Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* 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: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

The Riot Hits Pay Dirt, While Robnett Gets Released

Submitted by Arizona Phil on
Cubs SS Ryan Theriot officially qualified for post-2009 salary arbitration yesterday, and Aaron Heilman hit five years of MLB service time a week ago, meaning that although he has two minor league options left, he can't be sent to the minors without his permission.

Also, the Cubs have released OF Richie Robnett from AAA Iowa and RHP Jesse Estrada from AA Tennessee, and have signed minor league FA OF John-Ford Griffin, with Griffin replacing Robnett on the I-Cubs roster. 

Robnett was one of two players the Cubs got from Oakland for Michael Wuertz in February. The other one (INF Justin Sellers) was traded to LAD at the end of Minor League Camp for a PTBNL (or ca$h) and is presently at AA Chattanooga. I wonder how Wuertz is doing at Oakland?

Now 28, Griffin was the Yankees 1st round draft pick out of Florida State in 2001, and was rated by Baseball America as a Top 100 prospect and one of the Yankees Top 10 prospects in 2002, and one of the A's Top 10 Prospects in 2003 after he was traded to Oakland along with Ted Lilly in the deal that sent 1B Carlos Pena and RHP Franklyn German from OAK to DET and RHP Jeff Weaver from DET to NYY.

Griffin hit 310/386/527 at Las Vegas (Dodgers AAA) in 2008, but was released by the Dodgers recently after hitting only .122 with 13 K in only 41 PA in his first 16 games in AAA in 2009. He has logged 13 games in the big leagues (with Toronto 2005-07), and he will be a Rule 55 minor league FA post-2009 if he is not added to the Cubs 40-man roster by the end of the World Series.

In addition, LHP James Russell has been promoted from Tennessee to Iowa and LHP Jayson Ruhlman has been demoted from Iowa back to Tennessee, and RHP Marco Carrillo has been promoted from Daytona to Tennessee (replacing Estrada). The son of ex-MLB closer Jeff Russell, James Russell was the Cubs 14th round draft pick of out the U. of Texas in 2007, although he got "3rd round money" to give up his college career (he dropped to the 14th round only because he was considered to be a "tough sign," because he was telling everybody that he wanted to return to Texas for his senior season). Along with 2008 draft picks RHP Jay Jackson and RHP Casey Coleman (who is also the son of an ex-MLB pitcher), Russell is one of the more-polished pitchers in the Cubs system.  

Drafted by the Cubs out of a Texas JC in 2004 but signed as a "Draft & Follow" in May 2005, the now 25-year old 6'8 300+ Estrada progressed steadily through the Cubs system over the past few seasons, and was considered enough of a prospect that the Cubs sent him to the AFL last fall, and he looked OK there. But he was not added to the Cubs 40-man roster in November, and then he pitched poorly at Minor League Camp in march with Iowa, where he was given every opportunity to nab a spot in the I-Cubs starting rotation. So instead he began the 2009 season in the Iowa bullpen, but he was demoted to Tennessee earlier this month, and he continued to perform poorly when given a chance to start at AA. 

Besides the PTBNL the Cubs are yet to get back from the Dodgers for Sellers, the Cubs are stilled owed a PTBNL from BAL (for LHP Rich Hill), one from OAK (for RHP Rocky Roquet), and another from TOR (for RHP Dumas Garcia), although I wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs will get ca$h instead in all four cases (probably around $20,000, which they could use to claim a player off waivers at a time & place of their own choosing).

And Rule 5 LHP Donald Veal is still on the Pirates 25-man roster. although he has appeared in only one game in the last three weeks (and he has pitched in just five games & logged only 6.1 IP so far in 2009), although he did throw two innings in relief versus the Astros last night. 

Tags
Aaron Heilman
Ryan Theriot
Richie Robnett
Jesse Estrada
John-Ford Griffin

Comments

Submitted by navigator on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 05:50 am

Did Michael Wuertz feature a changeup when he was with the Cubs? I see him using one this year. And getting his 91-93 4 seamer over for strikes as well. Why Lou and Slimjim saw no value in him but loved Neil Cotts is beyond me. MW: 288 major league appearances with a 3.43 ERA

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 05:37 pm

The problem with WUERTZ, who I liked is that his slider command would vanish for a week or two at a time, and since he was a one-trick-pony he was pretty worthless when that happened. If he's added 2 MPH to his fastball and developed a change he should be a starter.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 05:33 am

Yeah, this is uncharacteristic of Hendry. Usually he gets decent minor league talent (Ceda, Ascanio, Hart, Fontenot, Novoa, Aardsma, Berg, C. Robinson) or the trade is of some worthless veteran (e.g. Jeff Fassero) for which you expect to get minor league roster fodder back. But Wuertz should have netted something in the former category, not the latter. It was an odd deal.

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 05:22 am

Phil, maybe you can give us some insight into the Wuertz trade. Why did they want guys like Robnett and Sellars, since they are both career .250 minor league hitters? Were they toolsy guys the Cubs thought had a chance to break out? And if so, why wouldn't they give them a chance to do so? I don't remember your analysis at the time of the trade.

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Submitted by toonsterwu on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 05:43 am

I understood the Wuertz trade, didn't like it, but I understood it. The return wasn't the worst thing for a middle reliever coming off back to back years of 4+ BB rates and had a huge dip in his K rate in 2008. Sellers was an upper level shortstop who some thought had some more offensive potential left him in. Even if he didn't develop, he was a solid glove shortstop that could slap the ball around. I disliked the Robnett part, but Sellers was a solid pickup (I know most of the MSM focus was on Robnett ... didn't like Robnett to begin with, but Robnett/Snyder were both toolsy assets that hadn't produced, so didn't really care for adding both). I don't know, but I imagine that Sellers was dealt because they couldn't have been certain on whether or not Sellers could produce in AAA, they had Andres Blanco/Nate Spears/Matt Camp and others slated at the upper levels, and Darwin Barney was slated for AA and Sellers is fairly similar to him. I was somewhat disappointed we dealt out Sellers.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 05:10 pm

There are a lot of decent relievers with BB/9 over 4 (Marmol last year for example) and while Wuertz's numbers dropped in 2008, part of that surely has to be due to being sent to Iowa for part of the season and not being able to settle in. As his career 3.43 ERA and performance this season demonstrate, he is a solid major league middle reliever. I have to think for that you get more than two minor leaguers of this caliber. I don't know that much about Sellers, but his minor league number suggest that he did not have a solid glove (.957 career FP at short?), and while it looks like he can take a walk, he certainly hasn't hit well (career .258) and has absolutely no power. But more to my point, why take Sellers if you have Blanco, Spears, Camp, et al. and aren't going to give him a chance? They might as well have just sold Wuertz or taken a player to be named later.

Submitted by toonsterwu on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 05:46 am

It was time for Jesse Estrada. Time to stop hoping on his height. Don't see the point of John Ford-Griffin as anything more than depth. While I disliked Robnett, swapping one for the other is eh for me. I doubt Donald Veal gets returned. I wonder if the motivation behind a James Russell bump is to see if he might slot in as a LOOGY option for us later this year. Does anyone know how his curve has looked? I prefer Lambert's curve to Russell's change right now, so I would like to see Lambert get considered for a call-up. Shame Russell hasn't taken to starting.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

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  • Childersb3 (view)

    Wesneski and Mastrobuoni to Iowa

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    Wesneski can't pitch for a couple of days after the 4 IP from last night. But Jed picked Wicks over Wesneski.

  • crunch (view)

    booooooooooo

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  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Tonight’s game postponed. Split games on Saturday.

  • crunch (view)

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  • Bill (view)

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  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

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  • Sonicwind75 (view)

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  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
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