Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Cubs Get a B.J.

The Cubs have signed recently released Toronto Blue Jays reliever B.J. Ryan, according to the Chicago Tribune. The article says he'll first report to Mesa and then Triple A Iowa before supposedly joining the Cubs at some point in the 2009 season.

I figured they'd sign him and rush Sean Marshall back into the rotation until Ryan Dempster was back, but it looks like the Cubs have another plan. Maybe when Ryan is set to join the major league club, they'll send Marshall down and have him stretch out in the minors getting ready for an inevitable injury. Or they'll just send Jeff Stevens or Jeff Samardzija down and go with two lefties. 

UPDATE: Bruce Levine says it's a one year minor league deal and he'll be working on building up his arm strength, so he might not be joining the Cubs any time soon. They could even be breeding him to try to return as closer for next season assuming Kevin Gregg leaves via free agency.

Comments

This actually intrigues me. The guy was good just last year. A change of scenery, with a new pitching coach, may help him make that minor adjustment to be a dominating, or at least good or decent, pitcher again. He was pretty good in June. And has been decent against lefties this year. Definitely well worth the risk.

great signing. he could be hurt but his numbers against lefties weren't horrible. at worst he'll be a real loogy.

I think it's a good move as well, even if he doesn't face a righty at all. The bullpen definitely needs some 6th and 7th inning support, and he's one guy who can potentially do that.

I forgot Option C... Lose Aaron Heilman at the airport...

from the last thread Johnson, Theriot, Bradley, Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Baker, Hill, Harden.

Who are they going to breed him with so that the baby is ready to pitch next year, Mork?

I wish it were B.J. Surhoff. Still not a bad gamble, just don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed if he can't get it together.

mmm...useless. thank god it's a minor league deal. maybe he'll be up by september to throw 86mph fastballs with no control. i didn't know the deck chairs needed rearranging that badly...but at least it's low/no risk.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I don't think that Escobar or Guzman are really going to be that much better than Baker/Fontenaught in the 2nd half, assuming the idea is to move Theriot back to second. I wouldn't think the braves are too high on Hoffpauir, his bat seems to be a lot like Kotchmans', trading some power for some OBP.

ibid for what ya'll are saying. Wasn't Troy Percival out for a year with perhaps similar issues? He has had an excellent re-birth. Maybe the Cubs will get lucky with another reclamation project?

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

troy wasnt throwing mid/high 80s with no control, though. i see very little upside to bj...that said, i see very little downside considering it's a minor league deal and it's highly likely he'll stay there until Sept. unless someone gets injured or he shows something.

from Randy Bush "What's great is that he wants to do it the right way -- he wants to go to Mesa, he wants to work on his delivery," Bush said. "He wants to get back to where he feels good about where he's at. When he's ready to go, that's when he'll go to Iowa."

Damn, I got all excited and thought the Rays had given up on Upton.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

Sadly, yes. I am not going to google it for you, and I am not trying to imply that this particular one is a shared experience, but Perry Ferrel has got a story about a bad one.

Speaking of reclamation projects, Marmol has given up his hup-hup-pose (I call it mad dog, but it could be called walking dog). Although he walked Morgan, he picked him off in a crucial 8th inning moment. Now if we can get Sori to stop da hop.

Was Harden throwing a slider tonight? He struck out Zimmerman on a wicked-looking pitch in the first or second inning. It was timed at 88 mph on the TV radar gun. I didn't even know he throws that pitch. He's just two different pitchers, home and road.

[ ]

In reply to by Mitterwald

looked like he threw a few sliders early in the game to me...seems to be throwing them more often lately (which means he's actually throwing one again)

he was also sitting between 93-96 most of the game on the CSN gun...maybe the smell of free agency will inspire him the 2nd half.

Milty: "I'm gonna be hitting the whole second half. Um, starting tomorrow." What a complete tool.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

No, but it's just classic for a all-mouth tool to guarantee he's gonna hit, then go 0-for-5 and be the only starter not to reach base against a team that is 40 games below .500. Just shut up and hit, Milton. Don't worry, we'll notice.

I see this as a low-risk, high-potential move. His name still evokes memories of that lights-out closer he used to be; He's not that guy anymore, this is clear, but he's a veteran and knows what it takes to get back on track and could be the next effective Cub's loogy. They could even be breeding him to try to return as closer for next season assuming Kevin Gregg leaves via free agency. Thank god this is just speculation. This isn't going to happen.

I figured it was almost a certainty when I heard about it a few days ago. I'm just glad it's a minor league deal. I'm really glad he wants to "do it the right way" and "figure his delivery out", but I'm just not sure what there is to figure out. He doesn't throw 92 anymore. Draw your own conclusions as to why that is, but he just doesn't. He can't come inside to right-handers and he's gotten into a nice routine of hanging breaking balls. I'm not particularly optimistic that there's anything to figure out or fix. But, the good news is that if there isn't, he can learn that in Iowa instead of in a pennant race.

[ ]

In reply to by Wes

imo...there is nothing to figure out. he's thrown 1 way most of his life...an inverted L style of delivery kinda like the inverted W people like to pick on except he keeps his elbow on line or below the shoulder. he's shredded his elbow and had it patched, his shoulder is an on/off nagging thing...even with a healthy elbow it doesn't look like he's comfortable throwing the way he knows how. i would be pretty surprised if he changed anything now, but when you're throwing mid-80s and lacking clear control it's time to do something i guess. he's made a claim to "work on delivery" before, but he's never made it while going to A-ball to do it.

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.