Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus one player is on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 3-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# 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 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 1 
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 1 
Caleb Kilian, P 

 



 

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Cubs Bullpen is No Relief in Thursday's Loss

Like the Cub hitters who failed to come through in the clutch, the Cub bullpen left its fingerprints all over Thursday's loss to the Cardinals.

From the Cubs.com game story:

The bullpen...is not in sync. Aaron Heilman, who came on in relief of starter Sean Marshall, served up Greene's homer on his third pitch. Rookie David Patton (0-1) took the loss, giving up Yadier Molina's tie-breaking RBI single in the seventh. Albert Pujols was intentionally walked, but the other two Cardinals who were walked both scored.

"All we can do is preach," Piniella said. "That's all we can do is say what's good for the individual."

Heilman says there's only one thing they can do.

"Pitch better," Heilman said. "There's no other way to get around it. There's no real magic formula that you can say, 'Do this, this and this' and everything's going to click. Sometimes it takes days, sometimes it takes weeks, sometimes it takes longer to figure out. We have to keep going out there, be aggressive and keep pitching, and things will fall into place."

Game by game, here is how the Cub bullpen has fared so far in 2009.

Date
Opponent
IP
H
ER
BB
 K
4/6
Astros
3
3
1
1
0
4/7
Astros
3.1
4
1
3
3
4/8
Astros 4
3
1
0
3
4/10
Brewers   
2.1
1
2
5
1
4/11
Brewers 3
2
2
3
5
4/12 Brewers
3
2
1
1
2
4/13
Rockies
2.1
0
0
2
4
4/15
Rockies
6
4
1
2
6
4/16
Cards
 4 5
4
2
3
  TOTAL
31
24
13
20 29

Through Wednesday's game—yes that's just 8 games; Small Sample Alert!—the Cubs were 4th among NL bullpens in ERA (3.00), 3rd in Batting Average Against (.200) and 4th in OPS Against (.646).

By comparison, last year the Cub bullpen finished 8th in ERA (4.10), 11th in OPS Against (.741), and 7th in Batting Average Against (.251).

That said, Cotts, Heilman, and Gregg are hardly inspiring confidence, young Patton is trying to make the monster jump from A-ball in just one year, and Angel Guzman looks like the proverbial guy with great stuff but not the ability to control it.

Yes, it's still ridiculously early in the season, but with a team that otherwise seems so World Series-worthy, one has to assume that Jim Hendry won't wait  long to start moving around pieces in his bullpen.

 

 

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

It's these kinds of douchebag umps that have moved me from the "no way to instant replay" camp to the "meh, who cares" camp. Do your job right or bring in technology to do your job. It already seems like the gameday pitch zone thing is more accurate than the umps. Thanks for the video link... a still image of the pitch. That's about where it crossed the front of the plate. I don't think the team's success or failure is ultimately due to good or bad calls because they go both ways over the course of a season, but I think when they are considering Bradley's punishment, they should consider the actual call. Crazy idea, I know. Terrible call.

"and all I have to say is that ump is clearly rasict" No question - and because of that incident, all umpires are genetically and inherently racist for the rest of time. End of story. BTW, for those who are interested, Fergie Jenkins did an interview at the local PBS outlet here (WTTW), and it's airing tonight (the program is called Chicago Tonight). I've seen a few preview clips, and he talks candidly about the racism he experienced during his ST days in Florida. The host also asked Fergie directly about Wittenmeyer's article, and he answered directly in kind. He expresses the same thoughts that I was attempting to make earlier much more clearly - and succinctly. Since Fergie played in the days when the racist attitudes expressed in this country were much more widespread and nefarious, I tend to think he's coming from a more accurate place than most of the rest of us here.

Sorry I'm slightly confused by this post...clearly the bullpen hasn't been good, but these numbers seem...average. I mean the K/BB seems a little low, but the WHIP is about average and ERA seems fine too. I don't think I could easily point to the bullpen as our weakest link thus far.

Bullpen is an issue somewhat. Especially when Patton hasn't ever pitched above A ball, and it is starting to show. Then, you have guys that you sent to AAA that are pitching lights out, like Chad Fox. It's really a guessing game on who to bring up and who to send down.

Recent comments

  • hellfrozeover (view)

    I would say also in the bright side column is Busch looked pretty good overall at the plate. Alzolay…man, that hurts but most of the time he’s not giving up a homer to that guy. To me the worst was almonte hanging that pitch to Garcia. He hung another one to the next hitter too and got away with it on an 0-1. 

  • crunch (view)

    amaya blocked like 6-8 of smyly's pitches in the dirt very cleanly...not even an exaggeration, smyly threw a ton of pitches bouncing in tonight.

    neris looking like his old self was a relief (no pun), too.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    In looking for bright spots the defense was outstanding tonight. The “stars” are going to need to shine quite a bit brighter than they did tonight offensively though for this to be a successful season.

  • Eric S (view)

    Good baseball game. Hopefully Steele is pitching again in April (but I’m not counting on it). 

  • crunch (view)

    boo.

  • crunch (view)

    smyly to face the 2/3/4 hitters with a man on 2nd in extras.

    this doesn't seem like a 8 million dollar managerial decision.

  • crunch (view)

    i 100% agree with you, but i dunno how jed wants to run things.  the default is delay.  i would choose brown.

    like hellfrozeover says, could be smyly since he's technically fresh and stretched.

    anyway, on a pure talent basis....brown is the best option.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Use pitchers when you believe they're good. Don't plan their clock.

    I'm sorry. I'm simply anti-clock/contract management. Play guys when they show real MLB potential talent.

    If Brown hadn't been hurt with the Lat Strain he would've gotten the call, and not Wick.

    Give him a chance. 

    But Wesneski probably gets it

  • crunch (view)

    alzolay...bro...

  • crunch (view)

    wow.  what a blown call.  go cubs, i guess.