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

Mike Quade Just Ran Circles Around Tony LaRussa.

More after the jump...

Well, he did if you just watched the Cardinal's effort.

Even Pat Hughes last night said he'd never seen such a lethargic Cardinal team play the Cubs.

Not good for Tony LaRussa.

Pretty awesome for Mike Quade.

So the Cubs sweep the Cardinals in St. Louis for the first time since 1988? (Did I hear that right?) 
Young Tyler Colvin drives the stake in the heart with the 3 run homer (his 20th!) off of Cardinal Ace Chris Carpenter. 

Carlos Zambrano wins yet another game, and he's so excited he decides to talk about retiring! 

AWESOME CARLOS!

Can you please do that kind of reflection when you're home this winter so we'll all have something to talk about rather than how the Bears could possibly be 1 and 7?

And Mike Quade as the new Cubs manager.

He's seriously doing some kind of job, and surely his performance has to give Jim Hendry pause.

Yes, Hendy's gonna travel around and do all the interviews, but... how to put this?

When you're fishing you always take the boat to the other side of the lake because you're positive that's where that Big Bass is.

But sometimes, he's right off the pier.


You can view Tim Souers work on a daily basis at Cubby Blue.

Comments

Soriano in a new Cubs.com article, blaming his below-average BA on not being a first-place team... If he hit better, they might be a little higher in the standings... I know that he is not the sole, or even the biggest reason that the Cubs have failed this year. Doesn't good hitting typically help a team to be good? I'm pretty sure that teams that are in first place at the beginning of the year don't stay there just because they're in first place, so all their hitters will tend to hit better...

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

So why wasn't he on the Cubs radar? They took a 136 mill chance on Soriano but couldn't take a 50 grand risk on Hamilton???? Actually it probably would have been a $25000 chance because he would probably have been reclaimed for that amount had the Cubs decided not to keep him. We're talking chicken feed by MLB standards here.

j.heyman on MLB network being pretty nonchalant about sandberg most likely being the next cubs manager. no lip service given to any other candidate by him while mentioning sandy 3 times in the convo at various points.

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/09/ricketts-manager-must-unde…
Ricketts also said the team has to have a manager who's "still engaged in being a coach" and is willing to teach fundamentals. "We're going to have a younger team going forward," Ricketts said. Ricketts also said he's looking for someone who will be committed to the organization for a long time, possibly ruling out older candidates who may be looking for their last managerial job before they retire. "I think that we're going to bring in someone who has in their mind that this is their job and their position forever," Rickett said.
and says new manager must understand Cubs history
"We have to have a manager who really understands what it is to be the Cubs manager, the pressure, the scrutiny you get and be able to handle those periods in June when you lose three games in a row and people start talking about Year 103 of the curse. We have to someone who understands what they're getting into," Ricketts said.

joe "what, this isn't a 120+ million team anymore?" torre almost out in LA (probably by his choosing)... The Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers will have Don Mattingly replace Joe Torre as their manager at the conclusion of the season.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers will have Don Mattingly replace Joe Torre as their manager at the conclusion of the season. --- Isn't Mattingly going to replace Girardi as Yankee skipper?

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Crunch -- It will be interesting. My wife's family is friends with Girardi's family (Dad & brothers) and what I've heard (third hand) is that Girardi is legitimately interested in the Cubs job. However, that doesn't mean that he'll turn his back on the Yankees money to take it (assuming it's offered). Now that word has leaked out that Torre is out in LA, might the Yanks be interested in bringing him back? It was my understanding that the Steinbrenner kids didn't want Torre to leave, but George wanted to play hard ball with him on his contract. If the Yanks botch the post season under Girardi, might the Yanks want to bring Torre back? My personal feeling is that Girardi will re-up with the Yankees, but you never know.

phew...living with castro's growing pains is hard. good thing this season don't matter. aside from his credited error (26) he just turned a double play into a fielder's choice in the 8th. fun stuff...

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

my current theory is castro has no business in the bigs with that glove, but since the 2010 cubs gave up before the weather got too hot it doesn't matter anyway. he's got 26 errors, but we've all seen him do some dumb stuff that would probably tack another 10-ish onto his total if not for official scoring...not to mention his "the entire field is mine" thing he does cutting off CF/LF from making plays that become singles because 100mph of castro is making a line for a ball he can't catch. that said, the kid is so f'n young he's learning on the job and it's not like a trip to AAA will suddenly have him fluidly handling his position. guy this young and this raw is going to be like this, but he's got all the tools to be so much better. he probably will be, too.

The Cubs will be holding their annual Organizational Meetings next month in Mesa, and I suspect one of the outcomes of the conclave will be a decision to target both a LH power-hitting 1B and an established RHP 8th inning set-up man who can close on days Marmol isn't available. While free-agents Adam Dunn and Aubrey Huff (or Adam LaRoche, who could be traded by AZ in lieu of getting bought-out) might be at the top of the Cubs list for the 1B gig, one relief pitcher who might come onto the Cubs radar once the season is over is Pirates set-up guy Joel Hanrahan. Hanrahan was throwing a mid-90's four-seam fastball and a mid-80's power-slider last night versus the D'backs, and he has had a consistently good year working out of the Bucs bullpen. He had some closer experience in Washington and pitching for Team USA in the WBC earlier in his career, but not enough to where he would be likely to whine or complain if he isn't used as a closer. Hanrahan will be eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season, and thus will instantly become a salary albatross to the Pirates, plus the Bucs have a couple of other RHP in their bullpen right now (Evan Meek and Chris Resop) who can fill any hole caused by moving Hanrahan in a trade. Meanwhile, the Pirates have a gaping hole behind the plate, where they have the worst CS % among all catching staffs in MLB. 23-year old Welington Castillo (255/317/498 at Iowa in 2010) is a 40% CS guy who has the power to hit 20 HR and slug .500 in MLB (albeit with a low BA and OBP), and would be a perfect long-term backstop fix for Pittsburgh, a young, raw catcher who can grow with the team. The Cubs also have a deep inventory of ready or near-ready young pitchers, both relievers and starters, lefties and righties, so that losing Hanrahan could be offset by the Pirates acquiring a young starter (like Casey Coleman) and/or a young reliever (like Blake Parker, Jeff Stevens, or Marcos Mateo) from the Cubs as part of the deal.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Submitted by Charlie on Sat, 09/18/2010 - 8:51am. Do you think a deal for Hanrahan would involve the Cubs sending Castillo and a young pitcher to the Pirates and receiving only Hanrahan in return? That seems like overpaying to me, but I have to admit I don't really know how to evaluate the value of a player to the organization (I just tend to not care much about relief pitchers). ============================================== CHARLIE: I think Hendry tried something in 2010 that he had not done before, and that was try to build a bullpen from within the organization instead of signing established FA middle relievers (like Remlinger, Howry, Eyre, et al) to multi-year contracts as had been his practice in the past. Hendry could opt to go back to his old habits and sign an established FA RHRP (somebody like Jason Frasor, Jesse Crain, or Grant Balfour) to a 3Y $11M contract this off-season, but the middle-ground would be to acquire an established arbitration-eligible set-up guy/Plan "B" closer (like Hanrahan) who the Cubs can go with year-to-year (maybe $2M in 2011) without spending twice that per year on a multi-year FA contract, especially since the Cubs have plenty of depth at the top end of the farm system to be able to make a trade like that. And over-paying with young talent has never been a problem for Hendry, as long as the club gets the guy they want, and the players they are trading are expendable. As Hendry & crew like to say, "We're not playing fantasy baseball." As for whether the Cubs would settle for just Hanrahan, I guess if the Cubs wanted a second player (like maybe Ryan Doumit), I would think the Pirates would be fine with that, especially if the Bucs are getting a young front-line catcher back from the Cubs (thus making Doumit expendable). With the Cubs, Doumit would be just a back-up C-1B-LF-RF-SWPH, and that might be a payroll problem since he's making $5.1M in 2011, plus a combined $15.5M in non-guaranteed club options in 2012-13. And the Pirates are also probably looking to move 3B Andy LaRoche (who, like Hanrahan, will be eligible for salary arbitration for the first time post-2010), in case the Cubs want to round up multiple candidates to consider as the eventual replacement for Aramis Ranmirez in 2012, except LaRoche is out of minor league options, such that the Cubs would probably have to carry him on their 25-man roster all next season just to have him available to be a candidate to replace Ramirez in 2012. (LaRoche will probably be non-tendered by the Pirates on 12/12 if the Bucs can't find a taker before that). So I would think the Cubs would be willing to offer W. Castillo, Coleman, and either Parker, Stevens, or Mateo (for example) for Hanrahan (only), even though it might be an over-pay, because they would be getting exactly the guy they want back in the deal without having to give up any of their best pitching prospects (Archer, McNutt, J. Jackson, Carpenter, or Rusin) in return.

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Thanks Phil! For some reason I was thinking you meant one of our more valued pitching prospects. I also wonder if a Wellington Castillo and Jeff Samardzija for Hanrahan and Doumit deal might make sense. That would help to even out some of the money, but the Cubs would have be looking at Samninja as someone they want to dump, the Pirates would have to want him, and Jeff would have to wave his NTC. Andy Laroche seems like an upgrade over Jeff Baker to me, but I may still be thinking of him as the highly ranked Dodgers prospect he was a few years ago. If the Cubs decide to go with a LH platoon guy at first (a Hoffpauir type), Laroche could be the right-handed side of that platoon, while also serving as backup to 3B and 2B in an emergency. That doesn't necessarily mean the Cubs should want to trade for him, if he might become available after being non-tendered. I might be overvaluing Castillo, too. He's got tools, but I guess it wouldn't be realistic to call him a safe bet.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Submitted by Charlie on Sat, 09/18/2010 - 6:08pm. Phil, sorry to ask endless questions, but I wonder if you would mind sharing any thoughts you have on Marwin Gonzalez? (I'd basically forgotten he existed until I started looking at AA playoff box scores.) Thanks! ================================================== CHARLIE: Marwin Gonzalez arrived at Fitch Park as an 18-year old 3B in 2007, but he has gradually morphed into a utility guy. He suffered a broken hand one year at Fitch Park EXST (either 2007 or 2008) that impeded his progress a bit. He began the 2010 season as the primary utility infielder at Daytona before getting promoted to AA Tennessee, where he has played mostly SS. (There was a gap in the Cubs pipeline at SS between Junior Lake at Daytona and Darwin Barney at Iowa after Starlin Castro was promoted from Tennessee to Chicago in May). But Gonzo's future is as a supersub IF-OF utility player. Gonzalez runs OK but isn't overly fast, he is just a so-so hitter but with occasional XBH power, and he is a switch-hitter who possesses the versatility needed to play several different positions (1B-2B-3B-SS-LF-CF). It's great that he has been able to progress to AA at age 21, but I'm not sure he will ever hit enough to play in MLB. He got as far as he did this year only because there was an organizational need for a player of his type at Tennessee after Castro was called-up to Chicago, and Gonzalez just happened to be in the right place at the right time. (In other words, he is not another Starlin Castro). The most-comparable MLB player (in terms of type) to Gonzo is probably somebody like Geoff Blum.

Here's my two cents on Castro: The Cubs need to move him to centerfield. They need to play Darwin Barney at short-he may be less athletic but he's got a much higher baseball IQ. Move Castro to center, Barney to short.

Chris Hatcher with a walk-off game-winning HR in the bottom of the 9th off Luke Sommer to give Jacksonville (Marlins AA affiliate) a 1-0 victory over Tennessee and the 2010 Southern League Championship. Craig Muschko threw seven inings of one-hit shutout ball for the Smokies, but the offense took the night off.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Submitted by The Real Neal on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 7:14am. Assuming the status quo stays as it is - would Quade and Sandberg both be part of those meetings regardless? ================================================ REAL NEAL: As long as they are still employed by the Cubs at that point, they would be. But of course being The Manager means you actually get some (sometimes considerable) input into the make-up of the next-year's team and (presumably) the general direction the club will be headed into the future. From what I've been told, Lou Piniella apparently had significant influence on the make-up of the team throughout his career with the Cubs (beginning immediately right after he was hired), as did Dusty Baker. Conversely, a Mike Quade or a Ryne Sandberg might have a lot less influence and input (like, for example, "Here's the team... now you manage it..."). The way it sounds, I suspect we won't be seeing a new Cubs manager who will have a whole lot of control (or shall we say "influence") over Player Personnel matters quite the way Piniella and Baker did, or especially like Leo Durocher did back in the 1960's when he was Cubs manager and de facto Player Personnel Director. That's why Ricketts (and Hendry) are probably going to want more of an "organizational"-type manager, somebody who will be satisfied playing the hand he's dealt (which will involve playing and developing the young guys who come up through the system over the next couple or three years), and won't complain if the Cubs don't sign a premier free-agent. That should give Sandberg an advantage, especially if Ricketts is looking for a manager who can also be sold to the fans as "The Face of the Franchise." But while Ricketts is said to want Sandberg, I don't think Hendry is sold on Sandberg as a manager (ergo Hendry's apparent interest in Fredi Gonzalez, Joe Girardi, Eric Wedge, et al). If the fix is in and Sandberg essentially has the job, I suspect one aspect of the managerial interviews could be to find out if Brenly, Melvin, or Wedge would be interested in being Sandberg's bench coach. Brenly actually might be a good complement to Sandberg, because Ryno knows the Cubs farm system very well, while Brenly probably knows the National League (and the current tendencies of the N. L.'s managers) as well as anybody in baseball. As for Mike Quade, I think his performance as interim manager of the Cubs puts him squarely in line for an MLB manager's job somewhere in 2011 (maybe Milwaukee?), but probably not with the Cubs.

Xavier Nady collected a $125K performance bonus last night as he reached 300 PA. If he starts seven more games he gets $100K more, and if he can accrue another 48 PA before the end of the season he gets another $250K.

AZ Phil- Any idea when the players for instructs will report? I'm looking forward to your coverage on it and getting your opinions of the overseas players who will be making their initial debuts. Also, did you ever find out what was going on with Dong-yub Kim? I was looking through some of the archives from last years instructs and realized we really hadn't heard anything from him this summer and you mentioned that he might have been hurt. Thanks as always.

[ ]

In reply to by W Flag

Submitted by W Flag on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 10:34pm. AZ Phil- Any idea when the players for instructs will report? I'm looking forward to your coverage on it and getting your opinions of the overseas players who will be making their initial debuts. Also, did you ever find out what was going on with Dong-yub Kim? I was looking through some of the archives from last years instructs and realized we really hadn't heard anything from him this summer and you mentioned that he might have been hurt. Thanks as always. ========================================= W FLAG: Players reported to Fitch Park last Wednesday and I believe the first game is this coming Thursday. Dong-Yub Kim had some type of season-ending surgery (I think it might have been TJS) in March and he hasn't played since, although I suppose he might surface in Instructs if he's cleared to play, at least as a DH.

With season-ending injuries to Geovany Soto and Tyler Colvin,. I would expect the Cubs to call-up Robinson Chirinos and possibly Brandon Guyer from Tennessee, since the Smokies season ended on Saturday and both players are still in game shape. (Iowa OF James Adduci is already on the 40-man roster and ordinarily would have been the most-likely candidate to get recalled to replace an injured player... and he still might be, but the I-Cubs last game was on Labor Day and so Adduci hasn't played for two weeks). Chirinos and Guyer were both virtual locks to get added to the Cubs 40-man roster post-2010 anyway, so it would just be a matter of adding them to the 40 a few weeks earlier than planned. Also, RHP Esmailin Caridad's 30-day minor league rehab assignment expired on Saturday, so he will likely get reactivated today or tomorrow. Caridad has been on the DL since May with a right forearm/elbow strain, but he has been pitching regularly out of the Tennessee bullpen (ten games, including three SL playoff games) over the past month (3.86 ERA and 1.69 WHIP, allowing 14 hits in 11.2 IP, with 3/12 BB/K). Although his overall numbers at AA weren't great, he pitched much better in September than he did in August, and he was reportedly throwing in the mid-90's as recently as last Wednesday. The Cubs can make room for at least two players on the 40-man roster simply by placing Colvin and Soto on the 60-day DL, and if they need a third slot they can either place Carlos Silva (sore elbow) on the 60-day DL, or if he is going to return to action sometime over the last two weeks, the Cubs could outright somebody who was going to get outrighted in October anyway (probably Jeff Gray). A player on the 60-day DL must be reactivated no later than the 16th day after the conclusion of the World Series (which coincides with the end of the 15-day Free-Agency Filing Period), even if he has been on the 60-day DL less than 60 days. In fact, a player could be placed on the 60-day DL the last day of the regular season and then get reactivated the next day (but that only would apply to clubs not active in the post-season). That's why it's technically called the "Emergency Disabled List" (or "EDL"), because a player might not actually be on the EDL for 60 days if the MLB regular season (or post-season, if the player's club is active in the post-season) ends prior to the player spending 60 days on the DL.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 8:46am. Good stuff Phil, Any chance the Cubs can find a taker for Carlos Silva this off-season? Any chance without the Cubs paying more than the 5.5 Million the Mariners sent over? ============================================= DR AARON B: I think the Cubs might be able to find a taker for Carlos Silva, but only if he proves himself healthy in Spring Training. And even then the Cubs probably would have to pick-up at least some of what they owe Silva ($6M in 2011 salary and the $2M 2012 buy-out) or take back a similar salary. So I wouldn't expect any movement on the Silva front until maybe the end of Spring Training. Most-likely scenario is Silva begins the 2011 season on the Disabled List (exact injury and/or illness TBD).

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).