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

Derrek Lee to Braves?

UPDATE by Rob G: The deal is done and the Cubs get RHP Robinson Lopez (age 19), LHP Jeffrey Lorick (age 22, 20th round pick in 2009) and RHP Tyrelle Harris (age 23, 19th round pick in 2009). I bumped this up top, but be sure not to miss Arizona Phil's 2010 Rule 4 draft update below this post.


In today's installment of "Who Can We Pawn Off On The NL East Leaders?" we pass along word from David Kaplan (@thekapman) that the Cubs and Braves are "very close" on a deal that would move Derrek Lee to Atlanta. Kaplan says the deal "should get done later today."

Sorry to hear that D-Lee could be operating out of the first-base dugout this weekend when the Braves visit Wrigley? This will cheer you up.

Comments

I fixed the link at the end of the post. For the record, from the moment Thome makes contact to Hawk mumbling, "...and we'll be back," we enjoy 56 seconds of Hawk-free broadcast time.

I can't believe a superstar like Lee cleared waivers. I am stumped, though. Now that Lee can't play and that he gets to go to a team farther from his off-season home, he's approving a trade? Hopefully that signals something in his personal life has gotten better, but it's certainly odd from the outside looking in.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Ditto. Would hate to think that this is strictly about hooking up with a first-place team, though Kaplan writes, "...sources close to Lee tell us that he will approve a deal to Atlanta because the Braves are leading their division thus giving him a shot at winning another World Series ring." http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/david-kaplan-chicago-sports/ I say that only because he invoked the "best thing for me and my family" idea when explaining his stance on the Angels trade. Many of us assumed it was tied to his daughter's medical issues. A wrong assumption perhaps.

This will never happen, but a completely outside-the-box-idea for first base next year would be Jim Thome. I'm of course ignoring the fact that he has played a grand total of 4 games at 1B since 2005! But if he could play an adequate 1B, perhaps only slightly worse than a Dunn or a Nady, then he would be just the cheap left-handed masher the Cubs need. Given a full season of at-bats, even at age 40, he will probably still knock 25 doubles and 25-30 HR, and walk a ton. Even his worst seasons for OBP he is around .370. This season he is making just $1.5 million and hitting .273/.391/.593, with 17 HR in only 250 PAs. In contrast, Nady is making $3.3 million and hitting .234/.312/.354 in 200 ABs.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

I thought about this the other day, but you've got to figure in that his numbers this year are probably predominantly left handed, and the grind of playing in the heat of Wrigley would take it's toll on an older player. The main concern in my mind, though, is do you really want Castro (and Ramirez) throwing to a DH?

I like Thome at the plate as much as anyone (from June 15 on, anyway) but there is a reason he doesnt play 1B every day. HE sucks defensively. The Cubs will miss Lee's glove at 1B, especially with a rookie SS and Aramis at 3B. They wont miss his lethargic, over the hill, declining offense.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

+/- or... someone else keeps track of it, but it's even more subjective than the UZR ratings. The other thing is that just having a guy like Lee over there makes you more confident to attempt throws you may not otherwise, and more confident in general - I think it would be impossible to accurately quantify since it goes into the psyche of each player on the infield.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

FanGraphs has a fielding stat for first basemen called "Scoops," which I believe is just what the name implies. Here are the current NL fielding stats for 1B: http://bit.ly/aQNoSC Lee, with 15 scoops, is only 11th in this stat among regular NL first basemen, though all but a couple of the guys in front of him have played more innings in the field than Lee has. Pujols (36 scoops) and Loney (30) lead the NL; both have played about 100 more innings than Lee.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

By the way, as Beasley said, Lee's UZR is 2.3 (that's defensive runs above average). Troy Glaus, who, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, would be pushed to the bench and not to 3B by the acquisition of Lee, has a UZR of –8.1. Quite a step up for Atlanta.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I agree with what you said. Derrek's been able to pick it as well as he ever has (IMO, among the very best I've ever seen). Also, there's no doubt he can't move - on defense or on the bases - like he used to. Everybody from Hendry to TCR knew that would happen over the life of this contract.

Micah Hoffpauir won a Gold Glove at Iowa in 2008, Geovany Soto did an OK job there in 2007 (when he played 1B for the I-Cubs on days he wasn't catching), and based on what somebody who was at Clemson when Tyler Colvin was there told me, Colvin was a good defensive 1B and was moved to the OF only because the Clemson coach wanted to take better advantage of Colvin's speed and athleticism. I would think Soto (once healthy) would play a lot of 1B if D-Lee gets traded, playing there on days he is not catching to maximize his playing time to where he might be able to start as many as 150+ games per year instead of the 130 games (max) he would start if he is just a catcher. So I don't think there will necessarily be a #1 Cubs 1B for a while once D-Lee departs, with some combo of Soto, Colvin, and Hoffpauir (who is hitting 375/431/783 with 12 HR at Iowa post-ASB) all getting PT at 1B. And Brad Snyder (who has five-tool talent) will probably get a September call-up and get a shot in RF. Both Snyder (presuming he is added to the Cubs MLB roster) and Hoffpauir will be out of minor league options in 2011, so both would need to hit the ground running if they get brought up to Chicago.

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Phil, do you think this is the roster of candidates, or will the Cubs have any chance to look out-of-house for 1B in 2011? Guys like Fielder and Dunn and Gonzalez are out of the price range, obviously, but I could see Hendry targeting a guy like Derrek Lee, Paul Konerko, Adam LaRoche, Aubrey Huff, or maybe even Lance Berkman or Carlos Pena depending upon what the market does.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

Submitted by John Beasley on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 10:21am. Phil, do you think this is the roster of candidates, or will the Cubs have any chance to out-of-house for 1B in 2011? Guys like Fielder and Dunn and Gonzalez are out of the price range, obviously, but I could see Hendry targeting a guy like Derrek Lee, Paul Konerko, Adam LaRoche, Aubrey Huff, or maybe even Lance Berkman or Carlos Pena depending upon what the market does. =================================================== JOHN B: I think the Cubs will give Hoffpauir a chance before they do anything else, but if they go into the off-season with a perceived hole at 1B, they would probably sign a veteran MLB 1B to a short-term deal and have both Colvin and Soto begin to play 1B in ST (or once healthy, Soto will probably start playing 1B semi-regularly as soon as Lee is moved). The thing to remember about guys like Micah Hoffpauir and Brad Snyder is that there is a tendency to brand somebody as "4-A" once they reach a certain age, but the fact is some players are late-bloomers (Ryan Ludwick, Garrett Jones, Jim Hickman, et al), and even if they aren't good enough to be everyday players, some can be good platoon guys if you can find a platoon-partner for them. So one really needs to keep an open mind about guys like Hoffpauir and Snyder, while at the same time not making any assumption about the player being the solution, either.

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

If they were really thinking ahead to next year, Castillo would be starting everyday while Soto is on the DL and not Hill. But that is not happening. I simply can't fathom Lou and the Cubs putting Soto at first this season. He hasn't played there in a long time and they won't do it in the middle of the season like this. They will wait until ST next year - if they do it ata all. I would also guess Hoffpauir gets recalled if Lee gets traded and splits time with Nady at 1B from here on out - even though we gain nothing really by letting Nady play. If Lee is traded, and I were in charge, I would have Hoff at 1B everyday the rest of the way, and Soto and Castillo splitting time behind the plate. Barney spotting DeWitt, Castro, and Ramirez (particularly the latter) to see what he can do. Colvin playing everyday in RF. Snyder and Fuld both up on 9/1 and spot starting and pinch-hitting the last month. Fuld struggled to start the year in AAA, but I still think he can be a valuable ML player. He might only hit .270 in part time play, but he plays great OF defense and can steal bases. He is 73% on his career in the minors and 78% the last two years (41/52). Barney has above average speed, but last night when Ramirez led off the 9th with a single, it would have been nice to have someone on the bench you can bring in who is a real threat to steal and get in scoring position.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

LaRoche makes a lot of sense if they decide to go out of the organization and can get him on a 1-2 year deal, which they should be able to do. He's a lefty bat with power, and although he doesn't put up superstar numbers, his career line is incredibly consistent. I think he's a very slow starter though. .273/.342/.491 career line. Hits 20-25+ hr's, drives in 80+ rbi's. I wonder if he's a bit of a clubhouse problem since he's been with so many teams.

via CM... #cubs lineup for wed is 2b barney, ss castro, cf byrd, 3b ramy, 1b nady, lf sori, rf baker, c castillo, p coleman wouldn't read into dlee not being there since he's got a back full of needle and medicine. hell, i wouldn't expect much more from a trade than salary relief, either.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

What an awful lineup. And despite Coleman pitching better in relief lately, I'm kind of expecting him to get roughed up starting. But you never know. Remember the kid lefty we called up who pitched one great game several years back, and for the most part was never heard from again? Ryan O'Malley. Coleman has already had a longer big league career than O'Malley or Lance Dickson.

I kind of like the idea of Pena, though I don't think he'll leave Tampa. His average sucks and his OBP is down, but he's shown a willingness to take a walk and seems decent with the glove. (I'm sure someone can refute that with some stat.)

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

Carlos Pena is a .244 career hitter who only had 1 full season hitting over .247. He's consistently awful at making contact, and he'll be 33 next year, an age where bat speed is starting to decline. The last two seasons he hasn't even been able to hit .230. I'll pass.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Adam Dunn How can we advocate anyone other than the best bat on the market. Also, the same Aubrey Huff that I was roasted for pining for last off-season will be available. Unlikely you can get him as the 4 position backup like we could have this year though?

via CM about 30-40 minutes into the game... "No D-Lee sightings in #Cubs dugout Wed. #Braves are interested in the 1st baseman but he needs to pass physical"

Nearly six years after his acrimonious departure from the Chicago Cubs, Sammy Sosa remains bitter over the way his relationship with the team ended. “[The Cubs] threw me into the fire,” he says in an exclusive interview with Chicago magazine. “They made [people] think I’m a monster.”
It's just Hendry's way, Sammy. Devalue&Dump, Trash&Trade. Z is going thru it now. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2010/Sammy-Sosa-Sp…

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

It's the same way the White Sox do business. Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, etc. I think Kenny Williams is more unprofessional than Hendry, I've never heard Hendry call someone names in the press. I also think Sammy is wrong. They didn't make him out to be a monster, they made him out to be a guy who quit on his team, which is what he did. That was the second time he left the park during a game without telling anyone that season.

Is more or less a rookie (Diamond pitched previously in the majors and maybe Mateo did too) and/or spent significant time in the minors this year. Coleman, Russell, Berg, Diamond, Cashner and Mateo. While we are terrible this year, I am pleased to finally see us testing the youngsters during a lost season rather than playing out the veterans.

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Unless you decide that you never will promote minor leaguers unless they automatically produce exceptionally well, I would think you would want to get younger players experience and see if they can develop. Under your analysis, it was not important that the Cubs let Greg Maddux keep starting in 1987, when he was 6-14 with a 5.87. I disagree -- I believe that major league experience was invaluable.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I can't speak for spring but I doubt he thinks Berg is Greg Maddux II. But I gotta agree with playing the kids. If one or two of them come up out of the mess as being viable MLBers it's worth it, now that the season is toast. If none come out to show they can play, then the team really knows just how deep in the hole it is.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

No, nor do I think that was implied. And, truthfully, I didn't think Greg Maddux was going to turn out as good as he did. But the better question is -- did you think I was saying that Justin Berg was going to be as good as Greg Maddux or did you not have anything to disagree with in my post and just instead posted something idiotic to be an ass?

[ ]

In reply to by The Joe

Exactly, you cannot use an example of a player that everyone wil be familiar with (Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace, Greg Maddux, Andre Dawson etc) to illustrate any point, without implying that the player you're discussing is going to the Hall of Fame - one of the delightful idiosyncracies of the TCR faitfhul.

"Until Mateo can find the strikezone I'm going to continue saying hello to fellow broadcasters." - bob brenley, followed by some shoutouts to colleagues.

Lou will use the 13th floor elevator rule...combined with 16" softball (no #3, pitcher bats 10th)

Per rotoworld... Hoffpauir called up And regarding the prospects...
Harris turns 24 this winter and isn't widely regarded as a quality pitching prospect, but he's thrown up a 1.46 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings this season since being promoted to the Double-A level. With some work, he could turn himself into a solid late reliever.

and the Cubs will pay the Braves $1.7MM, half of the $3.4MM owed to Lee between now and the end of the season

I can see the wisdom here but it still makes me sad. D-Lee is one of the good guys.

RHP Ty'Relle Harris is not only a load & a half at 6'5 240, he's also got a bit of a mean streak. After he got kicked-out of the University of the Pacific, Harris attended Sacramento City College, before ending up at Tennessee. Conversely, LHP Jeff Lorick is a member of the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He attended the University of Virginia with Cubs minor league OF Brandon Guyer and LHP Casey Lambert.

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

AZ Phil -- Speaking of Brandon Guyer, what are your thoughts on his latest resurgence? He has hit around .450 in his last 15-20 games and now leads the Southern League in OPS of .960, is 2nd in average at .332 and is 22 of 24 sb. It looks like somehow everything clicked. Do you think he has a chance to be a starter at the major league level?

[ ]

In reply to by springs

Submitted by springs on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 9:44pm. AZ Phil -- Speaking of Brandon Guyer, what are your thoughts on his latest resurgence? He has hit around .450 in his last 15-20 games and now leads the Southern League in OPS of .960, is 2nd in average at .332 and is 22 of 24 sb. It looks like somehow everything clicked. Do you think he has a chance to be a starter at the major league level? ================================================ SPRINGS: I've had Brandon Guyer on my Top 15 Cubs Prospects list for a couple of years now. I think he will be an MLB player, but I don't know how he will be used. He played 3B in HS, but was moved to the outfield at UVA because Ryan Zimmerman was the Cavs 3B when Guyer was there. The Cubs drafted him as a 2B, although he has been playing OF (mostly CF) with the Cubs. He is a very good base-stealer and he has HR power, and he plays a crash & burn defense like Reed Johnson. I keep waiting for the Cubs to play him in the infield (3B, 2B, and 1B) in addition to the outfield to maybe develop him as a "super-sub", but so far he has remained strictly an outfielder. I believe the Cubs will add Chris Archer (lock), Brandon Guyer (very likely), and Marquez Smith (probably) to the 40-man roster by the 11/20 deadline (all three will be eligible for selection in the December 2010 Rule 5 Draft), although I don't believe any of the three will get a September call-up. If Guyer doesn't get a slot in the AFL he will probably play winter ball with Mexicali in the Mexican Pacific League. In addition, I believe Brad Snyder and Robinson Chirinos will be added to the Cubs 40-man roster, too, very possibly in September (especially Snyder), but no later than the end of the World Series. Because Snyder and Chirinos are eligible to be Rule 55 minor league free-agents (6YMiLFA), the deadline to add them to the 40-man roster is by no later than the 4th day following the conclusion of the World Series.

I'm thinkin' Koyie Hill will get the majority of the remaining at bats out the the 3 hole or lou might pick names out of a hat (after eating what sits on a ritz)

Going with our youngsters would be great if we had a kick ass farm system. None of these guys outside of Castro are highly regarded. I see a lot of wishful thinking for Diamond but i really doubt he will have much of a major league career. Its gonna be fun to watch his 3 and 4 inning starts if he is gonna be in our rotation next year. Thats not development, thats suckage. Ohhh i know i hate on the farm system, but our prospects are not Tampa Bay level prospects that turned them around. We aren't loaded anywhere. Our best are not waiting in the wings, they are already on the roster, and it isn't making much of a dent in our record. They still play crap baseball and inserting whatever is left of our crap farm system isn't going to turn a damn thing around. We just shipped Derrek Lee off and a 29 year old Hoff was recalled. Feel the power of our loaded farm system kick in. Look at the rotation....our best and brightest is Thomas Diamond? There is no Tommy Hanson, David Price waiting in the wings? Nope its a throw away player that has a real hard time finding the strike zone. Where the hell is the hope for next year? Castro? Colvin and thats it? Fuck that sucks. Going young is great if you have the talent but the Cubs don't have it. I wouldnt't put a lot of stock in some of these guys were promoting for jobs. Those are the best of whats left and it isn't pretty.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

Cashner is highly regarded, as is Brett Jackson. Jackson, Chris Archer, Chris Carpenter, Hak Ju Lee, Jay Jackson and, after his performance this season, Brandon Guyer are all likely in consideration for BA's top 100 prospects (and I would be shocked if Brett Jackson and Chris Archer, at a minimum, do not make it). Trey McNutt has also become rather unhittable at Daytona. Is Justin Berg or James Russell or Jeff Stevens or Marcos Mateo a superstar? No, but nobody is asking them to be -- they are relief pitchers. As for players like Diamond and Cashner, they performed extremely well at AAA and have had flashes of good performance in the majors. I think Diamond is at least in the bullpen next year and (I hope) Cashner may be in the rotation. Hopefully they continue to improve and develop -- but saying the Cubs don't have talent because they have become stars yet is misleading and, for some players, blatantly incorrect.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Rockies supposedly releasing Brad Hawpe. I know he plays half his games in Coors Field, but his obp was also excellent, around .380 every year until this season and his home/road career splits are shockingly close. I wonder if the Cubs could take a flier on him the rest of the year, maybe play some more 1b. Lefty power bat. He's played 6 games at 1b for the Rockies this season. Or next year move Colvin to 1b or Soriano to 1b and that opens an OF spot for Hawpe. Putting him in the OF is probably less attractive since we have Guyer and Jackson hopefully coming along soon.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

MikeC--I don't really admittedly know dick about the system off-hand, but this seems like a pretty accurate assessment. That said, I don't like to go on record until AFTER AZ Phil weighs in.... ;-)

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Tribune finally speculates about Colvin being moved to 1b next season... http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0819-cubs-bit… "I'm not sure how long I'd need," Colvin said. "It's been a while since I've done it. Hopefully if they want me to do that, I'll do it. No one has ever said 'Hey, we want you to take ground balls there.' I've got to wait for that first and then we'll see what happens." Colvin thinks he could handle first, though he didn't sound like he was eager to move there. "I'm comfortable in the outfield, but if that's what they want me to do, I can't complain," he said. "If it helps out the Chicago Cubs, that's what I'll do." ----- Another note: Cubs said Wednesday they would call up Hoffpauir to replace DLee, but he was sent down last Friday and can't return for 10 days unless there is an injury. Monday would be the first day he could return.

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Submitted by QuietMan on Thu, 08/19/2010 - 8:59am. Re: Hoffpauir Maybe there's an exception because he was up as a bereavement list replacement? ======================================================= QUIET MAN: The only circumstances under which a player can be recalled after spending less than ten days on Optional Assignment are if the player replaces a player who is placed on the Disabled List or Bereavement List, or if the player is traded, or if the player's minor league season is over. The fact that Hoffpauir was recalled earlier in the month to replace a player who was placed on the Bereavement List has no bearing on having the ten-day period cut-short to replace a player who was traded. So the Cubs will keep Sam Fuld on the 25-man roster until Monday, and then they can recall Hoffpauir and option Fuld back to Iowa.

I really don't know what to think. DLee doesn't want to leave wonderful Chicago (which we all pretty much knew was bullshit) but now is a Brave-o? I think in magical (read: delusional) Cub-fan-world, the thought was that this season was over anyway, and we would re-sign Lee for about $1m per for maybe 2 yrs., and he would suddenly hit like an mvp next year. I like the character a lot, but like Z ain't an ace, DLee was never meant to be the proverbial 'clubhouse leader'. It just wasn't his style (or so it would seem). Adios, DLee, thanks for the years. Now, Az Phil, is there anything not ultimately junk in the haul we got back?? (and on a side note, is BHawpe really our next 1B??)

[ ]

In reply to by Tony S.

Submitted by Tony S. on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 11:52pm. I really don't know what to think. DLee doesn't want to leave wonderful Chicago (which we all pretty much knew was bullshit) but now is a Brave-o? I think in magical (read: delusional) Cub-fan-world, the thought was that this season was over anyway, and we would re-sign Lee for about $1m per for maybe 2 yrs., and he would suddenly hit like an mvp next year. I like the character a lot, but like Z ain't an ace, DLee was never meant to be the proverbial 'clubhouse leader'. It just wasn't his style (or so it would seem). Adios, DLee, thanks for the years. Now, Az Phil, is there anything not ultimately junk in the haul we got back?? (and on a side note, is BHawpe really our next 1B??) ======================================== TONY S: Maybe Hendry has finally decided to try and round up as many relief prospects as he can, to try and build the bullpen without having to sign high-priced middle-relievers.

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).