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

Buy Low, Sell High

Anyone who has played fantasy baseball is familiar with the concept of trying to acquire players when they're slumping and trading players when they're on a hot streak. Let's take a look at the Cubs roster and see if we can spot any trends for the second half of the season. There are of course the traditional statistics such as ERA, wins and losses, WHIP, etc, but for the most part I'll be looking at some of the peripherals that are good indicators of what to truly expect from these guys. I'll begin with the starting rotation.

Carlos Zambrano - 8-3, 3.13 ERA, 5.76 K/9, 3.05 BB/9, 1.89 K:BB, 0.59 HR/9, .297 BABIP

There are three areas of concern with Big Z. The 5.68 ERA he put up in June, the alarming decline in his strikeout rate and of course, the shoulder strain that put him on the disabled list. Yeah, he'll be back by Friday, but anytime a pitcher goes down you have to worry about re-injuring himself. You can try and chalk up June to just having a bad month and maybe his shoulder was acting up on him before he actually told anyone, but what you really have to be worried about his is the 5.76 K/9 rate he's sporting this year.

It seems to have been a conscious decision on his part to go less for the strikeout and gain some more control on his pitches. His walk rate has dramatically improved to go along with the decrease in his strikeout rate (3.05 BB/9 this year compared to 4.20 and 4.84 the last two seasons). And you can't argue with the success he's had for the most part this year, but there's not a lot of pitchers that can put up ERA's in the low three's with that low a strikeout rate...I mean, we're talking almost Jason Marquis territory here. His groundball to flyball ratio has improved as well with his new approach and I think he can still dial it up whenever he needs to, but I' d sure feel a lot more comfortable if he got that K/9 rate above six at least.


Ryan Dempster - 9-3, 3.26 ERA, 7.37 K/9, 3.51 BB/9, 2.10 K:BB, 0.86 HR/9, .258 BABIP

Dempster was as lucky as they get early on in the season, sporting a BABIP in the low .200's which he had no chance in hell of sustaining. The lowest BABIP in the last five years for any pitcher with at least 150 innings was Chris Young in 2006 with a .237 BABIP and that was quite abnormal and he also pitches in a park where flyballs go to die. If you look at the leaderboards over the last few years, you'll see a few pitchers in the .250 range every season but most pitchers hover around the .300 mark.

The correction has already started and despite his last outing, Dempster is still well ahead of the bell curve and will possibly get a a well-deserved All-Star spot. Sure his career numbers suggest that he's still due for some more correction, but I think anyone who's watched him this year realizes that this is a different Dempster from past years...at least as a starter. His walk rates are still quite high, but he's fooling batters, keeping the ball in the park and seems to be able to induce a double play whenever he needs one.

That all being said, he's a prime candidate for one of those multi-year contracts Hendry likes to give out to players he finds off the scrap-heap that have career years with the Cubs (see Rusch, Glendon). And hopefully Hendry realizes that trying to catch lightning in a bottle makes for a hazardous work place.

Ted Lilly - 9-5, 4.56 ERA, 8.44 K/9, 3.21 BB/9, 2.63 K:BB, 1.52 HR/9, .292 BABIP

I covered Ted Lilly in yesterday's game thread, so I'll just recap. He finished June with a 3.21 ERA after a 6.46 in April and 4.72 in May. His biggest problem has been his home run rate which has skyrocketed to 1.52 HR/9 this year (it was 1.64 heading into yesterday's game). Also prior to yesterday's game, he was giving up a home run on 13% of the flyballs hit off him, which is an astoundingly high number. Most pitchers are in the 10-11% range and with yesterday's performance, it's already down to 12.6%.

So expect Lilly to continue to improve, the control isn't quite as good as last year, but he's still missing bats and expect a few less balls to fly over the fence.

Jason Marquis - 6-4, 4.96 ERA, 4.64 K/9, 3.59 BB/9, 1.53 K:BB, 1.21 HR/9, .289 BABIP

The same Jason Marquis that should be expected. He's not going to strike out a lot, he's going to put people on base, much to the chagrin of Cubs fans and Lou Piniella. He makes up for those walks by keeping the ball in the park and on the ground and at the end of the day, he's useful maybe 50% of the time (if that much). I took a look at his quality starts over the years (defined as at least six innings pitched and an ERA of 4.50 or below for that game).

Year GS
QS
QS%
2008 15 5 .33
2007 33 15 .45
2006 33 13 .39
2005 32 18 .56
2004 32 19 .59

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit of slippage this year, but some of that can be attributed to Lou's quick trigger with Marquis and not being able to reach six innings. If you look at his game logs this year, I'd say nine of his 15 starts have been useful. He's gone at least five or more innings and given up three or less runs. There is value in what he does, mostly that he stays healthy and you can reasonably expect him to keep the team in the game on the days he starts. Can the Cubs do better? Sure there's more talented pitchers out there, but don't underestimate the value of staying healthy.

Of course, we'll all be doing a little happy dance the day he leaves the Cubs.

Sean Gallagher - 3-3, 4.36 ERA, 7.88 K/9, 3.35 BB/9, 2.35 K:BB, 1.01 HR/9, .315 BABIP

A rather pleasant surprise after a forgetful spring, the 22-year old has shown signs of brilliance. Sporting a four-seamer that hits the mid 90's, a two-seamer that dives away from lefties and solid control of his breaking stuff (a slider and a curve), I think better days are ahead for Gallagher. He still has quite a bit to learn about the art of pitching, but that probably could be said for most 22-year old pitchers. A look at his game logs show that six of his nine starts have been what you have to consider at least useful.

His numbers right now are promising and the looks of that BABIP suggest that they should get a little better. They also suggest that he'd pretty much have to be included in any deal that would get C.C. Sabathia to the Cubs.

Comments

[Gallagher's] numbers right now are promising and the looks of that BABIP suggest that they should get a little better. They also suggest that he'd pretty much have to be included in any deal that would get C.C. Sabathia to the Cubs. Him or Marmol. If I'm an Indian one of those guys HAS to be included.

[ ]

In reply to by garsky

well it isn't going to be Marmol, pretty sure he's untouchable. If you're going for it this year, then giving up a starter to get a starter is reasonable. I would guess a Gallagher and not-screwed-in-the-head Rich Hill plus one more marginal minor leaguer would get it done.

Costly considering the Cubs have 8 players set to make $100 MM next year and very doubtful they'd be able to sign Sabathia. Not to mention Eyre, Howry, Dempster and Wood are all set to be free agents. 

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I think we've had all kinds of indications that payroll is available for the Cubs in 2008. I've said all along that I'd be shocked if the Cubs do manage to get a rental on Sabathia, there are just other teams with alot more to give. At this point I say probably the most likely move is AJ Burnett, and that comes at the price of not having to give up very much at all I wouldn't think. And I would fully advocate taking Marquis out of the rotation, but much like Barry Zito, he Cubs have money put into Marquis and it seems to be the main factor in his playing time. Hopefully he can channel one of his 'good' starts tonight.

[ ]

In reply to by Andrew

In other news from Gammons, apparently the Rays are looking at Murton.

Maybe we can get Jae-kuk Ryu back? :)

I'll take Jacob McGee, sure he'll be out for over a year, but that be a nice score for Murton right now.

as for the rest of the starters list...meh.

The problem is the A's are quite in the race, so there's absolutely no reason for them to move Harden. Burnett would be okay, his K/9 rate is over 9 which is fantastic, but also is sporting a BB/9 rate of 4.49, which will drive Lou (and me) bonkers. The .336 BABIP though suggest better days are ahead. Randy Wolf for Murton wouldn't be terrible either, but neither Burnett or Wolf are really that big of an improvement over what we have going.

Wolf's peripherals fwiw: 8.17 K/9, 3.42 BB/9, 1.01 HR/9, .317 BABIP 

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

He hasnt stayed healthy his entire career and almost every contending team (sans the Angels, Cards, D-backs, Rays, Red Sox) are going to be willing to pay through the noise for him. The only reason the A's are still in the playoff hunt is because they played over their head, while the Angels, Tigers, and Yankees have been playing under the ability of their talent to an extent. If somebody offered Beane a king's ransom for Harden he would pull the trigger.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

ryu is such a nice guy and loves the game. he's just not good. saw him a lot last year and a bit this year and wow...he was/is in GREAT shape. great athlete. he's just tapped out with his talent and better suited for pen work at this point. shame...sure isn't for a lack of working.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

haha. i forgot about that. regardless...he's a very classy dude who's a very nice guy. he's handling being in weird/humid durham, NC pretty well for a guy who was vaulted to the majors at an early age as a pimped out starter and is now trying to find a career of some sorts in the pen. he's really good with the kids and fans. the kids find him a real curiosity because even though we have asians around here we don't have many that look like athletes on the level he does. he's a 6'4" 230lb. beast of a kid. all muscle, all athlete...he just looks like a star. too bad he doesn't pitch like one.

[ ]

In reply to by 10man

It wasn't a huge deal to me that Ryu threw at the bird, though of course I think it was a dumb and destructive thing to do. But defending the guy because he was accurate enough to hit the bird in the first place probably isn't the best way to go about getting people to agree with your argument that he shouldn't be held at fault.

[ ]

In reply to by SheffieldCornelia

but he was AT FAULT for throwing at the bird. even he admitted as much. all i'm sayin is that we all make mistakes and we all deserve a break from them.

Brett Myers assigned to AAA (a move he had to accept since he has 5+ years of service time). Freddy Bynum called back up by the O's.

Tyler Colvin named Southern league player of the week, Donald Veal named to Southern League All-Stars.

I'm not conerned about Z's reduced SO numbers - I recall that when he first came up, his main "out" pitch was that awesome sinker that hitters beat into the ground. Then if he needed it, he could blow it by the hitters with no problem. Maybe this is a good development, since he had a tendency to put more guys on base last year, along with the increased SO's.

[ ]

In reply to by Dmac

problem is, when he first came up he was still K'ing hitters and had a higher GB/FB rate.

Year  GB/FB
GB%
K/9
2003  2.28  55.4% 7.07  2004  1.63  50.7% 8.07  2005
1.62  50.0% 8.14  2006
1.24  46.9% 8.83  2007  1.37
46.8%  7.36  2008  1.51  48.5% 5.76 

 

 

I didn't know that - thanks for the numbers. So how about this one - he's trying to be a complete pitcher, using his full arsenal, rather than just going for the K every time. If it saves more wear and tear on his arm (and he's still effective, big caveat), then I'm all for it.

[ ]

In reply to by Dmac

yeah, the saving more wear and tear on his arm gets kind of lost with the DL stint and all.

Z's got great movement on his pitches and I do think he's gotten better at "pitching' this year than just throwing. But he's going to have miss a few more bats for him to keep up that low 3 ERA. Above a six K/9 would be nice, above seven would be ideal.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

speaking of...zito. yeah, he did cruddy for a few innings and etc etc etc, but one thing i noticed was how much more cerebral he was with his selection. it seems rather than trying to "push" his stuff (and getting no where with it) he's now using what he's got in a more intelligent fashion. how much of this is molina or the coaches...i dunno. he threw a TON of high fastballs on/near the same high plane where his curve ball would break and was not mixing up too much with where he threw the fastball. he wasnt working a ton around the plate with it...it was being mainly used as a deception pitch in tandum with the curve. he danced around with his curve location and mainly used his fastball for what was mentioned above...but he did use his changeup all over kinda like how people would normally use a fastball (or zito would traditionally use his curve) to set up for other stuff. it seems the "new" zito might be becoming a hell of a changeup/curve pitcher if it clicks. his fastball is practically an afterthought now. not like the changeup is new or the fastball is gone...he's just using them differently it seems (the inside fastball that was a big part of his game earlier seems to be disappearing lately, too).

STL wish a 2 run lead already after 1 inning...geez...lose already. -edit- sweet...mets tie top 4th.

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).