hendry bends over and takes it way too much with respect to arb., managing options, adding bonus clauses in an absurd way, etc. I was always wondering why, for example, Hendry did not insist on a "loco" clause with Bradley? Since you see much of the farm hands more regularly, it will be interesting to see your thoughts on what younger players COULD be dealt in the 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 scenarios. Do you think Starlin Castro is ranked ahead of Darwin Barney, for example? Oh, after all of this, I just wanted to express to everyone that now with this new hitting coach, I am supremely confident that we are making the World Series in 2010 without a doubt! I heard we have scheduled 81 games with the Pirates, as well.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:24 am

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-22-cubs-rudy-jar… The signing of Jaramillo does not signal a thawing in the Cubs' relationship with Bradley, who is expected to be traded this offseason after spending the final 15 games on the suspended list. But Hendry is unlikely to be willing to eat most of the remaining $21 million on Bradley's contract, so if he can't unload the outfielder, it will be Jaramillo's job to fix him.

Submitted by navigator on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:46 am

Major League Managers who made less in 2007 (the last year this information was available) than Jaramillo is getting to be the Cubs hitting coach each year for the next three years. Charlie Manuel, PHI $800,000 Willie Randolph, NYM $700,000 Fredi Gonzalez, FL $650,000 * Jerry Narron, CIN $600,000 * Grady Little, LAD $600,000 * Sam Perlozzo, BAL $600,000 (((Ron Washington, TEX $600,000))) Bud Black, SD $550,000 Joe Maddon, TAM $550,000 John Gibbons, TOR $500,000 Manny Acta, WAS $500,000 Bob Geren, OAK $500,000

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:18 am

Off topic. I found a really nice site to watch illustrated techniques for some of the ortho procedures we hear about, such as knee meniscus tears and ACL reconstruction, shoulder labral and rotator cuff repairs, achilles tendon repairs as well as a few other procedures. Since it's just illustrated videos it's easy even on the eye since it's not live video. http://www.orthoillustrated.com/

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:24 am

Rosenthal says...SHOCKED, I tell ya...and some RUDY stuff. --- Multiple teams are in contact the Cubs about outfielder Milton Bradley, with one source saying, "You would be shocked at the level of interest." The Cubs remain confident that they can trade Bradley without assuming the vast majority of the $21 million remaining on his contract over the next two years. New owner Tom Ricketts has set a limit for how much money the Cubs will include in a deal, one source says. The Cubs can take back a contract but pay only a fixed amount of cash. --- Former Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo might be a steal for the Cubs, even at more than $800,000 per season over three years. Players rave about Jaramillo, and an executive who knows him well says that Jaramillo works hard, instills confidence in hitters and excels with mechanics. Another exec says that Jaramillo also relates exceptionally well to Latin players — good news for the Cubs, who need left fielder Alfonso Soriano and catcher Geovany Soto to bounce back from subpar seasons. --- http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/10254444/La-Russa-will-have-options,…

[ ]

Submitted by SheffieldCornelia on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:26 pm

Did anyone else key in on the following quote from the article above? "New owner Tom Ricketts has set a limit for how much money the Cubs will include in a deal, one source says. The Cubs can take back a contract but pay only a fixed amount of cash." There has been a lot of talk about how much money the Cubs pay out in contracts each year, and how their consistently high payroll has helped them be able to make mistakes. No one has really let out yet any word of how much the Cubs are capping their 2010 payroll at. I'd love to believe that Ricketts is capping the cash spent on the MB deal out of common sense, because he and Hendry think they shouldn't have to pay much of MB's contract in order to trade him. But what if this is a sign to come, of frugality from Ricketts?

[ ]

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:55 pm

In this current economy, there is no reason the Cubs can't contend every year with a 130 MLB payroll. The 140+ million payroll of last year housed maybe 100 million of actual player talent. It was more an effect of years of Peter/paul backloaded contracts coming home to roost. I'd be more than ok with Ricketts keeping a 130ish payroll, provided that he. A) Spent among the top tier teams in scouting/drafting/ML system coaches B) Would make whomever the GM is, actually negotiate deals as opposed to the blank check method we've been employing since 2006

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:32 am

ESPN's Keith Law on Starlin Castro. Hopefully not a kiss of death. http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=law_keith Comps him vs Soriano: Soriano has a longer swing and always has been a bit of a hacker, while Castro has better bat control and ability to adjust to changing speeds. --- He is, though, one of the best shortstops in the minors. At shortstop, he has good lateral range, especially to his right, and a 65-70 arm on the 20-80 scale. --- On hitting: ...one of the best and most impressive hitters I saw in Arizona. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and can keep his hands inside the ball even when pitchers try to work him inside. His swing can get long on balls away, and he wraps his bat, but he makes a ton of contact and squares up on a lot of pitches out of the zone. He showed he can stay with sliders from right-handers -- this is good, because I saw way too many guys last week who could hit fastballs but not same-side breaking balls -- and showed signs of future power even to the opposite field.

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:44 am

I found this odd, in the Sullivan piece on Jaramillo (link above from Rob). Regarding Bradley. The "that's not my choice" quote. Does it mean the "choice" isn't up to him? or does it mean he's not looking forward to working with Bradley, but he'll put up with it? Methinks it wasn't meant from RJ to be put in a negative context (especially after quoting him as saying they got along great) but because the writers hate MB... --- Jaramillo helped Bradley have his best year in 2008 in Texas, and said, "We got along great ... we knew what buttons to push." And if he had to work with him again? "That's not my choice," he said. "But I'll work with anyone."

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:01 am

Sun-Times/Wittenmeyer writes it a bit differently, with his distaste for MB stamp still applied. Just implying Bradley wasn't a part of the RJ hiring discussion: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/1839274,CST-SPT-cub22.arti… --- Among his success stories was a strong working relationship with Milton Bradley, who in his lone season in Texas (2008) had the best year of his career. That doesn't mean Bradley is any more likely to return to the Cubs than he was when the Cubs suspended him the final 15 games of the season. They still are looking to move the remaining two years on his three-year, $30 million deal. ''Hiring Rudy had nothing to do with that,'' Hendry said. ''We didn't talk at all about it in the interviewing process or ... over the weekend.''

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:12 am

this caught my eye...BP's Kevin Goldstein on future prospects. Dope on the rebound, now with Toronto where he just might get a chance. Brian Dopirak, 1B, Blue Jays (VEN: Magallanes) Is he a prospect again, or isn't he? Once the top prospect in the Cubs system after nearly setting a Midwest League record in home runs as part of a .307/.363/.593 line at Low-A Lansing in 2004, Dopirak went from hitting 39 home runs to just one in Double-A two years later. Picked up off the scrap heap by the Jays, he had a 959 OPS for High-A Dunedin last year, but it was mostly written off as a 24-year-old vet in a league where he was bound to overmatch far less experienced pitching. This year was another story however, as between Double- and Triple-A, he kept on mashing, racking up a final line of .317/.371/.549 with 42 doubles and 27 home runs. He's kept it up in Venezuela, going 3-for-5 with a double, home run, and four RBI on Sunday, and he just might get a real look in the big leagues at some point in 2010. While all the calls and notes to review are still a long way off, he's on the short list of Blue Jay prospects to inquire about come Top 11 time.

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 10:56 am

BP's Kevin Goldstein with another Starlin Castro update (and a Donnie Veal mention): Starlin Castro, SS, Cubs (AFL: Mesa) Yesterday's stats: 4-for-5, 2 R, RBI Generating a ton of buzz right now in the desert is Castro, the 19-year-old shortstop who, after Tuesday's outburst, is now 12-for-23 in six games for the Solar Sox without a strikeout. His ability to put the bat on the ball is remarkably advanced for his age. While he's not the next Ozzie Smith, he is a true shortstop who also has surprisingly solid defensive fundamentals for such a young talent, as he's also yet to make an error in Arizona. Is he the top prospect in the system? You could at least make the argument. --- Donald Veal, LHP, Pirates (AFL), 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K: If he keeps throwing strikes, he could end up being a Rule 5 steal, as the size and stuff were always there. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9682

Recent comments

  • 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. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: I think there was an issue with Luke Little coming into a game with men on base. He seems to need a "clean" inning to be dominant. So he is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AAA. Same goes for Michael Arias. He needs to come into a "clean" inning, and is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AA. Porter Hodge is a more versatile pitcher, a better version of Keegan Thompson (multi-inning RP). But Little, Arias, and Hodge (probably in that order) are the Cubs top three RP prospects (all three are Cubs Top 15 prospects).

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    So, let’s do a little war gaming. Taillon is back for tonight’s game. He pitched two rehab games, just a few innings each, and not especially sharp. Let’s face it, he hasn’t been lights out since the Cubs gave him the big contract. In other words, as flat out bad as Hendricks has been, the chances of Taillon being the savior don’t look exactly promising.

    If Taillon is equally ineffective or perhaps even worse, what’s the next move? Winning teams can often find a way to work around a dud fifth starter - kinda. Two dud starters make things much more difficult.

    I believe the biggest reason for the recent bullpen moves was dissatisfaction with the recent blowing of big leads and the recognition that the bullpen wasn’t all it was thought to be. In other words, they are exploring alternate options and configurations. If similar juggling becomes necessary (even more so than it already is), what kind of reasonable maneuvering do we think could be explored?

Click HERE for the last 50 comments