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

Eyre traded to Phillies

It didn't take long to find a home for Scott Eyre and Jim Hendry does him the favor of putting him in another pennant race. Eyre goes to the Phillies for minor league RHP Brian Schlitter (thanks to reader Chifan for the tip). 

Schlitter stands 6-5" and was a 16th round pick of the Phillies out of College of Charleston. Similar to the Cubs recent first round pick, Andrew Cashner, Schlitter considered returning to school for 2008 to improve his draft status, but eventually decided to enter pro ball. He ended up pitching for the Phillies Hi-A affiliate in Clearwater this season and compiled a 2.22 ERA in 34 relief appearances. He struck out 58 batters in 48.2 IP while walking 21 for a 10.73 K/9 rate and a 2.76 K:BB ratio. He's 22 years old.

Scout.com had Schlitter as the #63 ranked Phillies prospect in their preseason rankings, but tabbed him as a potential "closer of the future". He features a fastball and a slider and sounds like he's yet another righty power arm for the bullpen one day.

Comments

Did we not have to pay any of Eyre's salary? AND we got what looks to be a useful prospect?

You've gotta have some balls to act like you can rank a MLB organization's players 63 deep. No pun intended.

Good luck, Stevie (except vs. the Cubs). I will always remeebr you hugging Sam Fuld like he was a 10-year old kid after he went into the ivy to save your butt.

Thanks for the memories Scott. Now be the femmebotte that we programmed you to be and blow up against the Cubs in playoffs. :=)

Yeah, I liked Eyre, too. Hot damn! I have to say that getting any kind of a prospect in return for him makes me feel a hell of a lot better. This guy looks like he could help the Cubs, not this year, but maybe a couple of years down the line...

reading a few more web sites, sounds like he hits the mid 90's with a slider in the low 80's...standard problems that most kids have of repeating his delivery and control.

This year's remaining salary is pretty irrelevant. Nice move to get something for nothing.

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

Well, I don't think a lot of guys around baseball thought Eyre was nothing. Eyre just had this misfortune of being on the roster of one of few he did. I would guess we threw in a little cash, based on the fact that we seem to be getting a pretty solid prospect back, but maybe less than a million because you didn't hear anything about MLB office review.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Not sure about the cash... and this is why. As you said, I don't think many people thought Eyre was nothing. It sounded like there were a lot of teams interested, so the Cubs may have been able to drive the price up a bit by getting teams to bid against each other.

Schlitter should develop a splitter... or a spitter... Just seems like a waste without one...

Another season winds up in the Schlitter. Watched the Cards get beat today on my last day in St. Louis. Clayton Kershaw looked very sharp, going 7 and striking out 7 for the Dodgers, only 3 hits given up and 1 ER. Now it's off to DC, where I can watch a team that was supposed to be shitty and is actually playing up to expectations.

Great, can't wait to see him shut us down in 4 games later this season. STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!!!!! And to a playoff contender no less.

i think he just got traded to the second best team in national league and the brewers first round playoff opponent.

Scott Eyre sucks, and I am stunned the Cubs could get anything more than a bucket of warm spit for him. I'm sure Eyre was a nice enough guy, no one with the Cubs seems to have a bad thing to say about him. Good for him. He's also a millionaire, so I'm not too worried about whether his feelings are hurt. In 2008, he's a lousy relief pitcher and the Cubs are improved without having him around to pitch badly. Ironically, the Phillies are an appropriate fit. I'm sure the Mets and Marlins hitters are quivering with the thought of facing Stevie Ire in a late-inning situation with men on base.

Brian Schlitter is the third member of the 2007 College of Charleston pitching staff to play for the Cubs. The other two are LHPs Michael Bunton (2007 26th round pick) and Jeffrey Beliveau (2008 18th round pick out of Florida Atlantic, after he transferred there from CofC). Beliveau is presently at Boise, and Bunton was at Boise, but got released last month.

Billy Swoope is the Cubs Area Scout who covers Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, and D. C., and I suspect he had recomended Schlitter to be drafted in 2007, but the right-hander got selected by the Phils before the Cubs had a chance to grab him.

That happens a lot, where a team will trade for a guy some scout wanted way back when, but the player got drafted by somebody else before the club had a chance to grab him.

You wonder why the Cubs draft so many guys out of Virginia and North Carolina? It's because when Billy Swoope talks, people best listen. .

This is reminiscent of 2005 when Pie injured his ankle and the media kept reporting that his return was imminent. He never made it back. Here's the sequence of events this year... -------------------------------------------------- Cubs | Pie optioned Thu, 15 May 2008 07:07:07 -0700 USAToday.com reports the Chicago Cubs optioned OF Felix Pie to Triple-A Iowa. Cubs | Pie making swing adjustments Mon, 26 May 2008 09:50:47 -0700 Cubs.MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports Chicago Cubs OF Felix Pie was sent to Triple-A to work on his swing. The team wants him to stride into his swing so he can use his lower body more. If he did that, he would be better positioned to see pitches up and in, and low and away, which he can't do now. Cubs | Pie to undergo MRI Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:42:03 -0700 Carrie Muskat, of MLB.com, reports Chicago Cubs OF Felix Pie (hand) is heading to Arizona to undergo an MRI on his left hand. Pie jammed his hand or injured it on a swing and has been playing in pain for a few games with Triple-A Iowa. Cubs | Pie finishes hand rehab Thu, 3 Jul 2008 01:12:30 -0700 The Chicago Sun-Times reports Chicago Cubs OF Felix Pie (hand) has returned to Triple-A Iowa after rehabbing his injured hand at the team's training facility in Arizona, and he homered Tuesday, July 1, in his first game back. Cubs | Pie injures ankle Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:42:11 -0700 Cubs.MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports Chicago Cubs OF Felix Pie (ankle) injured his ankle sliding into second base Tuesday, July 22, and didn't play for Triple-A Iowa Wednesday. Cubs | Pie out with sore hand Sat, 2 Aug 2008 Des Moines Register's Lisa Colonna reports center fielder Felix Pie did not play Friday. He hit a triple and scored one of Iowa's six runs in the first inning of Thursday's win but left with a sore hand. ... and hasn't returned.

BTW, whoever it was last week who gave me a hard time last week in parachat for saying Favre would ultimately go to the Jets... I have two words for you: HA HA! /Nelson

LF Soriano SS Theriot 1B Lee 3B Ramirez RF Fukudome C Soto CF Edmonds 2B Derosa P Lilly Wait till you hear the sound clip of him annoucing it. He tells the press its the normal line-up then he goes on to say " but, Fukudome is hitting 5th, Soto 6th, Edmonds 7th and Derosa 8th."

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Hmmm, a working female reporter gets doused outside Wrigley. If it weren't for the video, I would have guessed it was Chad.

FYI: "Schlitter" could be a very cool or a very uncool name for a pitcher: German --> English dictionary: schlittern vi a (absichtlich) to slide b (=ausrutschen) to slide, to slip [Wagen] to skid (fig) to slide, to stumble So if he throws a good slider, then it's cool and apropos. If he stumbles a lot, then it's uncool and equally apropos.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s a fantastic deal for SF

  • 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?