Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
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

Silva Bullet Can't Stop Sox

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Carlos Quentin slugged a two-run homer in the top of the 1st and a three run home run in the top of the 2nd, giving the White Sox a lead they would never relinquish, as the Sox demolished the Cubs 15-3 in front of 12,712 fans and a national TV audience on WGN this afternoon at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in sunny Mesa.

box score

Acquired from the Seattle Mariners for Milton Bradley this past off-season, Carlos Silva got the start for the Cubs today and he is who we thought he was, allowing six runs on seven hits (including two Carlos Quentin home runs) in just two innings of work (43 pitches - 28 strikes, 0 BB, 2 K, 2/2 GO/FO).

Carlos Marmol worked the top of the 3rd and pitched great (1-2-3 inning: 3-U, Ks, Ks, 13 pitches - 11 strikes).

Down 6-0 at the start of the bottom of the 3rd, the Cubs mounted a rally, scoring three runs off Sox starter Dan Hudson, who was extended into the 3rd inning after facing only six batters through the first two. With one out, Geovany Soto laced a single, and Bobby Scales was hit by a pitch (the second HBP for Scales in two days). Ryan Theriot singled to load the bases, and then Kosuke Fukudome came through with a two-run ground single through the box into CF to score Soto and Scales and send Theriot to 3rd. Derrek Lee then got The Riot home with a line drive sac fly to right.

And that was the extent of the Cubs scoring today.

But the White Sox certainly were not finished.

LHP James Russell worked the 4th & 5th (36 pitches - 23 strikes, 3/1 GO/FO) and pitched well, allowing one unearned run (LF Alfonso Soriano over-ran a ball while trying to field a base hit with two outs in the 5th, allowing a runner to score all the way from 1st), two hits and a walk, with two strikeouts (including the fearsome Carlos Quentin).

Cubs 2008 #1 draft pick RHP Andrew Cashner pitched the 6th and 7th, and after a skittish first inning (25 pitches - only 11 strikes, with two walks on nine pitches to the first two batters he faced), Cashner settled-down and threw strikes in his 2nd inning (10 pitches - 8 strikes). Cashner allowed just one run (one of the walks scored in the 6th), but he was helped out the jam by a savvy pick-off at 2nd base by catcher Welington Castillo. On the play SS Andres Blanco suffered what appeared to be a right knee injury, and had to leave the game.

RHP Jeff Kennard entered the game in the top of the 8th with the Cubs down 8-3, and it was just plain excrutiating to watch. Kennard surrendered back-to-back home runs to Sox minor leaguers Brandon Short and Cole Armstrong to start the inning, and then after loading the bases on a single and two walks, Kennard gave up a bases-loaded two run single to another minor leaguer (Christian Marrero). At this point, Cubs Manager Lou Piniella made the slow walk to the mound and Kennard suffered a pitcher's worst Spring Training indignity... getting yanked out of a game without completing even one inning of work. For the day, Kennard allowed four runs on four hits (two HR) and two walks, with two strikeouts, throwing 37 pitches - only 18 strikes, in just 2/3 of an inning.

Mitch Atkins was brought in to complete the inning, and he struck out the only man he faced (Jordan Danks).

LHP John Grabow pitched the 9th (20 pitches - 12 strikes, 1 K, 0/2 GO/FO), and he was not a whole lot better than Kennard, allowing a single, a double, and then a three-run HR (to Jayson Nix). But at least Grabow finished his inning.

For the Cubs, Ryan Theriot and Geovany Soto had two hits a piece (all singles), but Theriot also hit into a rally-killing 4-6-3 DP with two on and no outs in the 5th. And after starting the Cactus League schedule 5-6 with three doubles, a single, and a home run, Tyler Colvin cooled-off a bit by going 0-2 with a strikeout (swinging) and a game-ending 6-4-3 DP.

The Cubs have a split squad doubleheader tomorrow, one game a rematch with the White Sox at Camelback Ranch and the other a home game versus the Dodgers at HoHoKam Park. RHP Jeff Samardzija and LHP Tom Gorzelanny are scheduled to start the games, although weather could be a problem, since rain is forecast with temperatures in the 50's. I believe one of the two games will be televised by WGN-TV, but I'm not sure which one.

Tags
Cubs Spring Training Recap
Carlos Silva

Comments

Submitted by Charlie on Sat, 03/06/2010 - 03:52 pm

Silva looked wild today, yet didn't walk anybody. The announcing crew made the comment that one thing Silva does is "throw strikes." It occurs to me that he might not be a great strike thrower despite having low walk totals, but I can't confirm that without some eye-witness reports. Here's what I'm wondering: Does he have good control, or does he just give in (aim for middle of the plate belt high) when he falls behind in the count?

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 03/06/2010 - 03:58 pm

he's a control pitcher with 2 pitches...and you don't need to swing at anything but his fastball if you're a capable hitter. his lack of deception makes his complete game useless...i seriously wouldn't even trust his arm in the pen. another year that "3rd pitch dujour" he's supposedly working on won't be incorporated into his stuff, i'd imagine. is it the change this year or the splitter...maybe a curve? =p the only thing he's got going for him is a chunk of those zillion hits he's bound to give up generally don't fly over the wall.

Submitted by JoePepitone on Sat, 03/06/2010 - 03:10 pm

I remember thinking that Silva had a worried look on his face before he started pitching in the top of the first inning. It didn't get any better as time went on. If confidence is a big part of success as a baseball player, he could be in real trouble (Captain Obvious here).

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Sat, 03/06/2010 - 03:50 pm

Other problems become obvious if you look over his fangraphs page (as I just did for the first time). Although there is nothing wrong his fastball, over his MLB career he's thrown it 75.9% of the time with the other percentages mostly split between the slider and the changeup. Obviously he needs a better secondary pitch and a passable third pitch so that he can cut that fastball down to the mid 60s at least. Very few pitchers get away with throwing that many fastballs. Looks like Greg Maddux was in the vicinity at 69.2%, but he was also an excellent locator and had a good changeup. Wonder if Maddux can do something with Silva, or will he just stay far away from the whole mess and work with the youngsters? Seems like he could do a good Bob Howry impression in the bullpen (who has thrown fastballs 78.2% of the time in his MLB career with about the same average velocity).

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:08 am

The myth of the heralded Cub prospect-turned-bust is a fan favorite. Sometimes I wonder, though, how great these prospects were. When was Cedeno highly regarded, and by whom? Look at his terrible A-ball numbers. At 19 at Boise and Lansing: 539 pa, 486 ab, .214/.270/.296 (.567 OPS). At 20 at Daytona, 420 pa, 380 ab, .211/.257/.295 (.552 OPS). Yeah, his resume has a lot in common with Vitters and Castro, or Hak-Ju Lee, who at 18 at Boise was named #1 prospect in the NW League.

[ ]

Submitted by navigator on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:32 am

Where were you in in 2005 when at age 22 Ronny Cedeno jumped from AA to AAA (where he hit .355/.921) to the Cubs(where he batted .300) and DustyHendry handed him the starting SS job the next year? Cedeno was near the top of the Cubs prospects lists: 2005 Top Ten (Callis) 1. Felix Pie, of -may breakthrough this year with Orioles 2. Mark Pawelek, lhp -bust 3. Ronny Cedeno, ss -Pirates 4. Angel Guzman, rhp -broken down 5. Rich Hill, lhp -bust 6. Sean Marshall, lhp -on the Cubs' active roster 7. Ricky Nolasco, rhp -top of Marlins rotation when healthy 8. Ryan Harvey, of -bust 9. Brian Dopirak, 1b -bust 10. Eric Patterson, 2b -showed signs last year with A's

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:00 pm

At 22 he had a good half season at Iowa. At 24, he had another good half season at Iowa. That's all he ever did, as of today. I will give you this: after the 2005 half-season numbers at Iowa, Cedeno had a brief moment as a legit prospect. Going into the 2006 season, when Cedeno would be league-age 23, he was #94 on Callis's ML prospect list and honorable mention on BP's top 50. I doubt he was considered a legit prospect prior to that brief moment by anyone outside of the Cubs. Compare that to the respect given to Castro and Vitters entering their league-age 20 seasons, or B. Jackson entering his age-21 season, or H-J Lee already at league-age 19. The point I'm making is that we haven't seen prospects like Castro, Vitters, Jackson and Lee fail before, because with the possible exception of C-Pat, we never had them. Cedeno was not comparable.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:33 pm

C-Pat was the #2 or 3 prospect in baseball by BA for two years in a row, Castro is 16th, Vitters has been 43rd and 51st and 70th, Jackson 74th and Lee not even in the top 100. Guys in the ballpark with Castro are Choi at 22nd, Dopirak at 21st and Felix Pie at 27th. If you use the BP top 100 done by Kevin Goldstein who use to work at Baseball America, he has Vitters at 31 and Castro at 37. He had Vitters at 34 last year, Soto at 37 the year before and Felix Pie at 42 the year before that.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 03:00 am

Well, I asked for evidence that the Cubs had high-rated prospects circa 2005, and you gave it to me. Changing my emphasis a bit, I would point out that you're not a bust if you fizzle as soon as you go above low-A ball, like Patterson and Dopirak did. You're just a flash in the pan. Patterson skipped high-A and then had decent power numbers at AA, but a BA of .261. In other words, he was a former top-three prospect who was performing like Tyler Colvin in AA. Then he took a turn for the worse at Iowa. Dopirak had that one memorable season at low-A and then lost his prospect status very soon after. Cedeno, as I pointed out, was a terrible hitter in the low minors but put up solid numbers at triple A. I guess I would want a genuine prospect to "keep the dream alive" at more than one minor-league level. Castro could be a one-year wonder, I suppose, but it was a hell of a year, in which he skipped two levels, hit quite well at two others, and then distinguished himself in the AFL. I'm looking for Brett Jackson to have another season like 2009, not only to do well at Daytona but to advance to Tennessee and do some good there. If he struggles at Daytona, I will start to consider him a bad first-round pick but not a bust. He hasn't earned that stature. Choi and Pie actually had pretty good numbers at several levels at young ages, and in that sense could be considered busts, although Pie is still making progress toward becoming a major leaguer. Like Dopirak, Choi played a defensive position (poorly, as I recall) that is not a very good springboard to the majors. But I guess if a first-base prospect can ever be considered a bust, Choi qualifies.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:55 pm

So, I'm curious about what in my post prompted this response. None of the posts preceding yours had anything to do with Castro, Lee, or Vitters. They were about Guzman and Cedeno, who were both in the Cubs' top 10 prospects in 2005 and whose careers have both dwindled into marginality/nothingness albeit for different reasons. No one said "busted" or derogated Cubs development. It was a comment about how these two careers have gone over the past 5 years. Were you preempting somebody?

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 03:15 am

No need for an apology, I was just curious. There was sort of a free association theme to this thread. To comment on your point, though, I haven't noticed many people trying to beat Castro, just a group of people who favor a cautious approach with a guy a prospect who they think cannot yet equal Theriot's at the major league level (including myself) arguing with a group of people who think that challenging Castro by putting him on the MLB team would be the best thing for both Castro and the team. Okay, some of us have been snarky about it *cough* Rob *cough*.

Submitted by Ryno on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:50 am

Blanco out 1 week-to-10 days with sprained ankle? As if anyone here cares...

[ ]

Submitted by navigator on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:24 pm

I just have to note that the Cubs trainer abandoned Blanco on the way back to the dugout and Blanco, hopping on one foot, nearly fell down the stairs. !What an organization....

Submitted by Ryno on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:55 am

I hope the front office doesn't feel an obligation to keep Silva on the 25-man roster and use him because of the money he's being paid.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:23 am

Well, Vizcaino did make the opening-day roster last year, and they let him pitch 3+ innings, at roughly $1 million per. At that pay rate, Silva should get at least 16 innings. Actually, when he wasn't getting clubbed around, mostly by Quentin, he did throw strikes and miss some bats. I thought he looked better than I expected. It might help if Theriot could ever make a play on a ball that isn't hit right to him. I'm thinking of a couple of choppers toward short by Andruw Jones, one of which impacted Silva's performance.

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:21 am

It has been reported this morning it is his knee. Which is it? --- Andres Blanco sprained his ankle yesterday on a pickoff at 2nd base (throw by Wellington Castillo). I saw the play on TV. Mark O'Neill came out and did the full trainer thang. To quote Wanny: "it's an ankle" where did you see/hear a report it was his knee? I'm on a crusade to right media medical reporting wrongs. :D

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    cubs getting crazy good at not having player moves leak.

    taillon we 100% know is pitching tonight.  who he's replacing and any additional moves are unknown as far as i can tell.

    p.wisdom was not in today's lineup in iowa (rained out) and he was removed from the game last night mid-game, but not for injury.  good bet he's with the team in the bigs, too.

  • 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? 

Click HERE for the last 50 comments