Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Cubs Potential Offseason Targets: Randy Winn or Marlon Byrd

Submitted by Rob G. on

I had to take a break from the series last week cause of that annoying paying job that I jeopardize every day spending way too much time here on TCR. So I'm gonna double up the efforts and today we look at some more potential center field candidates. Let's start with Randy Winn.

Year Age Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
1998 24 TBD 109 379 338 51 94 9 9 1 17 26 12 29 69 .278 .337 .367 .704 83
1999 25 TBD 79 324 303 44 81 16 4 2 24 9 9 17 63 .267 .307 .366 .673 71
2000 26 TBD 51 190 159 28 40 5 0 1 16 6 7 26 25 .252 .362 .302 .664 72
2001 27 TBD 128 480 429 54 117 25 6 6 50 12 10 38 81 .273 .339 .401 .740 97
2002 28 TBD 152 674 607 87 181 39 9 14 75 27 8 55 109 .298 .360 .461 .821 120
2003 29 SEA 157 660 600 103 177 37 4 11 75 23 5 41 108 .295 .346 .425 .771 107
2004 30 SEA 157 703 626 84 179 34 6 14 81 21 7 53 98 .286 .346 .427 .772 103
2005 31 TOT 160 683 617 85 189 47 6 20 63 19 11 48 91 .306 .360 .499 .859 128
2005 31 SEA 102 436 386 46 106 25 1 6 37 12 6 37 53 .275 .342 .391 .733 100
2005 31 SFG 58 247 231 39 83 22 5 14 26 7 5 11 38 .359 .391 .680 1.071 173
2006 32 SFG 149 635 573 82 150 34 5 11 56 10 8 48 63 .262 .324 .396 .721 84
2007 33 SFG 155 653 593 73 178 42 1 14 65 15 3 44 85 .300 .353 .445 .798 104
2008 34 SFG 155 667 598 84 183 38 2 10 64 25 2 59 88 .306 .363 .426 .790 105
2009 35 SFG 149 597 538 65 141 33 5 2 51 16 2 47 93 .262 .318 .353 .671 75
TBD (5 yrs) 519 2047 1836 264 513 94 28 24 182 80 46 165 347 .279 .342 .400 .743 95
SFG (5 yrs) 666 2799 2533 343 735 169 18 51 262 73 20 209 367 .290 .345 .432 .776 100
SEA (3 yrs) 416 1799 1612 233 462 96 11 31 193 56 18 131 259 .287 .345 .417 .762 104
AL (8 yrs) 935 3846 3448 497 975 190 39 55 375 136 64 296 606 .283 .343 .408 .752 99
NL (5 yrs) 666 2799 2533 343 735 169 18 51 262 73 20 209 367 .290 .345 .432 .776 100
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/10/2009.
Giants Winn Singles Against the Rockies in Denver

It's gonna be hard to get excited about a guy with a .262//318/353 slash line last season.  You can't even attribute it to an unlucky BABIP as it was .314 last year. No, his power disappeared hitting just two home runs after a healthy stretch of double digits. He did hit a measly 1.4% of HR/FB which is Ryan Theriot 2007/2008 low, so maybe there's a little bounceback (7.8% in his career albeit steadily declining).

Defensively, his UZR remains excellent over the last few seasons, as does his Rate2 and the Fan's Scouting Report considers him above average. Unfortunately most of that has been in right field and with the declining stolen base numbers you have to think he may not have the range for center, even in the cozy Wrigley Field confines.

While the novelty of a reunion between the player the Rays traded to get Lou Piniella and Lou would be a neat angle for the papers, I  assume the Cubs will pass on the soon-to-be 36 year old. Despite his switch-hitting ability and potential leadoff qualities, his stolen base numbers are merely okay and he only walks 8% of the time and sees well under 4 pitches per plate appearance, so I don't think this would be much of a match for the Cubs.

Year Age Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
2002 24 PHI 10 36 35 2 8 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 8 .229 .250 .371 .621 66
2003 25 PHI 135 553 495 86 150 28 4 7 45 11 1 44 94 .303 .366 .418 .784 111
2004 26 PHI 106 378 346 48 79 13 2 5 33 2 2 22 68 .228 .287 .321 .608 54
2005 27 TOT 79 259 229 20 61 15 2 2 26 5 1 19 50 .266 .323 .376 .698 87
2005 27 PHI 5 15 13 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .308 .400 .308 .708 86
2005 27 WSN 74 244 216 20 57 15 2 2 26 5 1 18 47 .264 .318 .380 .698 87
2006 28 WSN 78 228 197 28 44 8 1 5 18 3 3 22 47 .223 .317 .350 .667 76
2007 29 TEX 109 454 414 60 127 17 8 10 70 5 3 29 88 .307 .355 .459 .814 112
2008 30 TEX 122 462 403 70 120 28 4 10 53 7 2 46 62 .298 .380 .462 .842 121
2009 31 TEX 146 599 547 66 155 43 2 20 89 8 4 32 98 .283 .329 .479 .808 106
8 Seasons 785 2969 2666 380 744 154 23 60 335 41 18 215 515 .279 .340 .422 .762 99
PHI (4 yrs) 256 982 889 136 241 43 6 13 79 13 5 68 173 .271 .332 .377 .709 86
TEX (3 yrs) 377 1515 1364 196 402 88 14 40 212 20 9 107 248 .295 .352 .468 .820 112
WSN (2 yrs) 152 472 413 48 101 23 3 7 44 8 4 40 94 .245 .318 .366 .683 82
NL (5 yrs) 408 1454 1302 184 342 66 9 20 123 21 9 108 267 .263 .327 .373 .701 85
AL (3 yrs) 377 1515 1364 196 402 88 14 40 212 20 9 107 248 .295 .352 .468 .820 112
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/10/2009.
MLB: Mariners v Rangers August 25, 2007

The rumors flooded the TCR newsroom yesterday (i.e. Google Reader) with the Cubs targeting Marlon Byrd as their potential new center fielder. When I made a cursory list of guys I might look at it in this series, Byrd was on the radar as a potential 4th outfielder, but leave it to Jim Hendry and the Cubs to make him a top priority.

Anyway, Byrd was a top prospect in the Phillies system, one of the top prospects in the game at the time, but fizzled out before the Phillies gave up on him and moved him to the Nationals for Endy Chavez. It didn't go much better for him there, but then Texas gave him a shot and whether it was Rudy Jamarillo or the Ballpark or fate, he bounced back with three solid, albeit unspectacular seasons in Texas.  

2007-2009 splits (courtesy of Baseball Musings Day-by-Database and ESPN.com):

Home: 309/375/522 with a HR every 27.20 AB

Road:  281/321/414 with a HR every 45.60 AB

vs. LHP: 277/336/462 with a HR every 28.93 AB

vs. RHP: 302/359/470 with a HR every 36.89 AB

It isn't like Wrigley isn't friendly as well, but those home/road splits have to be a little worrisome. His lefty vs righty splits aren't too pronounced, actually showing a bit of a reverse split so the Cubs need not worry about matchups too much.

Now one of the things the Cubs are said to be looking for is a run-producer/RBI guy and Byrd did have some decent RBI totals the last 3 years, particularly relative to his plate appearances. That included driving in 17.9% of the runners on base when he got up in 2009 which is an above average mark along with 18.4% in 2007,  but just 12.5% in 2008, so you can see how volatile and unreliable hitting with runners on can be. 

Defensively, he had a UZR/150 of 10.9, 10.9 and -2.8 over the last three years while bouncing around all three outfield spots, so it's tough to say from that if he'll be much of an improvement in center field. BP is kinder to him in LF and RF (109 and 107) then in CF( 95) for his career using Rate2, but it all suffers from small sample size issues as does UZR. The Fan's Scouting Report seemed to consider him as just a bit above average over the last three years.

He did walk an abysmal 5.5% of the time in 2009 which isn't too far off from his 7.5% career mark...both of which are below the standards I'd like to see the Cubs employ. The Cubs pursuit of Byrd shouldn't come as too much of a shock as they tried to acquire him for Matt Murton last season but were rebuffed, so obviously they've believed in skills for awhile. I guess we'll see how this unravels, but I'd probably prefer Mike Cameron on a one year deal (if that is in the cards) over Byrd and a likely multi-year deal, but I don't think we know the market yet for either player. 

Check out Arizona Phil's Top 15 Cubs Prospects and enter our TCR Free Agent Frenzy Contest.
Tags
2010 Offseason Targets
Randy Winn
Marlon Byrd

Comments

Submitted by The E-Man on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:51 am

So, ROB G, no "Bradley Pool"? Oh well - as we are getting the hang of the new owners we can be very sure that Hendry is only looking for "value on the cheap". And, at the same time, trying to pare back the ramifications of his own back-loaded contracts. He could do worse than Byrd, Cameron, Castillo, I suppose. We have HAD worse, actually. Winn WAS a fit two or three years ago. Instead, Hendry found a way to pay $48MM for Fukudome.

Submitted by MartyK on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:51 am

The pressure to win is so great on the Cubs that they can't take their time with guys like Sam Fuld. In my opinion the Cubs already have their starting center fielder and lead-off man: Fuld. His defense saves at least a run every two or three games and I think he'd get on base at close to .400, and probably steal 30 bases. Give him a shot!

Submitted by chuck on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:57 am

On our outfield situation---I'm with Billy Williams---we've already bought high on Bradley. He apparently has a good history with Jaramillo. Why not hang in there another year, or part of a year, and see if he can't produce something. He'll never have less trading value than the 0 he has right now. It isn't as if any of the available outfielders are really going to make a difference.

Submitted by jescor27 on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:36 pm

What about Coco Crispies - coming off surgeries & should come cheap - leadoff hitter - switch-hitter - upgrade on defense & can steal bases !!! This is a no brainer - sign Reed Johnson as backup to all 3 OF spots - effort & big time defense .

Submitted by artskoe on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:52 pm

IF a commie jerk idiot murderous puny sop like Kim Jong Il can paralyze a whole region of Asia and starve millions of Koreans, why can't Lou make MB into the comeback kid? China and Japan hated the U.S.A. and now they are our biggest trading partners, so hello! Lou: you can use that as your model for reforming MB. If the freaking Berlin Wall can go down...well, you get the idea.

Submitted by MartyK on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:27 pm

So when does Fuld get to prove himself? He turns 28 this month. He hit nearly .300 in 100 abs with an OBP of over .400. He hit .400 a couple of seasons back in the AZ league. And he consistently makes doubles into outs in center. The problem with starting Fuld in center is that we really need another power bat in the lineup, preferably left handed, and that would leave only middle infield to add that player -- not much there. And since I really don't think Bradley's going anywhere, our best bet may be to save a few bucks by starting Fuld in center, do a straight L - R platoon in RF with Fuku and Bradley, and have Bradley also get in some games in LF hitting left handed against some tough righties who might give Soriano problems. The fact remains if Soto and Soriano don't improve over this year it doesn't matter who we add in center.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:28 pm

So, I'd just like to validate all this by responding to you, Mr. Fuld. What in your history indicates that you would be a .400 OBP guy in the majors? The 100 plate appearances you had this year? Because, Ryan Theriot and Matt Murton both had some nice numbers in limited plate appearances in 2005, particularly in slugging %, and neither of them have been able to match them in significant plate appearances. How 'bout your AFL numbers a while back? Well, isn't that also in a fairly small sample in an hitters league against many players who are often in the AA range of development? Oh, and about those stolen base numbers, I know that you had a good season at AAA this year when it came to base stealing, and if you've turned a corner then that's great. But the last time you had a base stealing season that we might even describe as interesting was 2006 in Daytona. On the other hand, you look like a very valuable 4th or 5th outfielder who could step into a more regular role when you get hot and/or somebody else gets hurt. Also, I hope you prove me wrong and manage to become a .400 OBP, gold glove, 30 SB guy for the Cubs. I sincerely do. But I have high hopes for all Cubs prospects.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:25 pm

the book shouldn't even have to be written, imo. it's a mystery to me why more people aren't tuned into the fact a manager's main role is babysitting (or communicating in varying ways...various issues...to players from many walks of life how they fit into the team and their expectations). there's a lot of talk about oldschool classic managers who's style is rounded up these days by ex-players and commentators "well, with these players today he wouldn't be able to..." we can't go back in time to the era where players played like they need EVERY paycheck they get. we live in an era where a player making minimum wage in his first season is going to make more bank than his human peers in the rest of the world by 100s of thousands of dollars. this whole game has changed a lot since the free agency era...which wasn't really THAT long ago. it's no longer about making sure players don't find ways to skip curfew as a main off-field player management goal. it's no longer about how whites and blacks can meld on a team...it's about how cultures from countries a world apart from each other can meld on a team...and much more.

[ ]

Submitted by artskoe on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:32 pm

It's just me peering into the dugout, but Crunch's point is magnified by the 2 world series managers, also a world apart in age. Comparing payrolls, Charlie Manuel brought an average team the farthest using the laid back dad approach. Manager of the year, IMO. Meantime, Girardi was more rah-rah with expectations and accountability high. The 2 styles were entertaining to watch, and post game interviews were respectful in wins and losses. In contrast, Lou gets the resources and all we fans and Hendry get is bruises from head butting the wall in frustration, starting with Chad Guadin in the dog house and ending with the MB suspension. Hendry's biggest off season job is to light the fire under Lou, if that's possible. Start by having Lou and Soto schedule workout (Crunches?) sessions, with Z as their trainer yelling Ozzie's favorite F* word to get it out of their collective systems. ~~~ 'Til I'm red in the face I'll say it. Lou IS the problem. *"Fun!" As in "What The Fun...?"

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:41 pm

I'm guessing aaronb was suggesting that since he's a Type A, if Hendry offered it to him, his value on the open market would dry up. Not sure what Grabow could win in an arb case, maybe $5M?

Submitted by Matt on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:47 pm

Ok, I've got dealbreakers for Winn, and Granderson: Randy Winn in 120 ABs against Left Handed pitching: 158/184/200 Granderson in 180 ABs against Lefties: 183/245/239 Even worse is the futility of one of our overly Right Handed players: Soriano in 98 ABs vs lefties: 184/283/286 With 30 Ks

Submitted by Cubster on Thu, 11/12/2009 - 11:34 pm

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sees a three-year deal worth $18-24MM for Marlon Byrd, though he notes the limited demand for center fielders. --- no wonder Hendry is interested in Byrd...why spend 2/6 on reed johnson when you can spend 3/24 on 4th OF marlon byrd, the first two years would both be 2/6, with the difference that he can backload the 3rd year so it's at $18M. I smell yum-yum donuts

Recent comments

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • 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."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • 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.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
    The Cubs wanted to deal JHey off well before they bought him out. They just didn't want to pay him to play for someone else for that long. Jed did give him 20+mil to play for LAD last yr.
    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team. 

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