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

Game 127 Thread / Reds @ Cubs (3 of 3)

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP Josh Fogg
SP Carlos Zambrano
  2-5, 7.71, 38 K, 24 BB, 65.1 IP

12-5, 3.38, 107 K, 53 BB, 157 IP
       
LF
*Chris Dickerson LF
Alfonso Soriano
SS Jeff Keppinger
SS Ryan Theriot
RF
*Jay Bruce 1B
Derrek Lee
2B Brandon Phillips 3B
Aramis Ramirez
1B *Joey Votto CF
*Jim Edmonds
3B Edwin Encarnacion
2B Mark DeRosa
CF *Corey Patterson
RF *Kosuke Fukudome
C *Paul Bako
C Henry Blanco
P Josh Fogg
P #Carlos Zambrano

 

The Cubs try to take two of three from a team so bad, they have given more than 250 at-bats to a player hitting less than .200, are granting a 12th start to a pitcher with a 7.71 ERA (ERA+ of 58), and sent an apology letter to their fans...with 35 games still left in the campaign.

Carlos Zambrano goes for his fifth consecutive win against the Reds, hoping to bounce back to #1 form after three unimpressive outings.

Comments

I think this game is one of the most important of the year. Not in terms of winning. Winning would be nice, but the Cubs earned themselves a margin of error. It's critical that Zambrano rights the ship, and does it now. With the bitch schedule in September and heading into the the playoffs, if he doesn't get his #1 stuff back, that significantly weakens our outlook to get deep in September. Cincy's awful offense can hopefully get him on track. If not, it doesn't get any easier in the remainder of his starts.

Z looks shaky and Double Play Lee does it again. Not a good start. Is DLee ever going to hit another home run? I think it's time to experiment with Soriano in the three spot, bat Theriot lead-off and move Lee down in the order where his ground balls to shortstop with men on base will come more often with two outs.

If the Cubs can beat teams they're supposed to beat, like Corey Patterson and the Reds, Washington, etc., losses to the Brewers or Cardinals in September won't matter so much.

Nice win, have to hope that this is just another annual August hiccup for Z. Gotta love that it never effects his batting, though. That tater was crushed.

That game didn't do much to pacify my worries about Z. He was behind everyone the first 4 innings. It was certainly and improvement o0ver the last 2 outings, but something is still clearly "off".

so, with 4 more wins, Cubs will have a winning record for the 5th time in 8 years (2001,2003,2004,2007,2008)....versus only 5 winning seasons from the 29 years from 1972 - 2000

Z cracked his mollar(tooth-sp?)during warm ups today. He said he did it by chewing gum. Yikes.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

cracked a tooth by chewing gum? i wonder if he's getting training supplements from neifi these days. for a guy with dehydration issues he's been showing up on the mound so hyped this year...whether its coffee, redbull, pills, or whatever...he's putting too much of it in him it seems. at least he's not overthrowing on the mound. -edit- speaking of...from ye old world o' roto... someone forgot to tell j.sosa that they drug test a bit more harsher and a lot more regularly in the minors... "MLB suspended RHP Jorge Sosa 50 gamesfor testing positive for amphetamines. Sosa, who opened this year in the majors with the Mets, had spent the last month with Seattle's Triple-A club. He'll miss most of April next year, so the interest in him on even a minor league deal figures to be pretty limited."

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

I bought some Upper Deck Box seats a few Wednesdays ago from a scalper for $65/seat. At first I thought it was a littly pricey, until I realized fucking face value was $55. The price of seats these days is really getting out of whack. But yeah, if you wait until right around game time, they'll unload for at least close to face. Unfortunately, tix are in such high demand this year I've been a few times where the only seats they have left are singles or those dugout box seats for $300 a pop. Better Craig's List than sorry on a Saturday, me thinks.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

what on earth was his excuse for picking cliff lee for AL MVP? hamilton and quentin aren't exactly runaways...and hamilton isn't on a contender... great year...great pitching...great consistancy...but mvp? btw...that stuff is all subscription.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

hence, the "if you can't read it" comment...

Cliff Lee leads the AL in WARP-1 would be the argument. Kinsler and Mauer were 1 and 2 for position players in WARP-1. 

My vote goes to Joe Mauer. 

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

MVP on a team that finishes in last place (or close to)? Yes there is precedence but it's totally stupid. Second, he only plays in 35 games a season.

[ ]

In reply to by johann

That has nothing to do with it. How are you the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER when you didn't add that much value? You take Cliff Lee off the Indians and they still suck.

[ ]

In reply to by Chad

They just suck a lot more then another team would suck taking their best player off the team. I'm not even having this argument because it's been had before. My bigger point is that a great pitcher to me adds more value to a team then a great hitter despite the every 5th day thing. Also, a great pitcher can win you a World Series, a great hitter generally doesn't.

[ ]

In reply to by johann

Totally wrong. I would an Albert Pujols or an A-Rod long before I took any pitcher. and as far as the MVP award goes, the World Series is meaningless.

[ ]

In reply to by Mitterwald

well, considering how run differential is such a popular stat these days, yes, it would have counted for more. I am mildly concerned about our offense...aisde from a couple gappers in Florida, the offense has really not been on all cylinders since leaving Atlanta. Lee's power has completely dissapapered, Aram isn't far behind, Fukudome looks more lost at the blate everyday. Thankfully, 1-8, the team is deep so there are enough people to drive in runs, but I'd feel much better if Lee and Aram could start hitting the ball out again.

I was at the ballpark today -- very weird atmoshpere. No real excitment in the crowd -- first run was on a DPLee DP, which was more a cause for grumbling than cheering, then 2 solo shots from relatively unexpected sources (DeRo and Z) in the 2nd and 3rd -- no anticipation or build up. No offense at all after the 3rd inning. Z seemed mediocre against a crap lineup -- never really seemed in control (I mean, when you walk Corey...) and the crowd seemed frustrated by his mundane outing. Thank goodness for Henry Blanco's throwing. Only real excitment in the crowd was for Kerry's final K. Weird. Nice win, but weird. I think Lou should sit Fukky all weekend. Something needs to change -- we can't have RF be an offensive wasteland for the rest of the year.

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

So the Cubs only won the Cincy series because Z pitched well and hit a home run? Ground control to Cubs offense? Are you there? Never in my life have I felt so "blah" about a team with the best record in baseball in August. I completely relate to the crowd's "weirdness". Maybe it's that we're all so used to losing that we don't know how to handle a dominant Cub team. Or maybe we're jaded from what transpired in the '03 NLCS, so we're like, "yeah, the playoffs, who cares".

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

Part of the feeling is that nobody is hot right now, so there's not much anticipation when the big hitters come up. Theriot is the only regular hitting over .290 (and he only hits singles), DLee has hit 2 HRs since June 21st and is a DP machine, Fukky is a disaster, Soto's and Edmonds' power have cooled, Soriano had a blah series, Rammy hasn't yet had a really hot streak, etc... ..and yet, it's the best offense in MLB.

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

I have been to 15 games so far this year (14-1 and probably the first and last time this will ever happen). I'd agree that most times the fans are pretty lethargic. Until there is a home run, or something else really exciting happens. The exceptions are for the rivalry games - Milwaukee, Cards, Sox, and other division leaders - in my view those games people are much more attentive and into every inning. I have noticed that for the "dog teams", many people around the park could care less what is happening on the diamond, and it a point of annoyance for me when someone at a loud pitch is talking about cell phones during a key AB, but that's just me perhaps.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Yeah, I'm not sure I buy into that too much either. The team is playing fantastic, and has all year except for a few small stretches. Yet, it doesn't feel like it. I'm convinced that most of us Cub fans are simply miserable beings and when the Cubs finally win the world series we'll all, collectively start bleeding from the ears as our brains explode inside our skulls. *sigh*

Next crap outfit up is Washington--worst team in major league baseball. ========= still, I'm glad the Gnats ended their 12 game losing streak thursday...now they can relax and start another one.

How in the world does Josh Fogg still have a job as an MLB pitcher? He has a craeer ERA of 5.07.

Recent comments

  • 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?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).