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 Preview: Cubs (48-67) @ Cardinals (64-49)

Derrek Lee is back, Hoffpauir gets sent back down...okay, why not?

With Soto on the DL, Aramis still out, Colvin in the penalty box and Soriano incapable of moving spots in the batting order without the Earth's magnetic fields being reversed, we get to witness the following lineup featuring Blake DeWitt batting 5th.

Fukudome, Castro, Lee, Byrd, DeWitt, Soriano, Barney, Hill, Diamond

vs.

F. Lopez, J. Jay, Pujols, Holliday, Rasmus, Molina, Schumaker, Westbrook, Ryan

In happier news, Castro is just 17 plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting title race, in which he'd currently be third, just two points behind Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies.

Cubs get to play the role spoilers this weekend or more likely the role of roadkill. Happy weekend everyone!

Comments

Does anyone see any rationale for DeWitt 5th and Soriano 6th? Ay Caramba! A batting title for Castro would help my morale a bit.

5th pick in the draft is here, and we're making our run to go higher. The biggest plus is we've got the most negative velocity of any team (2-8) going into the final 6 weeks! Looks like we have a definite shot at the 2nd pick given how much better the O's and M's and even DB's are playing after manager changes. And we have the dreaded Pirates for 3 more games, so I'm thinking...we can go for the first pick as long as Lou and Trammell don't both take bereavement leaves at the same time, forcing Hendry to call up Sandberg. MLB Standings, Draft Standings...8/14/10 Pittsburgh 39-76...last 10 (3-7) Baltimore 41-75...last 10 (8-2) Seattle 45-71...last 10 (6-4) Arizona 46-71...last 10 (6-4 Chicago (NL), 3 way tie at 48-68...last 10 (2-8) KC 48-68...last 10 (3-7) Cleveland 48-68...last 10 (3-7)

Ah yes. One of my favorite times of the year. A weekend series against the Cardinals. The drama! The excitement! Two arch rivals fighting like the Cullens and the Blacks. Clear your schedule everybody!!!!

Only the Cubs would be a day late and a dollar short trying for the #1 pick after Strasburg and Harper the last 2 years. But hey we draft really well in the 1st round, we should get a sweet backup infielder or 5th OFer in 3-4 years.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

TRN: FWIW, Peter Gammons disagrees: "In a wood-bat league, the 220-pound Harper hit .443 with 31 homers and 98 RBIs. There have been five previous high school-age position players taken as the first pick in the country in the last 25 years. Three -- Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Justin Upton -- were All-Stars by the age of 21. Chipper Jones was an All-Star at 23, a rise delayed by injury. Josh Hamilton is the one exception because of his detailed personal struggles, but he now can make the case to being the best player in the sport." So at the very least, he's in company with those 5 dudes? Let's see, 3 sure-fire HOF'ers, one 5-tool stud and Justin Upton... not bad company... And on a semi-related note: How can you realistically say that the #1 overall pick is "not all that great a prospect. He's good but..." Fuck seriously?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Dunston was drafted more than 25 years ago (the stat was "in the last 25 years") (though there are other counterexamples you could have cited). But the fact is that you are discounting Harper based on, approximately, nothing. Prospects can only be valued and graded at their projected level and graded strengths and there are few prospects ever who have been graded as high as Harper. This value is based on rather amazing stats. For example, he more than doubled the previous home run record at his school. And this record was set with aluminum bats and he did it with wood. And he did it during should have been his junior year in high school. He would be a higher rated prospect that every player the Cubs have drafted (at the time they were drafted) other than Mark Prior since the draft was instituted. But he is not a great prospect? You have pretty high standards for great.

[ ]

In reply to by springs

25 years was an arbitrary number, there have been plenty of other high school position players drafted first during the last 30 years that haven't gone on to HoF careers. "That great a prospect" - as in not as great as Strasburg, he'll probably be the #1 prospect on most lists headed into 2010, but Korey Patterson was the #1 prospect on some people's lists at one point as well. As to the numbers he put up - he did them in JUCO as essentially a professional baseball player. If Ken Griffey Jr. Shawon Dunston and Arod played in the same league, blew off their classes and concentrated on baseball 24/7, I am going to go ahead and speculate they would have put up some pretty good numbers too.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

TRN, you're married to your idea here, and that's fine, I get like that sometimes too. The point was that, even taking your explanation into account, there's a pretty big difference between "not all that great a prospect" (comment 13) and "not as great as Strasburg" (comment 77). As you also pointed out, Van Poppel was considered a better 'prospect' than Jones... goes to show that being a great 'prospect' does not always equate with a great career. But back to the discussion at hand. 25 years is an arbitrary number that Gammons picked to back his point--agree, numbers can often be skewed to prove one side or other in a debate. But let's state it differently; "Over the course of the last 25 years, teams have been much more reluctant to spend the first overall picks on high school players unless the team is fairly certain that player is a lock to have a solid career; Harper falls into this category." I didn't say anything there that Gammons didn't state or imply, I just said it differently, and the numbers Gammons provides back up my statement. And so did you. So if I put Jr, Arod and Dunston in Harper's JUCO league, they'd have put up some pretty good numbers? Agree. Are 66% of your examples going to be in Cooperstown, probably all 66% on the first ballot? Yes, unequivocally (the first ballot part for Arod is the only debate). Would they have put up the numbers he did at AGE SEVENTEEN, with the physical attributes of a 17 y/o? Hard to say, but the point is that Harper has accomplished quite a bit in his young life, whether or not he's a complete ass (and that could be blamed on the 'roids, just sayin'). No offense dude, but here's your entire comment: #13 Re: Game Preview: Cubs (48-67) @ Cardinals (64-49) Submitted by The Real Neal on Sat, 08/14/2010 - 3:11pm. Harper's not all that great a prospect. He's good but not on the Strasburg level - like comparing Ken Griffey Jr to Shawon Dunstan. * reply and the fact is, none of that statement is true, for several reasons and from several different angles, and I called you out on it. If you thought I was rude, my sincerest apologies, none of this is personal. But it is what it is. *edit And coincidentally re #71, I think "high school-age" (and I'm sure Gammons as well, although I shouldn't speak for a Hall of Fame baseball writer) is, approximately, THE AGE PEOPLE NORMALLY ATTEND HIGH SCHOOL. Not sure where the confusion is...anyone? "Born October 16th, 1992 (1992!!) Bryce Harper is a 17 year old left-handed hitting catcher currently playing for Southern Nevada Community College." (February, http://mopupduty.com/index.php/bryce-harper-bio/) "Bryce Aron Max Harper[1] (born October 16, 1992, in Las Vegas, Nevada) was selected by the Washington Nationals as the first pick of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft.[1] ...Harper earned his GED after his sophomore year in December 2009, making him eligible for the June 2010 amateur draft in order to begin his professional baseball career earlier.[4][5] For the 2010 college season, Harper enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada of the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC), a league that uses wood bats in conference play. In 66 games, he hit 31 home runs, 98 RBI, hitting .443/.526/.987 (AVG/OBP/SLG).[6] His 31 home runs broke the school's previous record of 12." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryce_Harper) And just in case... "In the United States a high school is an upper secondary school which educates children from grade nine or ten through grade twelve[4], in other words, from the age of 14 or 15 to 17 or 18...Students will generally graduate from high school in the year of their 18th birthday if they were born between January 1 and August 31, but this varies by state depending on the kindergarten cut-off date, which ranges from August 1 in Missouri to January 1 in Connecticut and December 1 in California[7]...As a practical matter, while laws in most states mandate school attendance at least until graduation or age 16, many require attendance until age 17 or 18 (unless the student earns a diploma earlier, usually around age 16)." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_school) So that's probably what the hell us two "think is "high school aged"". Questions? Concerns? Comments?

9th inning cubbery... Leadoff error on horrible throw by aramis, miles (no less) gets to 2nd KHill misses a popup on a slide catch, then triumphs on a 2nd popup, this time in front of the plate Inf popup for 2nd out vs Marmol Then K's Craig. Attaboy Carlos. 20 saves.

It was a nice game today. I was talking to my friend on the phone about it, and we were talking about how 2-3 years ago, when Z was on the mound against the Cardinals you just assume the Cubs were going to win. Z could have blown up in the 6th when AramRam's shoddy fielding got him into some trouble, but he kept it cool. It was sort of odd to behold.

Sun Times: Piniella said he and pitching coach Larry Rothschild have discussed putting rookie Casey Coleman in the rotation in place of rookie Thomas Diamond (0-3, 8.31) next time through, but a decision won't be made until at least today. ''I was impressed with Coleman [Friday] night,'' Piniella said of the right-hander's two innings of score

That was a fun half-inning to watch (top 4th). Cubs bat around, Cards' MacDougal (and even better, Molina) looked like they wanted to cry and go home. Was that the Cubs' 2010 highlight right there?

seen tyler colvin walking around the dugout for a 2nd time this game with gum hanging out bunched up on the end of his tongue. looks like he's walking around chewing on a red condom.

phew...draft pick milton "ty cobb" bradley...i mean bryce harper...got a bit of lip from stephen strasberg (both have the same agent, btw) “if he doesn’t want to play here, then we don’t want him here.”

"What can we say about Miguel Cairo? This guy has been a savior for us," Baker said. "He's been great. He stays ready all the time. I'd hate to think where we'd be without him."
Rings a bell?

steve stone did sox game solo yesterday,hawk had hemroids, he did a pretty good job.

Randall Simon (Cubs 2003) is now playing independent minor league ball with the Gary, IN Railcats. I went to see their game Saturday night (the band I play in provided pre-game entertainment). Man, does he have a vicious swing. Brought back memories. He nailed a two-run HR and really didn't even get all of it.

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).