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, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* 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
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

When Stats Add Up to Poetry

Submitted by Mike Wellman on

I haven’t read too much John Updike. And I never saw Ted Williams play ball live, even on television. But honest to God, Updike’s famous essay on Williams’ last game [“Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu”] is on my list of favorite things. I already have a recorded version on CD which I listen to occasionally just as I re-watch “Hoosiers” every now and again as an antidote for creeping cynicism. And now, thanks to the Library of America, I have it bound in hardback too. I regard it instantly as a prized possession, a piece of me the heirs shall have to fight over in my aftermath. Why do I value it so? Because it marries a couple that were meant for each other and each of whom mean a lot to me - baseball and writing.

Updike was no baseball fan. But he saw the essence of the game’s appeal more clearly than just about all of the game’s most ardent followers are able to and articulated it. His insights are there for the taking in his reflections on the very last at bat in the career of the enigmatic Teddy Ballgame.

This newly minted edition is prefaced with some background and context about the author which he himself penned just a few months before his death last year. Also included is an afterword fashioned in part from the obituary Updike wrote of Williams for the New York Times when the latter died in 2002.

Of all the praise lavished upon the essay and its author, perhaps none is greater than to note that Williams himself, upon reading it, asked Updike to write his biography, an invitation that was declined despite the flattery of it. That may have been the only time the press-shy Williams ever asked anyone to write anything about him.

The occasion for this little publishing gem is the 50th anniversary later this year of the game and the player that inspired the essay and the author.

Put it this way. Once you’ve read “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu,” if anyone ever asks you why you love baseball, just point to it and tell them, “Updike said it best…”

 

Tags
Book Review

Comments

[ ]

Submitted by waveland on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:50 am

Not the fans' fault, but definitely the M's and especially their GM are to blame. Acquiring him is like burning your hand on the stove after watching 6 or 7 people do it first. He was ejected at least twice during ST and a week in already has flipped off fans on the road. If Silva doesn't throw another pitch for the Cubs I consider this a successful trade.

Submitted by jacos on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:43 am

Thanks Mike, I will be buying. I was born in 1970 but the stories my father told me and the stats about Williams put him right behind Ruth as my favorite and best ball player.

Submitted by Cubster on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:30 am

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/2154939,CST-SPT-cside13.ar… Lou getting impatient, so Marshall now going to get 8th innings...
''Marshall is a real nice option for us in the eighth inning,'' said Piniella, who watched rookie right-hander Esmailin Caridad and veteran John Grabow struggle in the eighth much of the first week. ''We can use him that way. He's throwing the ball as well as [anyone] we have in the bullpen.''
Russell getting upgraded too...
Russell, who pitched another scoreless inning in Monday's home opener, has stayed away from the walks that have plagued others in the pen. ''We've been holding him back a little bit,'' Piniella said of the son of former All-Star pitcher Jeff Russell. ''He's throwing the ball well. So we're going to give him an opportunity, too.''
but Lou's got that stubborn streak, too (who is chuck?)...
''We've relied basically on what we thought would be our shorter people [Caridad and Grabow] the first week. Those were the plans we had coming out of spring training. And certainly you don't chuck them after a few days. You stay with it.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:42 am

That last quote is actually one of the more reasonable things I've heard Lou say. Who goes down when Gray is ready to contribute? Who goes down when Lilly is back in the rotation? Does Gorzo go to the pen, or does Silva? These are the questions I have right now. You kind of have to stick with Grabow and Caridad for at least another week (not necessarily in the 8th, but you've got to pitch them). Berg, Samardzija, and Russell (because of the glut of lefties) have to be the first on the bubble when we need room on the active roster, right? I wish Ninja could locate. His splitter was all over the place yesterday, and he's not exactly precise with the fastball.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:49 pm

david cone on MLB Network dismissing pitch counts on pitchers who are established...he brought up a game he threw 160 pitches in april once. yow...

[ ]

Submitted by Cubster on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:30 pm

The hell with rotator cuff tears, labrum tears, ulnar collateral ligament tears. 160 pitches/outing correlates with getting an aneurysm of the subclavian artery!
Date: 05-11-1996, Saturday NEW YORK -- David Cone has cleared the first obstacle in overcoming an aneurysm in his upper right arm. The Yankees right-hander underwent successful surgery Friday morning at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. The doctors who performed the procedure said Cone should be able to pitch again, but refused to speculate on whether he would be able to return …
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22508027.html

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:00 pm

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=372636
A Cubs source says Soriano has been put on notice that he must show something of value at the plate and in the field soon.
~snip~
Piniella apparently intends to field the best team possible - veterans be darned - knowing this could be his final season.
believe it when I see it...

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:09 pm

if he goes 3 for 4 tomorrow he adds 75 points to his average. g'luck dawg...6 starts in. i also notice the section in that article about the sport of boo'ing...the new wrigley field tradition for anyone not immediately doing everything right. also... "Top of the seventh in center field, a few rows in front of the scoreboard, one guy in a Santo jersey throwing absolute haymakers over a security guard at a guy in a 17 jersey. Several patrons were escorted from the yard." yeah...bleacher "creatures"...where the game is that other thing going on at the park. also...also... "Lou Piniella, when asked if the Ricketts family helped spur the Cubs to victory Monday: "Well, I don't think they got any basehits."" bwhahah. awesome.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 04/14/2010 - 04:34 am

Ryno, I think you're misidentifying the source of the pressure to play Soriano. The Cubs' front office and a very high percentage of fans would love to be rid of that blight. I mean, the guy can't catch a moving baseball. What did he, miss three easy catches on Saturday and Sunday? A large number of fans have kids in little league who can do better. The problem is that they owe him $90 million. They'd like to trade him and get back some of it. Even if they pay 2/3rds of what's left of his contract, they save thirty million. I think they would take that deal in a minute, and swallow $60 million. Sixty million dollars! My recollection is that the Zell-Ricketts deal got held up for months over fifty million. But to trade him at all, first they have to prop him up and lay on the lipstick. It's not that the fans want to see Soriano, they don't.

[ ]

Submitted by Jackstraw on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:33 pm

And to further confuse the situation (potentially), I don't see Lou and Hendry necessarily being treated similarly. If Ricketts decides to re-sign Lou, I assume Lou would want a 2-3 year deal so "in again would be in for a while". Ricketts will let Hendry (I think) finish out the year no matter what and may keep him around one more year for stability's sake. I see Hendry having a longer leash, mostly because (I think) he doesn't come up for a new contract first.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:45 pm

bah... Hendry has repeatedly said if he's the GM, he wants Lou as his manager. If Hendry goes, Ricketts will hire a new GM and let him make the decision on the manager. By that point, I'm sure Lou will retire not wanting to deal with it. as for Lou staying past this year, it's up to him, but it does seem like this is his last go-around.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:18 pm

http://vimeo.com/10868478 said he never felt like Mr. Cub while playing for the Cubs, not until he was inducted into HOF...intriguing stuff. day games were a problem, but not because of the heat, but because they didn't eat lunch.

[ ]

Submitted by Sweet Lou on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:14 pm

That interview with Ernie Banks was interesting. In Ernie's day, racism was easy to spot. It was blatant and obvious. Today, it's much more subtle. In fact, it's not always clear if a given action or situation is racist. That brings me back to Orlando Hudson's charge that Jermaine Dye doesn't have a contract because he's black. To me, it seems like Dye doesn't have a contract because 1) he's older and his defense is bad, and 2) he has turned down 2-3 contracts that would have paid him multiple millions of dollars to play in 2010. I don't see a racist angle to the story. And I guess that's the point. A charge of racism is made in situations where seemingly there is no racism at all. Does it seem like there is no racism because I am blind to it or is there truly no racism involved?

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:26 pm

hudson just seems bitter cause he's been strung along on one-year deals the last 2 years when he was expecting a multi-year deal. of course, I have no idea why he's not getting a multi-year deal. are there a lot of white, 35+ right-handed hitting defensively-challenged corner outfielders that got jobs over the last few offseasons over the Sheffield's and Dye's of the world? And as mentioned, pretty sure I read that Dye was the Cubs first choice for 4th OF'er over Nady.

[ ]

Submitted by Sweet Lou on Tue, 04/13/2010 - 04:35 pm

I completely agree with what you are saying. Dye seems to me like a guy who doesn't have a job because he thinks his current skill set is worth more than the market is willing to pay. But when the racism charge is made, it just makes me stop and examine my own beliefs and assumptions. Because I tend to take racism very seriously, it really bothers me when the race card is played in situations where no racism exists. The only problem is, it's sometimes tough to tell when there's racism and when there's not.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s just kinda how it works though, for every team. No team plays their best guys all the time. No team is comprising of their best 26 even removing injuries.

    When baseball became a business, like REALLY a business, it became important to keep some of the vets happy, which in turn keeps agents happy and keeps the team with a good reputation among players and agents. No one wants to play for a team that has a bad reputation in the same way no one wants to work for a company that has a bad rep.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate it too. But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

    On that topic, I find it silly the Cubs brought up Canario to sit as much as he has. He’s going to get Velazquez’d, and it’s a shame.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Of course, McKinstry runs circles around $25 million man Javier Baez on that Tigers team. Guess who gets more playing time?

    But I digress…

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Seems like Jed was trying to corner the market on mediocre infielders with last names starting with "M" in acquiring Madrigal, Mastroboney and Zach McKinstry.  

     

    At least he hasn't given any of them a Bote-esque extension.  

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil:
    Rookie ball (ACL) starts on May 4th. Do yo think Ramon and Rosario (maybe Delgado) stay in Mesa for the month of May, then go to MB if all goes "solid"?
     

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I THINK I agree with that decision. They committed to Wicks as a starter and, while he hasn’t been stellar I don’t think he’s been bad enough to undo that commitment.

    That said, Wesneski’s performance last night dictates he be the next righty up.

    Quite the dilemma. They have many good options, particularly in relief, but not many great ones. And complicating the situation is that the pitchers being paid the most are by and large performing the worst - or in Taillon’s case, at least to this point, not at all.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Wesneski and Mastrobuoni to Iowa

    Taillon and Wisdom up

    Wesneski can't pitch for a couple of days after the 4 IP from last night. But Jed picked Wicks over Wesneski.

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