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 107 Thread / Cubs @ Brewers (2 of 4)

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP Carlos Zambrano
SP
Ben Sheets
  11-4, 2.96, 87 K, 44 BB, 133.2 IP

10-3, 2.87, 115 K, 31 BB, 135 IP
       
LF Alfonso Soriano
2B #Ray Durham
SS Ryan Theriot SS J.J. Hardy
1B
Derrek Lee LF
Ryan Braun
3B
Aramis Ramirez 1B
*Prince Fielder
CF
*Kosuke Fukudome RF Corey Hart
RF Mark DeRosa 3B *Russ Branyan
2B
*Mike Fontenot
CF Mike Cameron
C
Geovany Soto C Jason Kendall
P
#Carlos Zambrano
P Ben Sheets

My apologies for lack of a game thread last night, I was out on a 3-day weekend celebrating seven years of marriage with the Angelfan wife. Many ask what our secret is (okay, no one does), and the answer? Marry a girl who likes baseball and doesn't mind if you check the scores on your cellphone during a sunset dinner at the beach. Lucky in love I am...

I might be a day late, but I'll pony up a few extra bucks. A comparison of the two teams heading into tonight's game:

Category
Cubs
Brewers
Runs Scored
555
498
Runs Allowed
443
470
Strength of Schedule
.492
.499
Team Defensive Efficiency .715
.705
Batting Average .278
.256 
On-Base Perncentage
.355 
.326
Slugging Percentage
.441 
.443
Home Runs
121 140 
Stolen Bases
58
74
Starters' ERA
3.80
4.01
Relievers' ERA
3.98
4.05
Walks Allowed
361
 360
Strikeouts
798
713

Pretty close, but the Cubs definitely look like the better team on paper. A paper you can light on fire because it's not going to mean much with two games separating the clubs and a raucous crowd filling Miller.

As for the lineup, Edmonds sits again which makes me believe the knee injury is worse than what's been reported. Of course, a career .697 OPS against Sheets in 54 AB's might be another reason, along with Fontenot's hot-hitting of late.  

Zambrano vs Sheets, it doesn't get much more fun that.

Comments

great...i just got a raging case of the cooties reading your 1st paragraph. i knew i shouldnt have skipped the shot this year. hopefully WGN can sell me a pill to get rid of this. i could go kayaking or something afterward. maybe high-five some people.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Hey I got you one better cootiemeister- marry a gal who knows nothing about baseball, but turn her into such a fan that not only does she follow the Cubs, but on a pleasant Tuesday evening she suggests we go down to PNC to watch the Pirates play the Rockies. No promotional give-aways, no fireworks, just plain baseball. Usually it's amusing baseball too ("How they gonna blow it tonight?") The $4 grandstand ticket price (not kidding) helps this decision. But last night we were rewarded with the 26th come from behind win out of 50 victories. And my darling wife of 24 years is scoreboard watching the Cubs-Brewers game for updates.

I was at the bar off 1 in Malibu where Mel Gibson got busted for DUI. Good Blue Moon beer and beautiful sunset. Thinking about going to Santa Barbara for 10th anniversary...don't know where wife will go. HIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GO Cubs!!! Great game take any spirit out of those Brewer bastards and stomp in the ground like an old Pal Mal.

Great to see Rammy and Kosuke clubbing the ball -- Kosuke's 2B vs. Shouse was a beauty. I would love to see Soto hit one ball to right-center. It looked like Z was firing on all cylanders tonight -- pumped up to go against Sheets, but also in control of himself. Very solid baseball by the Cubs so far -- hitting, pitching, fielding, base-running. Keep it up, boys!

Go go gadget run differential. +118. Seriously. Next closest in the NL is Philly at +70. Best in the AL is Boston at +89. For what it's worth (admittedly not much), MKE is at +22 and STL is at +28.

well i like the way the cubs have produced all series ,good to see rami come thru, starters have been good. nice to see braun run around in outfield missing everything. will cubs make any trades? i would consider cedeno the last positon player on team is it worth the upgrade? eyre to the east coast? for a minor leaguer ?

looks like Edmonds has an arthritic knee...his previous knee scope included some microfracture work which means he's missing some articular cartilage and they try to stimulate some formation of scar tissue to fill the defect...so expect it to be cranky from here on out. The cortisone can calm things down for awhile though. from the Sun-Times: Cubs center fielder Jim Edmonds, who got a cortisone shot in his sore left knee after the game Sunday against the Florida Marlins, said he was ready to play Tuesday but was kept out of the lineup for one more day. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/1081060,CST-SPT-cubnt30.ar…

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Because of Edmonds's injury issues, Levine is reporting that Jimbo is looking for lefty bat for the OF. Personally I think they need a switch hitter because if they add another lefty they will have issues with LHP. He also confirms Eyre can be had for a reasonable price. He didnt mention any names of the lefty bat, but here is a list of quality CF and Corner of who can play defense enough for Lou "just catch the damn ball" Pinella to play in RF: AL West Milton Bradley AL Central: David DeJesus Mark Teahan AL East: Luke Scott Brad Wilkerson NL West: Randy Winn Dave Roberts Jody Gerut Brian Giles NL Central: Ken Griffey Jr. NL East: Mark Kotsay I would doubt Bradley, Dejesus, Giles, or Scott because of the high price to get them. Griffey is also unlikely as the CIN ownership wont deal him to a NL Central team and I would put Winn that category due to his 09 salary. I think of the remaning guys the top 5 candidates could be 1. Kotsay 2. Teahan 3. Roberts 4. Wilkerson 5. Gerut.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

More important here is the thought that how an outfielder 'looks' or the routes he takes to a ball has an bearing on how good a fielder he is. That's a common misconception. What is important is if he catches balls, how quickly he gets to the ones he doesn't catch, and when he throws are the throws quick, accurate and strong. Soriano screws up some balls out there, this year actually seems worse than last year, but he makes a lot of catches in the gap that the Carlos Lee's and Manny Ramirez's of the world have to pick up from the warning track.

I got tickets to Friday's game for my son for a b-day present (will be his first time at Wrigley). My plan was to drive (from Ft. Wayne) to Chesterton IN and get on the South Shore Line and get off at the Van Buren station then walk to the Red Line station @ State & Jackson and take that to Wrigley. It just dawned on me today that Lolla starts Friday and the Metra stop I'm planning to use is right next to Grant Park. Is this going to be a big headache for us? Especially on the way home after the game? Also, about how long is the Red Line trip from Jackson up to Addison?

[ ]

In reply to by Indiana JJ

I'd suggest picking up the Brown Line at Washington & Wells or Quincy and taking that North up to Fullerton or Belmont and transferring to the Red Line. I find that the Red Line is almost unbearable on Cubs' game days, while the Brown line is mostly work commuters. Between the Cubs and Lolla, the Red line is going to be a zoo. A 95 degree, no seat, people crammed everywhere zoo. The trip should take 35-40 minutes.

[ ]

In reply to by Doug Dascenzo

I usually just take the Brown Line to Belmont and walk 4 blocks north. Don't bother with the Red. For one thing, the Red Line will be crammed with people, especially closer to Wrigley. Further, and more aesthetically, there's a nice sense of anticipation walking up Sheffield into thickening street crowds, hearing, then smelling, then seeing Wrigley loom up in the distance. My 2¢.

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).