Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

I-Cubs Bring Plenty of Cashner to Vegas

What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there but it’s no secret what Andrew Cashner’s been up to so what the hell… Last night the ladder-climbing right-hander pitched the Iowa Cubs to a 6-1 victory in his first start at the Triple A level, working six innings of one-run ball while surrendering five hits [four singles and a double] and a walk to go with six strikeouts [four of them swinging]. Cashner threw 89 pitches and most impressively retired the last seven hitters he faced after giving up his only run to tie the game at one in the bottom of the fourth. He left runners at second and third in that frame and then breezed through his last two innings. The win was Iowa’s third straight and the second consecutive that included a three run homer by the awakening Micah Hoffpauir. Sam Fuld and Darwin Barney have gotten hot at the top of the order and boosted their BA’s over .300. Chad Tracy went hitless last night after getting six hits in his first two games with the I-Cubs, but still drew a pair of walks and scored twice.

So what happens with Cashner? Starting pitching hasn’t exactly been the problem in Chicago. Does he settle in for a summer in Des Moines or will they start shuttling him between there and Chicago and the rotation and the bullpen a la the deep threat, among so many others?

The organization appears to be in transition in more ways than who signs the checks. Will a deadline trade of Lilly, for instance, open a spot in the rotation for Cashner. Are head games being played with Not Quite So Big Z to get him to not only waive his no-trade, but in fact demand a trade?

Comments

I think the trade or injury of a starting pitcher or two is the only way Cashner gets to see the MLB rotation for very long this year. But it sounds like, unless the Cubs somehow slip into contention, he'll stay in the rotation for most of the year in preparation for his chance to crack the MLB rotation next year. I'm curious about Jay Jackson, though. He was dominating AAA wasn't he? And he's got good stamina? Yet, he's the one moved to the bullpen? What are your thoughts on that, Mike Wellman?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I agree with you assessment and I also feel like Jackson has a much better feel for pitching right now as opposed to Cashner. I read a really good article about this the other day at wrigleybound.com that weighs the pros and cons of the move and since he doesn't have quite the "upside" that Cashner does, it makes sense that Jackson be the one who gets moved around a bit. Plus, if they think that Jackson is better prepared to help the club, they can put him in the bullpen in low pressure situations, similar to what they did with Zambrano and similar to what the Twins did with Santana and Liriano. It allows them to get acclimated to the big leagues while also facing live hitters and still honing their stuff. In spring training, they can let him compete for a rotation spot. They feel like they can get Jackson some time in the bullpen and have him still compete, while they feel it might mess with Cashner's arm and they would have to re-stretch him out to get him back to rotation strength. My guess of course

Phillies bullpen coach busted using binoculars “We were not trying to steal signs,” Manuel said. “Would we try to steal somebody’s signs? Yeah, if we can. But we don’t do that. We’re not going to let a guy stand up there in the bullpen with binoculars looking in. We’re smarter than that.” http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-phillies-binoculars

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

bah, players and coaches steal signs all the time, albeit slightly less obvious in most cases. The biggest non-deal in the history of baseball since Braden bitched out Arod for crossing the mound.

I grabbed Cashner in my fantasy league recently. Here's to injuries or trade. :) Jumping from the pen to the bullpen and vice-versa isn't really that big of an issue imo, other than the 3-4 starts it takes to build up your stamina again.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

I know that's not what he said. But those other guys were fully developed minor league starters, Cashner is not. Santana is was a freaking Rule V pick. To say "because it worked for Santana, it will therefore be the best way to go with Cashner, a guy who's career path is about as different as you can get from Santana" doesn't make a heckuva a lot of sense. Should I throw out some names of guys it didn't work for? Joba Chamberlian, Mitch Williams, Lee Smith. There, I've proved my point that if you use him as a reliever now, he will need to be a reliever for the rest of his career.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Maybe you should understand what you type... "yeah, Cubs have had some real shit luck with how they handle pitchers...there's all those guys that have done so much better once they left because of the Cubs dicking them around." My tinfoil hat was off so I didn't pyschically know that "dicking them around" was only meant to include guys who they put in the bullpen when they first got called up to the majors over the last six years, or whatever nebulous criteria you're grasping at to prove your point.

Johann Santana successfully jumped from the Bullpen to Starting rotation 15 years ago. Therefore you can pull guys into any role you wish and there will be no ill effects? How could I have missed that?

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Wainwright, Z in 2002, Lowe, R. Dempster more recently, Randy Wells, E. Jackson, S. Marcum, D. Price to name a few others off the top of my head. It was one of Earl Weaver's ways of getting guys accustomed to the majors, although I can't say I studied how well it worked. It did for Jim Palmer at least although he started under a different manager.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

How many of those guys had the same amount of minor league starting experience as Cashner (who was a college closer) again? Wainwright had 138 milb starts, 41 in AAA. Z had 63 minor league starts, 28 in AAA. Randy Wells started and relieved for two years in AAA. David Price had 19 minor league starts 4 in AAA, the year after being the best starting pitcher in NCAA, and frankly had a pretty mediocre first season as a starter. Cashner has been a starter for just over one year, and has 1 AAA start. Apples to oranges.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

well I do agree with that, if they want Cashner to be a starter, keep him starting as he has had very little minor league or college starting experience and needs to build up his arm strength and more importantly learn to pitch 3-4 times through an order which he still has barely done. my bigger point is that in most cases shuffling between the pen and rotation isn't a big deal and if they decided they needed Cashner in the pen for awhile(or Jackson), I doubt either would suddenly flame out because of it or have some mental breakdown as aaronb was suggesting. Worst case is Cashner just stays a reliever like Papelbon. If they flame out, it's probably because neither were good enough in the first place.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

My point is that it tends to be harmful to jerk pitchers around. For every Wainwright or Santana that we remember handling it with no problem. There are 10 Jeff Samjays or Calvin Schiraldi's or Juan Cruz's that never develop as they were projected. Case in point. Jeff Samjay came up and pitched very well in 2008. His pitching arsenal consists of 1 plus MLB pitch and 1 average MLB pitch. Instead of being happy that we have a quality MLB reliever and let the kid stay in a comfortable role, what do the Cubs do? We paid this kid too much money to be a reliever. Lets stretch him out and teach him 2 more pitches and make him a starter. Now we have a probable failed prospect. See Joba Chamberlain as another example of this.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Joba's failed? more likely he just didn't have what it takes to be a starter or he just needed more time to figure it out. Seems to be doing just fine as a reliever. It doesn't mean it wasn't worth trying him as a starter since they're so incredibly more valuable. The "jerking around" probably had little to do with his troubles as a starter. Phil Hughes isn't have much issue returning to the rotation. and I imagine I could find 10 of anybody that didn't get jerked around that didn't developed like they were projected. the shuffling around isn't holding them back or messing them up. Samardzija had one good month in the majors, already started struggling the second month and still hasn't found the strike zone or breaking ball on a consistent basis.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I don't think you can conclusively say that being moved to the bullpen and back isn't holding anyone back or messing anyone up. Just because it worked for some guys doesn't mean that it doesn't affect everyone. Back to my original comment - all MLB teams do this. Unless you've got a Lincecum or Strasburg, or an injury to your rotation and you need a guy who comes in and claims a spot, like Wells last year - odds are you're going to break into the bigs as a reliever.

time warner NC seems to have taken all the EI games (except the 1-2 they show in HD) and converted them from 720i to 480i. i pay $200 a season for what now? bullshi...

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.