Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
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 Deal Heilman to Diamondbacks

The Cubs have traded RHP Aaron Heilman to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two minor leaguers, LHP Scott Maine and 1B Ryne White. No one on the Cubs or their fans is probably gonna miss Heilman so I won't waste much space on him, but it was a good way for the Cubs to get something for a guy that was probably a good bet to get non-tendered.

White's a local boy that went to high school at St. Rita, not too far from MIdway Airport. He then went to college at Purdue and was drafted in the 4th round by the Diamondbacks in 2008. He spent that year in Rookie Ball and then the Midwest League for a handful of at-bats, so the Cubs probably got a chance to see him a bit there. Last year he went to Hi-A with Visalia and finished with a 266/371/356 with 65 BB's against 87 K's in 491 PA's. He'll be 23 next season.

Prior to the 2009 season, one scout.com article had him listed as a top 5 power hitting prospect in the Diamondbacks system, although he has yet to show that power. 

White suffered a power outage once he began to face Midwest League pitching. Still, between Purdue, Missoula, and South Bend, White combined for 34 doubles, a triple, 19 homers, and 99 RBI in 2008. He is a big pull hitter who figures to improves as he continues to receive professional instruction. There are several Diamondbacks prospects who displayed more power this year, including Harbin, Peter Clifford, and Isaias Asencio, but none of them has quite the ceiling that White does.

He played a little bit of right and left field as well last year for Visalia.

Maine's a 6-3" lefty that will be 25 next season and was drafted in the 6th round in the 2007 draft out of the University of Miami. He pitched for  both Double A and Triple A in 2009 and between the two leagues he had a 2.90 ERA in 2009 in 62 IP and a 8.9 K/9 rate and 3.2 BB/9 rate and a 0.3 HR/9. He was selected for the Arizona Fall League, but just made two appearances and gave up 3 runs in 1.2 IP. I assume he was replaced, but can't find any details on the matter.

He got hit pretty hard in 2009 by lefties, a .325 average versus .259 versus righties, but his K/9 rate was much better versus lefties, so it could just be a matter of bad luck.  His career minor league splits show a .259 BA against lefties  with a 10.59 K/9 rate compared to a .266 BA versus righties and 8.92 K/9 rate. He also seems to be able to induce more groundball versus lefties than righties (55.3% versus 42.0%).

Stuff wise, he comes from a low-three quarters delivery and features a fastball (89-92), curveball (wicked movement, difficult to control) and a changeup.

It should be noted that Maine has already undergone Tommy John Surgery way back in 2004 and also was in a very bad car wreck that shattered his skull and forced him to wear a protective face plate. At the very least, he's a good comeback story to root for...

Comments

Seemed like a nice guy, but he was a head case on the mound. I always liked Heilman from afar, but when he arrived on the Cubs, I could see why he was hated so much in NY, for example. Considering he definitely wasn't coming back next season, it's somewhat impressive that the Cubs got what they did. How much will this save us in arbitration?

Heilman's situation reminds me a little of the Marquis situation going into last season - he didn't perform terribly as a Cub, but it was more about what he represented by his being here. With Marquis, he was always a very serviceable 5th starter but his salary was (rightfully) viewed as a roadblock to getting Jake Peavy and he had to go. When we didn't get Peavy at all, it was almost like some Cubs fans turned on Marquis and blamed him for having something to do with that fiasco. It was a shame to see Cubs fans boo him so mightily when he came back to Wrigley. To me, Heilman (along with Gregg) represents the overall failure of the bullpen to live up to expectations, so he had to go, even though he wasn't an awful reliever. Still, I won't be shedding any tears over his departure... it definitely opens up a spot for someone like Caridad for next season...

Hendry sez he's got volume...can a donut joke be far behind? --- PWSullivan: Hendry cites bullpen "volume" in Heilman deal, namely Marmol, Grabow, Caridad, Samardzija, Gorzelanny, Marshall, Berg. Lou can sleep better

Big Picture: We traded Felix Pie (who got us Garrett "Peavy bait" Olson) + Ron Cedeno and have so far received in return: 1 year of Aaron Heilman (who you may recall wants to be a starter not a reliever--- and was another one of those players Hendry "admired ever since he played for Notre Dame.") RHP Hank Williamson AAA LHB 1B Ryne White A+ LHP Scott Maine AAA ------------------- I'm okay with this, although I have to admit if Baltimore wanted these guys I might trade all 3 for Felix Pie.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

I thought the Bradley signing made much less sense after we traded Pie. We may have been able to carry Gathright a lot longer if the good hitters actually did their jobs (and Ramirez stayed healthy). This trade gives us another slot on the 40 man right? So technically it's like a 3 for 1 (these two plus the last man who would have been cut), assuming that the Cubs would have lost someone in the Rule V draft, which based on recent years seems likely.

I've been reading a bunch of blogs, tweets, etc. Someone said White was a "Matt Stairs type". That's good, right? (personally, I hope he breaks with the big club someday just to have another "Ryno" to cheer for) EDIT-- It was Hendry. It's mentioned in Muskrat's blog Rob linked to above.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Stairs is a clubhouse cancer, he's been on 9 teams over the last 9 years, despite a career 118 OPS+. He's really an interesting case study in a guy everyone likes to have but no one wants to keep. No one ever says anything bad about him, he does just what he's advertised to do, and every year, pretty much he has to find a new team. You want to look at his numbers and say that he's done, but I am sure people wanted to do the same thing after 2000 and after 2006.

I like that Ryne White was born in Chicago. Given that his birth year is 1986, it's clear to me where his first name comes from. Interesting.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 11/19/2009 - 7:03pm.
The lefty pitcher is 25 and finished last year in aaa.

He is probably on the 40.

==============================

DR AARON B: Maine is not eligible for the Rule 5 Draft until after next season, and White is eligible after the 2011 season. So neither player would need to be placed on the Cubs 40-man roster at this time.

Submitted by thedirtbag on Thu, 11/19/2009 - 10:49pm.
Maybe Diamond is protected from the Rule 5 now. He has been doing fairly well in the Mexicano League.

================================================

T. Dirt Bag: Thomas Diamond is eligible for selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft, and if he remains on a minor league roster he will be eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league free-agent after next season, unless he is added back to an MLB 40-man roster no later than the 4th day afrer the conclusion of the 2010 World Series.

Also, the Cubs cannot add Diamond back to their 40-man roster prior to the 2009 Rule 5 Draft. Because he was outrighted to the minors in September, he would have had to be added back to the 40-man roster no later than the 4th day after conclusion of the 2009 World Series.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 11/19/2009 - 8:06pm.
from that article link...

It would not be incorrect to say that some of the money saved in the Heilman trade will go toward Grabow's contract, which will increase about $1 million a year.

if it's 2/7.5, then we're talking 3.25 in 2010 and 4.25 in 2011.

============================================

ROB G: Don't forget the Hendry Incentives.

He didn't walk much last year anyway...career in the minors he got on base decently... .293/.357/.528 I spose I'm in the minority for keeping Jake Fox? Put him in LF when Soriano gets hurt..put him at 3B when A-Ram gets hurt....power bat off the bench otherwise.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Ummmm Jake Fox couldn't crack the lineup when Soriano and Bradley were gone. Personally i think Lou was correct that the league figured him out and sliders were death to Jake Fox. That being said I would have played him over Scales and Fuld, but i think Lou was trying to protect his trade value because in all due reality, Jake Fox has no position to play on this team and has no future with the Cubs.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

Talking bad about Jake Fox on TCR? Why you might as well be blaspheming Matt Murton... In all seriousness, Jake Fox isn't nearly as good as everyone thinks he is. He's got some pop. He needs some work and doesn't have a position. It's not a good formula. Who knows, maybe he'll be the next Adam Dunn... until then he's just Jake Fox: DH Lite. As far as clubhouse attitude he really seems like a great guy and I don't mind him playing a bench role and hitting 5 or 6 homers in the late innings in 2010.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

I actually thought his third base was pretty solid. His first base defense probably cost us at least one game, and maybe two. In left he looked like a drunk stumbling home from the bar, but for the most part he made the base cataches. That still doesn't explain Scales getting the PT, his defense cost us in back to back games against the Cards and he still went out there. I don't think the "he can't hit a slider" thing is true, no one hits sliders out of the zone. Just like everyone else he needs to see some more pitchers to get some more experience to lay off those pitches. Just based on his usage at the end of the year, you would certainly think he's not in Lou's plans for the 2010 Cubs. Just one more reason to dislike Lou, as far as I am concerned. If you wanted to protect him against slider pitchers - you would just bench him against right handers with sliders - that didn't happen.

I like this Ryne White kid if his power ever develops and Maine looks to be a decent arm. Very nice haul for Heilman. Now if an organization would just make Heilman a starter and be done with it you might get a pretty good SP you didn't know you had. His heart is really as a starter, not a bullpen arm.

It looks like another nice by Jimbo of getting good value for a 24 or 25th guy type. Maine should be in the bullpen mix sometime mid-year if injuries happen and White at worst could develop into a Sean Casey type and the organization does lack a 1B with MLB potential.

[ ]

In reply to by Chifan

Based on what we've heard that sounds pretty accurate. Maybe it's just my pessimism coming through, but I am waiting for the other shoe to drop on one or both of these guys. Regardless, considering many of us thought that Heilman shouldn't have been pulled back from waivers, it looks like a good trade - assuming one of these guys can provide more major league value than their cost (Heilman's salary - his performance - their salaries + their major league performance + the performance of the guy we added to the 40 man roster who we would have lost).

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022.