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

High Noonan Dooms Cubs, Two More Get Sent to Minor League Camp

Nick Noonan capped a five-run 9th with a two-out grand slam, as the Giants rallied to defeat the Cubs (and leave a lot of Cubs fans speechless) before a record crowd of 13,024 under sunny skies at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in Mesa this afternoon.   

box score

Also, the Cubs sent have sent non-roster RHPs Esmailin Cardidad and Ken Kadokura to minor league camp. This brings the Cubs Spring Training roster down to 43 (including Ted Lily and Kosuke Fukudome, who are still playing in the WBC) 

The 35-year old Karokura was making his U. S. debut after spending 13 years playing in Japan, and I suspect he will be released (or will request his release) prior to Opening Day and will return to Japan. He probably isn't at the point in his career where he would want to spend a year playing AAA ball. He didn't really have a bad Spring with the Cubs, but he had a tendency to get ahead of hitters 0-1 or 1-2 and then nibble, nibble, nibble. I don't think Manager Lou Piniella likes that approach too much.  

Caridad is a different matter, however, I have him rated as one of the Cubs Top Ten prospects, and he pitched very well so far this Spring and could surface sometime this season in Chicago. Now 25, Caridad was (like Alfonso Soriano and Timo Perez) originally signed by the Hiroshima Carp and was assigned to their Dominican Academy, before pitching in Japan in 2007. But Caridad became a free-agent on a technicality after that season, and Cubs Player Personnel Director Oneri Fleita personally signed the right-hander while on a trip to the Dominican Republic in December 2007  Caridad pitched at Daytona and Tennessee in 2008 (going a combined 13-7, 3.73 ERA, 1.11 WHIP), and then pitched in the AFL with the Mesa Solar Sox in October-November '08. He can start or relieve.

As for today's game...      

The Cubs led 5-0 through five innings, as starter Ryan Dempster was in mid-season form, tossing five shutout innings at the Giants while the Cubs were tagging reigning N. L. Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum to the tune of four earned runs on seven hits (including a HR and a triple) and four walks in just 3.2 IP.

The Cubs scored three runs in the bottom of the 1st, as Lincecum needed 29 pitches to get out of the inning. Alfonso Soriano hit Lincecum's very first pitch for a towering home run over the LF fence to the base of the scoreboard, and then Ryan Theriot and Aramis Ramirez walked. After Theriot was thrown out trying to steal 3rd (with no outs!?), Ramirez advanced to 2nd base on a wild pitch, and scored when Micah Hoffpauir slammed a triple to the right-centerfield fence. (Hoffpauir crushed a three-run homer off Arizona's Brandon Webb last Sunday). Mike Fontenot then grounded a single over the second-base bag into CF to score Hoffpauir with the Cubs third run of the inning.

The Cubs put runners on 1st & 3rd with one out in the 2nd after Joey Gathright led off the inning with a walk and advanced to third on a one-out sharp single to right by Alfonso Soriano, but Soriano was thrown out trying to steal 2nd on a 3-1 pitch to Theriot (with the infield pulled in for a play at the plate), and then Theriot grounded out 5-3 on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat.   

The Cubs put two more runners on base in the 3rd when Mike Fontenot grounded another single to CF and So Taguchi drew a walk with two outs, but Paul Bako struck out, and so both runners were left stranded. 

The Cubs had more luck against Lincecum in the 4th, as Gathright reached base on an infield hit off third-baseman Pablo Sandoval's nose to lead off the inning (Sandoval had to be helped off the field). Ryan Dempster and Alfonso Soriano struck out, but Gathright stole second, and then scored on a Ryan Theriot RBI single that knocked Lincecum out of the game (84 pitches total for Lincecum).

LHRP Jack Taschner entered the game in relief of Lincecum, and promptly walked Ramirez and Hoffpauir to load the bases. But Fontenot lined out sharply to short to end the threat.   

The Cubs got their 5th run in the bottom of the 5th, as Taguchi led off with a walk, advanced to 3rd on a one-out single by Gathright, and scored on a F-9 SF to the warning track in RF by Brandon Guyer (2007 5th round pick out of U. of Virginia who was up at HoHoKam from Minor League Camp for the day).

Gathright had a nice day today, rapping two singles, drawing a walk, stealing a base, scoring a run, and making a spectacular diving catch of a pop up in short right-center for the first out in the top of the 5th.

Meanwhile, Dempster was retiring the Giants with a minimum of difficulty, finishing with a line of 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 GIDP, 6/5 GO/FO, 69 pitches (44 strikes). Dempster allowed two batters to reach base in only one of his five innings (the top of the 1st), and that threat was snuffed-out by an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP. 

Chad Gaudin entered the game in the top of the 6th, and immediately surrendered a ringing double to right-center to Edgar Renteria. Gaudin then walked Fred Lewis, and both runners advanced on a Benji Molina F-9 FO to the warning track in RF, and then both runners advanced again (Renteria scored) when Ryan Rohlinger banged a F-7 SF to the warning track in LF. John Bowker then lined a single to CF with two outs to score Lewis from third with the Giants 2nd run of the inning. Gaudin threw 17 pitches (11 strikes) in his one ining of work.  

Veteran RHP Luis Vizcaino pitched the top of the 7th for the Cubs, and had mixed results, allowing a one-out solo HR to Venezuelan Winter League MVP Jesus Guzman to left-center to cut the Cubs lead to 5-3, but also striking out the side (19 pitches - 14 strikes). He actually looked pretty good, throwing strikes fairly consistently, and doing it with some juice on his fastball. Vizcaino is a slow worker, though, so his innings never end quickly.

Kevin Hart pitched the 8th, coming into the game having struck out seven of the last eight hitters he has faced. And he continued to dominate the opposition, throwing a 1-2-3 inning while striking out the last two hitters in the inning after a 4-3 GO.

Prior to last Sunday, Jose Ascanio had made four Cactus League appearances, retiring all twelve men he faced, 12 up & 12 down. But then he entered a game last Sunday in Tucson versus Arizona, and was unable to finish the 9th inning despite starting the inning with a six-run lead (he allowed three runs on three hits and a walk, before David Patton came into the game to get the final out and the save).

Today,,Ascanio once again was brought into a game in the 9th, but this time in a save situation (protecting a two-run lead). 

Ascanio retired John Bowker on a 3-U GO to open the inning, but then Eugenio Velez crushed a catchable ball to the warning track in RF that was misplayed into a triple by Brandon Guyer. PH Juan Uribe rapped a line-drive RBI single to LF to score Velez, but then Jesus Guzman flied out to RF for the second out, and it looked like Ascanio might get the save. But veteran AAA OF Andres Torres (who played for the Iowa Cubs last year) singled to center to send Uribe to third, and then PH Buster Posey (Giants 2008 #1 draft pick and the #5 overall pick in the 2008 June draft) was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

At this pont, Ascanio had thrown 25 pitches, and LHP Jason Waddell was ready in the Cubs bullpen, with 19-year old left-handed hitting Nick Noonan (a 2007 Supplemental 1st round draft pick who has not played above Lo-"A:") due to hit. 

But Manager Lou Piniella opted to leave Ascanio in the game to face Noonan, and the rookie made the Cubs pay, powering a two-out grand slam HR over the fence in right-center to give the Giants their first lead of the game, 8-5. Ascanio got the final out on a 5-3 GO, but the damage was done.

The Cubs didn't quit, however, mounting a last-ditch rally of their own in the bottom of the 9th against SF rookie RHP Waldis Joaquin (who also has yet to play above "A" ball).

Joaquin went 3-0 against Micah Hoffpauir before striking out the lefty slugger swinging, but then Bobby Scales pulled a double down the RF line, and scored on a PH line single by Jake Fox, putting the tying run at the plate. Mark Johnson lined a single to CF to send Fox to second, and after Gathright hit into a 6-4 FC (just barely beating the relay at first), PH Aaron Miles (the potential winning run) worked a walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases for lefty-swinging Dylan Johnston (who, like Brandon Guyer, was up at HoHoKam Park for the day from Minor League Camp).

At this point, Giants manager Bruce Bochy brought veteran minor league RHP Felix Romero into the game in relief of Joaquin, and Johnston (who hit 288/349/379 with 15 HR at Peoria last year) struck out swinging on a change-up (and looked bad doing it) to end the game, leaving the bases loaded.

Kevin Hart definitely is making a play for one of the one or two open slots in the Cubs bullpen, with another impressive inning of work today. On the other hand, Jose Ascanio really hurt his cause today with his second terrible outing in a row.   

The Cubs travel to the Peoria Sports Complex tomorrow to play the Seattle Mariners.

Comments

Seems to me that Lou may have been testing the mettle of Ascanio today, and he couldn't rise to the challenge. The cuts for the big club are going to get tougher from here on out, but Ascanio seems on his way out now...

They've gotta dump Gaudin at this point, right? Today was his last chance to impress, and he failed again? That $2MM savings could sure come in handy in July.

Submitted by Jim Hickmans Bat on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 8:51pm.

They've gotta dump Gaudin at this point, right? Today was his last chance to impress, and he failed again? That $2MM savings could sure come in handy in July

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

JIM H: Apparently the Cubs still consider Chad Gaudin to be in contention for a bullpen slot.

If a player signed to a non-guaranteed contract is released no later than this Friday (3/20), the player's club owes the player 30 days termination pay (severance), which is 1/6 of the player's salary.

If a player signed to a non-guaranteed contract is released anytime during the last 15 days of Spring Training (the 15 days prior to Opening Day), the player's club owes the player 45 days termination pay (severance), which is 1/4 of the player's salary. (All non-guaranteed contracts automatically become guaranteed effective on Oprening Day).

However, in order to release Gaudin no later than this coming Friday, the Cubs would have had to place him on Release Waivers by 2 PM EDT Wednesday (11 AM Arizona time), because it takes two days (actually 47 hours) for a player to clear waivers. (A player placed on Release Waivers at 2 PM EDT Wednesday completes his waiver ride 47 hours later at 1 PM EDT Friday).

But because Chad Gaudin pitched in today's game (which started two hours after today's waiver bulletin was transmitted), he could not have been placed on Release Waivers today (Wednesday), which means he can't be released on Friday.

However, Gaudin still could get released anytime during the 15 days prior to Opening Day, and if that happens, the Cubs would owe him $500K in termination pay instead of the $333K in termination pay the Cubs would have had to pay him if he was released no later than this Friday.

Recent comments

  • 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...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.