Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

2010 Fantasy Draft

The 15-team league with mostly TCR readers that I'm in had their draft yesterday. It's a 25-man roster, point based league with 9 position spots (C, 1b, 2b, 3b, SS, LF, CF, RF, Util) and 9 pitching spots (4 SP, 3 RP, 2 Util P) and a 1500 IP limit. There's also a 2nd league of TCR'ites using a similar point system that started last year, so feel free to discuss your drafts as well in the comments. For those who get annoyed or bored when talking about fantasy baseball or just hate the concept in its entirety...um, sorry. I'll get something more Cub-centric up later.

Each team gets 6 keepers and you draft them based on last year's point totals. So if the players was a top 15 player, you draft him with your first round pick, 16-30 is a second round player and so forth...multiple players in the same round get spread out to the next round. The basic strategy is you can trade keepers depending on quality of talent or if you want higher draft picks. So for example, I could have tried to trade Cliff Lee for a player that was injured last year like Carlos Beltran and had a higher draft pick in exchange for a player with some issues but more upside (in reality I made the opposite trade this offseason, getting Lee for Beltran who was a 20th round pick). I had the 13th pick in the first round with a 25-round draft, snake style. I relied heavily on BP's fantasy tier rankings to be honest. (K) indicates a keeper.

  • 1st Round - Albert Pujols (13) (K) - acquired in a trade from "The Joe" that involved Grady Sizemore(and others) before the 2008 season. "The Joe" has been doing just fine without him, finishing second and first in the last two seasons.
  • 2nd Round - Chase Utley (18) (K) - acquired with A-rod and Jake Peavy before last year for T. Tulowitzki, E. Santana and one other player from "JD".
  • 3rd Round - Chris Carpenter (43) (K) - Low round draft pick from last year.
  • 4th Round - Cliff Lee (48) (K) - I traded A. Wainwright for C. Beltran early in this offseason and then moved Beltran for Lee when Beltran's knee flared up again. Hoping for a big year in Safeco with a good defense behind him and his contract year.
  • 5th Round - Alex Rodriguez (73) (K) - See Chase Utley.
  • 6th Round - Carlos Lee (78) -  It was between Manny Ramirez and Lee and the pick ahead of me took Manny.
  • 7th Round - Jonathan Broxton (103) (K) - My favorite closer in the league not named Mariano Rivera.
  • 8th Round - Shane Victorino (108) Slim pickings left at center field by this point and starting pitchers were in abundence.
  • 9th Round - Yunel Escobar  (133) - He turns 27 and putting up an .800 OPS at shortstop, it was great value in my opinion.
  • 10th Round - A.J. Burnett (138) - If his arm doesn't blow out, should rack up wins with the Yankees offense and of course strikeouts.
  • 11th Round - Brandon Lyon (163) - closers were flying off the board by this point, although Lyon isn't necessarily guaranteed the role with Matt Lindstrom also in their pen. 
  • 12th Round - Jon Rauch (168) - if the Twins don't pick up anybody, he seems the favorite for the job.
  • 13th Round - Travis Snider (193) - BP had him as a 4-star left fielder and I went for a high upside guy. His 2-position eligibility helped as well as I'll use him in right initially.
  • 14th Round - Chris Iannetta (198) - Another BP 4-star ranking I was happy to get this low in the draft.
  • 15th Round - Kevin Gregg (223) - I believe the last closer left in the draft, although not guaranteed the job yet.
  • 16th Round - Nick Swisher (228) - We have a utility spot that Swisher will fill or take right field if Snider is a bust.
  • 17th Round - JJ Hardy (253) - Shocked he made it this far as I expect a pretty good bounce back season.
  • 18th Round - Mark Buehrle (258) - I'm counting on another perfect game from him this year.
  • 19th Round - Marlon Byrd (283) - 3 position eligibility, decent back-up option and hopefully can ride some of his hot streaks.
  • 20th Round - Rafael Betancourt (288) - The closer depth chart I was using had him as the Rockies primary set-up man, but after the draft I learned he hasn't pitched yet this spring and Franklin Morales is likely to get the save opportunities while Huston Street deals with his shoulder issues. A real good chance I'll be dropping him in the next day or so.
  • 21st Round - Brad Penny (313) - I'm hoping for another Duncan miracle.
  • 22nd Round - Kosukue Fukudome (318) - I'm not sure if he'll even make my Opening Day roster. Hitting higher up in the order is a better use of his skills though and he has 2-position eligibility.
  • 23rd Round - Fausto Carmona (343) - Hoping another year away from surgery and he'll find some control.
  • 24th Round - Justin Smoak (348) - 95% chance I drop him before I find any use for him.
  • 25th Round - Troy Glaus (373) - I traded him right after the draft for Miguel Olivo.

We have daily lineup changes so what I like to do at the catcher spot is have the primary catcher and back-up from the same team and hopefully switch them when needed and the Rockies have a good duo. It didn't work at all for me last year, as I'd miss the lineups and I had the Rangers duo of Saltalamacchia and Teagarden and they were both terrible. Otherwise I'm pretty happy with my team at this moment, but I'll need to be aggressive in finding closers on the waiver wire as they help tremendously in our league with the innings pitched limit (good relievers average about 3.5-4.5 pts per innings, starters usually in the 2.5-3.5 range). I also need to find a 2b/3b eligibile player to fill-in on the days A-rod or Utley take off.

Comments

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/blue-jays-could-use-relievers-to-reb… using George Sherrill trade as a guideline
The Jays might not land a prospect as promising as third baseman Josh Bell, the Orioles’ principal return for Sherrill. But they will want at least the equivalent of a 2011 sandwich pick between the first and second rounds, and probably more.
Bell was 8th on BA's list heading into 2009 and the O's also got pitcher Steve Johnson. Sherrill also had 2 years of control left when they traded for him. Colvin wasn't rated that high heading into 2010, but that was before his spring training and the muscle gain. I would think Colvin and Archer or Parker or one of the myriad of C+/B- arms could get it done. If Blue Jays really want an outfielder that is, since the Cubs don't have a lot there. If they could talk them into a middle infielder that could maybe move to the outfield, someone like Flaherty or Watkins and maybe a better pitching prospect.

Chi Cubs IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Samardzija 3.0 4 2 2 1 4 0 7.71

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

he made it through the 4th apparently without anymore damage. Grabow in now. 4 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K for Samardzija on the day and as I mentioned, I don't know the specifics but sounded like Lee messed up some play that contributed to some run or runs.

5-0 through 7 Grabow gives up 2 unearned runs on 3 hits in 0.2 IP and a Jeff Baker error was involved Stevens and Parker have pitched since but they've already been sent down. Carmona goes 6 scoreless, giving up just 2 hits, 5 GO's to 9 FB's which isn't a good ratio for him, but no walks. Soriano with both hits, one a double.

[ ]

In reply to by Sweet Lou

dusty also kicked his dog, had sex with him mom, and put sugar in his gas tank. i think rob nenn is the only guy he's sent to surgery and he was a reliever...go figure. chapman is due for AA even though people are barking about him being the 5th starter. i mean, he could make it...doubtful, though...especially in April.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

i'll let you have prior and not take a stand on wood...but you can't have fox or volquez =p also, that article is far from even handed...especially since it doesn't care who's pitching for you and they're making their 1/2-assed point with PAP (and a joke of a quote by Will "my dad is a doctor, kinda" Carroll)...especially since he's had some notorious long-use guys who he wasn't the last and/or the first to use them like that. they site russ f'n ortiz...who had bobby in ATL work him for 2 years after his SF workload on the same routine. yeesh...

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

no, but it wouldn't use PAP without considering talent on hand and use a will carroll comment while sticking the counter-arguement at the bottom. it's a lot more fair than many i've read, but it's a pretty extreme arguement for the numbers tempered by a bit of the counter-arguement down bottom. they spent a chunk of time on russ ortiz only to say "oh yeah, it doesn't have anything to do with anything because all that hype you just read translates to russ ortiz telling us he injured his rib in ATL which causes him to change his mechanics and blah blah blah"... it's just too hype, imo...

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

If you continue to exert yourself when you get tired you're more likely to get hurt. It's across all sports and athletic endeavors. Why anyone would think that it magically doesn't apply to the shoulders of pitchers is beyond me.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

why anyone would magically apply it to a specific day or a specific thing or use a pool of data that isn't linear with your comparison point...etc etc... ballplayers aren't in some vacuum and you can't blanket compare use...i mean, he managed livan hernandez and russ ortiz for a chunk of those years and we're supposed to treat those guys the same as a guy like rich harden or kerry wood?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

it sure isn't proof...nor conclusive proof... ...and you're going to have a higher aggregate of pitcher use when you have high-pitch capable guys around besides all that, there's tons of guys who pitched a lot harder than they do today and made out just fine. and a will carroll quote is about as useful as a dr. phil quote for the most part...

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

and you're going to have a higher aggregate of pitcher use when you have high-pitch capable guys around Could you explain this? How do we distinguish between guys who are high-pitch capable and those who were overused?

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

use and how they respond to it... people have done less and come out worse...and done more and come out just fine. roy halladay was put on his career death bed because of "overuse"...now he's back and being "overused" again doing just fine. there's just too much going on to make giving a guy 5-10 too many pitches too many games in a row being some death nail.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...