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

Dear John

Submitted by Rob G. on

We had some laughs, some good times last year, you milked $7.5 million out of Hendry despite a rather pedestrian major league career because you throw from the left side. Let's just part ways now before anyone gets hurt any further.

20/20 Hindsight: Heading into the bottom of the 7th, the Braves had *Heyward, *McLouth, Pinch-Hitter for Medlen, #Cabrera, Prado, #C. Jones, *McCann coming up. Lou went with Sean Marshall in the 7th, probably with the hope to go with Grabow in the 8th and Marmol in the 9th. Marshall gets Heyward and McLouth swinging and pinch-hitter Matt Diaz to pop up. It took him 13 pitches to get through the inning. He's now thrown 3.2 IP of perfect baseball in 2010, facing 11 hitters and striking out 7 of them. He's clearly pitching well to start the season, dare I say brillianty. I mention in Parachat that Lou should just stick with Marshall (his spot wasn't due until 9th in the top of the 8th) but he would never do it and would probably go to Grabow or possibly Caridad and Grabow. This is the "safe" thing to do as far as managers are concerned. Use your relievers in defined roles and one inning at a time regardless of the situation because that is what is expected and you have to answer less questions in the post-game press conference if things go wrong because you followed the "book".

Lou goes to Grabow to turn Melky around.  Melky is about 50 pts worse OPS-wise from the right side in his career, so good move to have a lefty, although he would have had the same advantage with Marshall. Cabrera grounds out to Theriot. Next up is Prado who has a 28 pt OPS advantage when facing lefties, although his iso slugging is even better - 186 to 115. Lou could have also left Marshall in to face Melky, then go to Caridad to face Prado and then bring in Grabow to face Jones. Prado doubles and next up is Chipper.  Chipper is worse by about 60 pts OPS-wise from the right side although still north of .900 for his career.  Grabow falls behind 3-1 and then leaves a change-up up in his eyes with first base open and the lefty Brian McCann up next (759 OPS vs. lefties compared to 896 vs righties). Game over.

The Good: Ryan Dempster goes 1-2 with the bat including making contact with the bases loaded that led to a Troy Glaus error to score the first run of the game.He strikes out 9 from the mound in 6 innings, including retiring the last 11. Soriano goes 2/4 including a double off a Jurrjens slider in his first at-bat. According to MLB Gameday, Soriano sees 12 fastballs, 5 change-ups, 4 sliders and 1 curveball.

Ex-Cub Watch: Rich Harden's line: 3.2 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 5 BB, 8 K

Milton Bradley: 1/3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 HR

Ronny Cedeno: 2/5 with the walk-off RBI single

Next up: Tommy Hanson vs. Randy Wells tomorrow night as Cubs try to avoid the sweep. I expect to see Jeff Baker and possibly Tyler Colvin in the lineup.

Tags
Cubs Game Recaps
John Grabow

Comments

[ ]

Submitted by H_Vaughn on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:19 am

Catching it would have been a nice play. It hit the scoreboard over his glove. Not Soriano-bad, but not Milt's finest hour defensively.

[ ]

Submitted by navigator on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:17 pm

As I type, Uncle Milty is 1/11 on the year. His only hit is a home run. If you recall, last year he started 1/12 and his only hit was a home run as well. Of course he then went another dozen at bats without a hit and bottomed out with a BA of .042.

Submitted by Sweet Lou on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:36 am

I was at the Cubs games last night. Dempster was a little shakey initially, but settled in nicely. I must have heard a thousand Braves fans ask, "What's the deal with flipping his mitt back and forth?" Soriano did not look good. His double was on a check swing that went over Glaus' head and down the first base line. Most of the people around me were confused as to why they played the theme to Happy Days every time Soriano came to the plate. Finally, one guy said it was because the restaurant in Happy Days was "Al's." Everyone was satisfied. I just buried my head in my hands. Speaking of music, they played "Mr. Roboto" by Styx (Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto) every time Fukudome came to the plate. I don't mean to be overly sensitive, but that seems slightly racist to me. Ramirez did not look particularly good at the plate. I know it's early in the season and I only saw one game, but I was hoping for more (like a homerun everytime he came to the plate). To say that Mike Fontenot is short is doing a disservice to short people everywhere. He honestly looks like someone's little brother when he's out on the field. Standing next to Troy Glaus (who is a really big guy), he looks like a ventriloquist dummy (No offense, Mike). When he scored a run, he went to give Derrek Lee a high five and I swear he had to leave his feet to do it. Xavier Nady was hitting some bombs during batting practice. Not so much during the game. Marshall and Caridad looked good (I think the Atlanta announcer mispronouced Esmailan). Grabow looked like a guy who would rather be somewhere else. Turner Field is a pretty nice ballpark. I think I'll try Cincinnati next.

[ ]

Submitted by Pell Mell on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:09 am

Since they're obviously into the deep nuances of "Happy Days," I thought they'd play it for Samardzija. Jumping the Shark, don't you know. LOL re people not getting it for Soriano though. I don't think that's too sensitive re Fukudome. It's not like "Mr. Roboto" is his nickname or something (not that that would be a great thing either); it's clearly a reference to his race, and a cheesy, childish, ignorant one at that. The man is one of many Japanese ballplayers, not a circus freakshow. Not that I expect much from the Braves on this kind of thing.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:56 am

so you're saying a team named the Braves that does the Tomahawk chop might not be the most racially sensitive? hmmm, this needs further investigation.

[ ]

Submitted by Sweet Lou on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:25 am

Speaking of the whole Braves thing, there was a guy walking around the ballpark in full war paint and head dress. He walked around the stadium giving a psuedo-war cry and taking pictures with a bunch of people. I assumed he worked for the Braves. As it turns out, he's just a fan that comes to most of the games. He apparently doesn't watch much baseball. He's too busy walking around the concourse getting his picture taken,

[ ]

Submitted by The E-Man on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:16 pm

Wait...what Claude Raines line are you quoting? Not N x NW?

[ ]

Submitted by Mike Vail on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:02 pm

We will be in Cincy Friday for the tremendous Silva inaugural outing. Homer Bailey has shown improvement, so this could make for some tiresome "1908" chants, Ron Santo has no legs observations, and goat jokes. Nevertheless, we will withstand that and the temps in the mid-forties to see our beloved team. The girlfriend will be sporting a 1969 Ernie Banks jersey. I iwll be wearing football weather clothes. If this is your first trip to Cincy, the ballpark is nice. There are good views everywhere. Try the Skyline chili if you want to sample the local fare. Just remember, Cincinnati-style chili is sweet, not "hot." The beer is a little overpriced ($8) for the market. You can get the cheapie beer I think for $4.50-5.

Submitted by The E-Man on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:51 am

May I add another former Cub's line from Tuesday? Felix Pie, 1-4 .250 Also, Mcgehee could certainly haunt us this year if the trend continues. We will see him in Wrigley next week.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:51 am

If McGehee keeps this up, there will be many of us wondering what we missed when evaluating him as a prospect. For example, everyone but the Brewers.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:51 am

The next order of Business for the Ricketts is to remove Jim Hendry's ability to hand out contracts. Especially those longer than 1 year.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:08 pm

he's right. okay, disgrace is a little strong, but wtf are they doing those games?

[ ]

Submitted by Rob Richardson on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:21 pm

Oh, I agree with his conclusion. It is just that if a player or manager calls an umpire a disgrace after a clearly blown call they are fined and maybe even suspended.

[ ]

Submitted by The Real Neal on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:49 pm

The Braves and Yankees hitters take a lot of pitches, probably more than any other team, so guess what happens... the games go longer. West isn't half as bad as the local sports guy here who was calling for the games to be shorter, but not the Sox-Yankees games - since those are premium games they should go longer. He just wanted the Royals vs Nationals games to be done in 2 hours.

[ ]

Submitted by The E-Man on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:15 pm

Fat Joe is THE WORST ump working now. should have retired years ago and the union protects him.

[ ]

Submitted by Sweet Lou on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:04 pm

But what a singer "Country Joe" is.

Submitted by Mike Wellman on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:32 am

better get millar into the clubhouse for some stand-up before the chemistry set explodes [see my tongue in my cheek?]...what is the track record w/ 3 year pacts for middle relievers? and do other teams give multi-year deals to their coaches, a la rudy & i believe larry? santo's in mid-season form already...

[ ]

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:05 pm

Does it go into effect this season or next? If it begins next year it will buy out arbitration and 2 years of Free Agency. If that is the case then the Brewers did really well here.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:07 pm

Gallardo will receive a $1.25 million signing bonus as part of the new deal. He'll make $500,000 this season -- as opposed to his previously-renewed contract of $450,000 -- $3.25 million in 2011, $5.5 million in 2012, $7.75 million in 2013 and $11.25 million in 2014. The option for 2015 includes a $600,000 buyout. buys out arbitration and 1-yr of free agency with a club option for the 2nd-yr of free agency. not sure I'd risk buying out too many pitchers under 25 myself...

[ ]

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:43 pm

meh Not so awesome for the Brewers then. 11.25 for year one of Free agency and an unknown figure for year 2 of potential free agency. Not Jim Hendry terrible, but not Evan Longoria level bargain either. 5/30 from 2011-2015 would have been much club friendlier.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:54 pm

That backloading that $30 million doesn't make sense to me. The overall figure seems fair, but unless the brewers think they have a shot at it for the first 3 years of that contract and not the last 2 years, I don't see much point in the actual distribution of dollars.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:02 pm

it's just an anticipation of what both parties expect to be made in arbitration and free agency. Gallardo takes a little less overall for guaranteed money over the next 5+ years. The Brewers get cost certainty and possibly save a few million as long as Gallardo doesn't blow out his arm.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:07 pm

a team getting to keep millions and draw it's interest (or have to account for it's existence) vs. paying it out now makes sense in the long run. it sucks when they pile up all together at one time, but it generally only sucks if the gambles are bad ones. putting off paying out 10-15 million bucks over the next 3 seasons is a nice chunk of change for the club.

[ ]

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:15 pm

Agreed, Still think the Brewers should have gotten an extra year out of Gallardo in the deal. They are the ones taking on most of the risk.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:28 pm

the front loaded contract screws with people because they see it in the NFL and NHL (usually with older players), but the only team motivation behind it is the salary cap. you're just not gonna see a lot in baseball front-loaded. there's not much incentive unless the GM has money for the year he has to spend that year...which is kinda rare.

[ ]

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:23 pm

The motivation should be the ability to have money in following years. If not for all the backloading on this roster, we could have seen much more activity this offseason. However most GM's are more worried about keeping their jobs today, than they are about worrying about tomorrow.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:03 pm

That makes sense. I was thinking that the Brewers should just pay him 2-3million more in his first two years so that in that last year he wouldn't have an untradeable contract if he didn't become an ace. But if they want to trade him in that last year and he's only worth $9 million according to the team they want to trade him to, they can just send that cash along then. So the banking direction makes sense. Thanks!

Submitted by Ryno on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:36 pm

Sweet jeebus... guess picking up Dontrell Willis for this start against KC was a bad idea... 1 IP, 21 pitchs... 8 strikes. 2 of those strikes were hits. My fantasy team is having about as good of a start as the Cubs are having.

[ ]

Submitted by Ryno on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:42 pm

rimshot Suffice to say I was playing the weakness of KC more than I was the strength of Willis. So much for that plan.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:39 pm

Johnny Gomes walk-off HR to beat the Cards, Pirates gonna lose as well. Cubs are back in this thing.

[ ]

Submitted by The Real Neal on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:01 pm

If we can win today we'll be just a game back with 159 to go. We should be able to make that up - how many head-to-head games with the Cards and Pirates are remaining?

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:08 pm

i'm registering firerudyjaramillo.com and firelarryrothschild.com if they lose my sharp wit will let management and cubs-nation know what's up.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:12 pm

i swear, the guy is worse than hitler and my imaginary 3 year old could do a better job helping my imaginary 90 year old grandmother hit a baseball. rage rage rage rage...

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:00 pm

theriot, fukudome, lee, ramirez, byrd, Colvin, Baker, Hill, Wells if lou is smart about this Colvin thing, he'll rest Fuku and Byrd the next 2 games and give Colvin 3 starts in a row (Bailey, Harang, Leake scheduled this weekend) rain right now in Atlanta, weather.com shows it should subside by game time though. http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/graph/USGA0028#

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:11 pm

Hardy vs. Pineiro (3/14 for his career but b2b games with HR's) or Sean Rodriguez vs the lefty Brian Matusz. Should have gone with Hardy last night, but Snider did have a decent game so no big deal. I'm leaning towards Rodriguez at the moment. -edit- M. Byrd vs. T. Hanson is also an option, but wasn't giving Byrd much consideration for tonight.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:22 pm

goes deep for third straight game...

Submitted by jacos on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:33 pm

I will applying my Scott's Wrigley Field blend grass seed to my lawn this week end. ~yes, I am a lemming~

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:42 pm

enjoy your name-brand kentucky bluegrass seed ;p for those with very hot or very long summers (southwest), this is one you might want to avoid. it's a cool season turf that likes a lot of water.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:26 pm

turf is area-specific unless you want to work really hard and waste a lot of water. it's probably a mix of kentucky bluegrass and perenial ryegrass. if you're a cubs fan living in SoCal or similar you don't want to be planting that, though. they're also selling fertilizer branded with the MLB teams, too. imo, they should have done a better job making sure people know these turfs are area-specific before it causes headaches for people. they do state this, but it's one caveat you have to look for a bit as far as i can tell.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:22 pm

It's a good point, crunch, and I support consumer rights activism (especially when based on spreading info). If anything, the sociological study should be done on baseball in general, and the sale of turf grass should be part of it.

[ ]

Submitted by Ryno on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:38 pm

That's awesome, jacos. I'd do it but with 6 acres it would get a bit pricey. Plus, Obama says the era of excess is over.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:00 pm

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=8203 Chicago Cubs Signed: 1B Micah Hoffpauir* Released: RHP Todd Blackford, RHP Dan McDaniel, RHP Arismendy Mota, RHP Julio Pena, RHP Jake Schmidt, 1B Kevin Millar, 3B Derek Helenihi Added to 40-man roster: LHP James Russell, 1B Chad Tracy Optioned to Triple-A: 1B Micah Hoffpauir, OF Sam Fuld Option transferred: RHP Rafael Dolis and RHP David Patton (Double-A to high Class A); RHP Marcos Mateo (Triple-A to Double-A) damn, nothing to show for Todd Hollandsworth.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 04:28 pm

pushed back to Sunday with a stiff back. Z will pitch Saturday. http://twitter.com/PWSullivan/status/11844162519 looks like Nady will get a start tomorrow in the OF, I presume for Fukudome, although I thought he was going to play LF unless Soriano is getting b2b days off.

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. 

Click HERE for the last 50 comments