Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Should the Cubs Tank the Division?

Submitted by Rob G. on

Blasphemy!!!!

I'm not really advocating this strategy, but hear me out. The current NL standings after the jump. 

Team  W  L  GB  WP%   Run Differential
 East          
 Phillies 64  56   -  .533  +71
 Mets 64  56   -  .533  +48
 Marlins 63 58 1.5   .521  -21
Central           
Cubs  73  47  -   .608  +155
Brewers  70  51  3.5  .579  +50
Cardinals 67 56  7.5  .545  +38
West           
Dodgers  61  59  - .508   +30
Diamondbacks  61  59   - .508  +19

 and the Wild Card standings

Team  W   L GB   WP% Run Differntial 
Brewers  70  51   - .579 +50
Cardinals  67  56   4 .545 +38 
Mets  64  56  5.5 .533 +48
Phillies  64  56  5.5  .533 +71 
Marlins 63  58  7  .521  -21 
Diamondbacks 61  59  8.5  .508   +19
Dodgers  61  59  8.5  .508  +30 
Astros   61  59  8.5  .508   -24

So the Cubs have a seven and a half game lead on a playoff spot and ESPN has them at 97.4% chance of making the playoffs and 81% at winning the division. BP goes with 98.04% to make the playoffs and 79.41% to win the division. Plus they lead the league by a healthy margin in runs scored (57 over the Phillies) and are second in runs allowed with 490;  just 11 behind the Dodgers. That is a good baseball team that - sans any black cats crossing their paths - is headed to the playoffs.

But here's the rather small dilemma for the Cubs. If they win the division and finish with the best record in the league, there's a real good chance they'll have to face the division winner with the worst record. That's because they can't play the wild card if it's from the same division and with the Brewers at around 86% to make the playoffs with the Cardinals on their heels, that seems pretty likely. Right now, the Cubs opponent looks like the  winner of the NL West between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in a five game set. That means either facing the trio of Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Randy Johnson or the slightly less intimidating Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe, Clayton Kershaw troika of the Dodgers. The Dodgers could also throw a healthy Brad Penny at us  or Hiroki Kuroda, whom we should not forget dominated the Cubs' asses at a level not seen since the last soft-tossing lefty or rookie made his major league debut against them. Furthermore, both West teams added a huge bat recently to their lineups. The D'Backs with Cub-killer Adam Dunn, and the Dodgers with Manny Ramirez. And the Dodgers should be adding Rafael Furcal before it's all said and done as well. So I don't think their current records or the records they end up with are truly reflective of what will be on display during the playoffs.

Counter that with the NL East, where the Mets and Phillies are tied and the Marlins are lurking. The top two teams go only one deep with studs in their rotations (Johann and Hamels) and then a cavalry of question marks. The Mets go with Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez and John Maine; all of whom are capable of real good starts, but kind of in the way that Ted Lilly is capable of one. They're not striking fear into the hearts of batters. The Phillies go with Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer and either Kyle Kendrick or Brett Myers. 

I think the Cubs will have the upper hand in any pitching matchups with Zambrano, Harden and Dempster with Lilly lurking, although the Brewers and D'Backs sure could give the Cubs a run for their money in that department. And as the saying goes, you have to beat the best to be the best. Plus a trip to the West Coast means I most likely get to catch a game or two in person. But if they do lose out on the division, but still win the wild card and have to face the NL East winner, I hardly think all will be lost.

That is other than their pride.

 

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Cubs Commentary
Playoff scenarios

Comments

Submitted by blockhead25 on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:10 pm

In the WTF category: Peavy in trouble with 2 on, 1 out, and 3-0 count to Mike Cameron. Peavy having all sorts of trouble finding the plate, about to walk the bases loaded. Cameron swings 3-0 and pops out to the catcher. Peavy gets out of it. OK, back to the thread topic. Basically, I feel we match up best with teams that have a better offense then pitching staff (Phils). But I still think there is something to be said for having the first 2 games at home in a 5 game series, and going into the playoffs with the best record in the league. The Dbacks and especially Brewers scare me because of their starting pitching, but I'd be happier taking my chances against them with homefield than going on the road. Anyway, this gives me another opportunity to reflect on how much I HATE the best-of-5 format for the first round. It really does almost become a coin flip as you are in deep do-do if you loose game 1.

Submitted by jacos on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:11 pm

Where did you get this idea from? :-) If the Brad Penny from last night pitches they aren't going to far. Chad believes Dodgers, I say Dbags. And I dont want to face Webb, Haren, and Unbeatable Randy Johnson in 5 game set. Bring on Jaimie Moyer!!!

Submitted by Chad on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:17 pm

We swept the Snakes at home, mind you and we will have home field advantage where the Cubs are the best in baseball. Rather play Snakes at home than Philly on the road. Because if Milwaukee loses to the snakes we have to play them in AZ. No thank you.

Submitted by MikeVail on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:21 pm

Optimal would definitely be to face the NL East team and then the Brewers, but it might not be so bad to face NL West, particularly if it is the Dodgers. If it's Arizona, need to beat them at Wrigley, because playing in the state of Arizona after March has been almost as bad as playing in Florida.... Meanwhile, check out this beautiful quote from Stark about Dusty - sound familiar? "Scouts who have followed the Reds continually talk about their messy execution, their mediocre defense and their distinct lack of energy. There also has been plenty of second-guessing of Baker's lineup choices (particularly those 242 at-bats Corey Patterson has gotten). And there is no shortage of people wondering whether Aaron Harang's forearm injury -- along with his 1-6, 8.49 slide in the past 2½ months -- might be a direct result of Baker's decision to allow him to throw 63 pitches in relief on two days' rest in a May 25 18-inning game, then start him on three days' rest immediately afterward. Dusty Baker has many admirable traits. And this is not an attempt to heap all the blame on him. We're just saying that when teams like this fall apart, it's everybody's fault -- including the manager's."

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:38 pm

injuries through the season and a lack of replacement player after the griffey trade has given patterson a chunk of ABs. he's pretty much been in "the doghouse" since late may/early june. as far as batting him leadoff...yeeesh...but the GM (and to a lesser extent bad luck injuries to the OF, esp. CF types) gave patterson a chunk of those ABs. the harang thing is kinda f'n hack. if stark wants to do an article about how dusty needs to air out more responsibility and pour his heart out to the media, do it...

[ ]

Submitted by blockhead25 on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:52 pm

The context of the article was a response to Baker's absurdly ridiculous comments that this wasn't his team. That's just not something a manager says, and I think it fits with Baker's profound hubris and arrogance that I do think has adversly effected his managing in SF, Chicago and Cincy. That's just not something a manager says, basically insulting the remaining players on his team just to absolve responsibility fror any of the poor play. Anyway, I agree with both you and Rob that pitching Harang in that game was not his worst offense. It was an 18 inning game, and he had already used 8 pitchers...didn't have many options. But pitching 4 innings and 63 pitches (+32 warm up tosses, plus bullpen work) is a LOT of work on your throwing day, and it is reasonable to think they may have lead to a dead arm.

Submitted by MikeVail on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:49 pm

I was pointing more to the lack of execution/defense part of the quote - I had more problems with Dusty in those areas than I did with his use of pitchers.

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:50 pm

j.kendall fulfilled his option clause for the 09 season (team, guaranteed) via starts @C. 4.25-4.60m depending on how many more he can catch this year.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:07 pm

Astros about to go 21-9 in their last 30. What is it about that team that seems to turn it on at the flip of a switch after the all-star break? aside from that 3-17 stretch in June, Astros have played pretty good ball for a complete after thought.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:15 pm

If the D-Backs and Dodgers respective rotations are so great and they're so dangerous with Manny and Dunn... they should be able to catch up to and pass the NL East leaders over the next seven weeks, making the point of the article moot. But in reality, if you're really afraid of those teams, maybe it's better to face them in a 5 game set than a 7 game set. Haren is overated and none of the Dodger's pitchers scare me. Johnson has been pitching better, but this isn't 2001, he gets take deep a lot.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 08/15/2008 - 08:02 am

wow, thanks guys, I had no idea

it was typo, should be: 108, 137, 151 and if we go 4 years back it was 117, 108, 137, 151. He was 28 and clearly improving  which was my actual point...besides that he's been real damn good now for awhile and getting better.

There's been 20 players since 2000 with at least 7 K/9 rate and a ratio above 5 of K:BB

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/Gw6C

Here are the names in that top 20

Schilling, Sabathia, Johann, Sheets, Pedro, Randy Johnson, Shields, Mussina.

There's also Cliff Lee, Halladay and Haren from this season. I'm not going to pretend to try and explain Cliff Lee's season, but everyone on that top 20  list is or was considered ace material. I think Haren is well on his way, if not already there.

 

Submitted by Cubs DIBZ on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:41 pm

I wasn't sure how to post my own blog, but this link is really interesting. Spanning nearly a hundred years - from "Three-Finger" to Sosa - this collection of the all-time greatest Cubbie players by team position is sure to entertain, impress and possibly annoy - but will surely spark many heated debates among devoted fans. Can't say I agree with all the choices, but they certainly did their homework. Lots of pictures and videos too! Check it out... http://www.firstdibz.com/all-time-chicago-cubs-team.html

Submitted by Steve_Christmas on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 08:42 pm

No. There are a lot more clearer reasons why the Cubs should win the division, have the best record, play more games at home than all the indirect, speculative, cross-your-fingers double psyche reasons offered here. The effect of playing more often at home dramatically swamps any alleged matchup (which are highly speculative and are almost always wrong anyway as lots of other things can happen like injuries, rain, etc.).

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)

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  • 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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