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

Game 86 Thread / Cubs @ Giants (4 of 4)

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP Sean Gallagher
SP
Tim Lincecum
  3-3, 4.36, 47 K, 20 BB, 53.2 IP

9-1, 2.38, 114 K, 43 BB, 109.2
       
LF
Reed Johnson
LF
*Fred Lewis
RF
*Kosuke Fukudome 2B
#Ray Durham
1B
Derrek Lee RF
#Randy Winn
3B
Aramis Ramirez C
Bengie Molina
CF
*Jim Edmonds CF
Aaron Rowand
C
Geovany Soto
1B
*John Bowker
2B
Mark DeRosa 3B
Jose Castillo
SS
Ryan Theriot SS #Omar Vizquel
P
Sean Gallagher P Tim Lincecum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In roster moves, Reed Johnson was activated today with Eric Patterson getting sent down. Matt Murton thanks you Eric Patterson for your defensive ineptitude. Proud papa Aramis Ramirez is back in the lineup as well.

As for the game, the Cubs will try to derail Tim Lincecum's bid to start the All-Star game, while Sean Gallagher tries to stay in the starting rotation with Carlos Zambrano due back tomorrow. A look at their photos on cubs.com makes me think I'm looking at the Baby Looney Tunes version of what should be the actual pitching matchup.

gallagher_lincecum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go Cubs! (obligatory text to get the image to not overlap everything)

Comments

thanks to their awful bullpen. It is nice to know were not going to lose a game to them today, because they get to feast on the underbelly of a bad Pittsburgh staff why we are dealing with the Cards.

I stopped looking at the Brewers score in the 8th. oops. They need to go away. If this is a two team race I can deal, especially when the loser seems destined for the wildcard. A 3 team race mucks everything up.

My god, Marmol just looked lost out there - that pitch was absolutely crushed, a belt - high meatball serving. Something's not right with his head, his stuff looked fine at the beginning.

Perhaps Marmol should join Rich Hill in AZ. This is ridiculous -- can't ever remember a guy going from lights out to a total disaster so fast. So, the bullpen is now Howry and Wood? Yikes.

- Bummer for Gallagher -- only gave up 4 hits, but they were all in the same inning. - Why replace Ascanio with Marmol? Odd move. - Is the plan to have Soto catch every game for the rest of the year?

Mets up 9-0 -- LaRussa leaving Boggs in to take the beating. One way to save your bullpen, I guess. Update on Superman -- Jay Bruce down to .286 (although he did go yard twice yesterday).

For the first time all season I'm starting to wonder a little. We really don't have any kind of a bullpen without Marmol at his best. I had already considered him 'cured' in the Baltimore series but these are 3 psychologically bad outings in a row. If we can just take one in St. Louis, it won't be a disaster and we'd still be in first, with 6 home games with the Reds and Giants coming up.

Good thing the Brewers blew today's game. The have played 9 more road games than home, and tomorrow start a 10-game homestand against the Pirates, Rockies and Reds. Uh-oh.

Gallagher pitched pretty well... again. Even in his bad inning, he didn't get hit that hard other than Lewis' triple. Oh... and ESPN is reporting that the Indians are scouting the Brewers AA team in connection to a possibly Sabathia trade...

[ ]

In reply to by Wes

You can argue the stupidity of the trade either way. I think the Brewers should be apprehensive to trade LaPorta considering they're almost certain to lose Scott Boras client P.Fielder in 2 years. Although I suppose they could groom Mat Gamel as a 1B since he's Ryan Braun redux defensively at 3B. Then from the other side you can argue it's one giant push for a title and with them in all likelyhood losing Sheets and Sabathia and getting 5 Supplemental picks in the '09 draft. Or possibly 6 if Gagne can turn his season around so they could reload rather quickly. Either way, and even with Sabathia the Brewers free swinging offense can either light it up or easily go 2007 Cubs vs Dbacks non-existent so even with Sabathia I don't see them as a lock to usurp the Cubs even if Hendry does nothing at the deadline. However, it could lead to Hendry overpaying for Burnett or Harden. If Sabathia comes to the Brewers, I see Burnett in Cubbie blue. Reportedly JP is itching for a ML ready SS and I think we have one of those to spare.

I was at the game today and they just seemed off. From Soto dropping a routine pop fly in the infield to Edmonds taking a horrible path to Lewis' triple to Marmol continuing to look lost, the Cubs just seemed as if they had already departed to St. Louis. Gallagher looked great, however. The inning he struggled was not as bad as it looked. DLee could have easily stabbed Rowand's hard hit liner and the only other hard hit ball was Freddie Lewis' triple. Two hard hit balls (and one that could have been an out) is not deserving of four runs. Why Lou took Gallagher out before the 6th, when the pitchers spot was due up first in the 7th for the Cubs is a mystery to me. How the game would have been different if Gallagher would have shut them down in the 6th and then Wuertz in the 7th (as he did in the 6th). Hopefully St. Louis is better.

So, the Cubs have won 3 of their last 7? Formerly reliable players stumbling? Rivals looking more tenacious? Looking to improve their rosters? Time to start dreaming of next year? I hate Chicken-Littling, but it's in my blood. I cannot deny who I am. *cracks open some Ripple* *ripples open some crack*

Jeffy was hitting 234/287/374 this year. He's headed to the AA Mississippi Braves until at least the All-Star Break.

OK, say the Brewcrew gets CC - I don't think that shifts the balance of power definitely, and their BP still sucks (much worse tha ours, even at this moment). I still like our chances, and the season's not even half over. Many things can transpire over the next few months, let's try to keep it all in perspective.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Me neither and I'll tell you why. Len & Bob dropped this anecdote about Ryan Dempster the other day. Dempster said he started listening to everything Greg Maddux told him after Maddog showed him how to analyze and learn things from watching video. Dempster said he had no idea what he was looking at before then. It was just tv. Now isn't that what you'd expect your pitching coach, or someone else in the system to be teaching to your pitching staff?

Reds SP Adam Harang will miss his saturday start because of forearm soreness. I wonder if he'll be ready for his next start which should be Thursday vs the Cubs at Wrigley. Norris Hopper gets Tommy John surgery Joe Borowski again on the scrap heap...gets DFA from the Indians after pooching a game this week vs WSux. Carlos, can you get him a job in the Mexican league again?

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).