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

Save a Tree [and a Life]!

Maples are my favorite kind of tree. They are at their best this time of the year. I grew up in the shade of a huge one and one of our two pooches is even named Maple. But someday a maple baseball bat is going to be the cause of death. What a way to go.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that one of the games in the season-ending series between Iowa and Memphis included five shattered bats. I don’t know how many of those were maple, but there is a growing body of evidence that maple bats crack differently than ones made of ash. A game which has always featured balls as hard as stones being hurled around at high speeds and being swatted with wooden clubs is becoming even more dangerous with metallic mallets at amateur levels and maple ones in the major leagues...

   

What’s to be made of Mike Quade’s 17-7 record as the Cubs’ skipper? What a shame that the best series the team’s had in St. Louis in over 20 years and the best road trip it’s ever enjoyed benefit no one in the Cub legions with the possible exception of Mr. Clean. Will Jim Hendry attach any significance to this run? The games are barely facsimiles of meaningful ones when pennants and playoff berths are still at stake. Here’s a thought: maybe hiring Quade would so underwhelm the masses that attendance would stay down next year and keep the pressure relatively low on the youngsters. They’ve been thriving under more or less those conditions this month.

Phil Rogers mentioned Seattle as perhaps another logical spot for Ryne Sandberg in yesterday’s Tribune. It makes some sense. Sandberg hails from Washington. There are going to be a lot of jobs open this winter and Sandberg will get one of them, I’m betting. I hope it’s the one he’s best-suited for in the organization he’s most familiar with in all ways, especially organizational history and personnel.

Recent remarks by Mr. Ricketts can easily be interpreted as Sandberg stage-setters. The best combination of the new ownership’s business instincts and fondness for the Cubs would seem to be #23. The combination of a philosophical downshift to homegrown young talent and a no-name manager will cost the royal family a lot of money in the short-term. More, I hope they decide, than they can afford.

Pay no attention to the man behind the meaningless lineup cards!

Comments

It seemed good to have a Cub fan as owner at first but now I realize that Cub fans do things like hire their favorite player from when they were younger instead of people more qualified for the job. Might have been better if a fan of another team had bought the Cubs. Someone who laughed at and couldn't believe the endless boneheaded moves made by the team since WWII and just decided to put an end to it once and for all because it had moved from humorous to pathetic.

[ ]

In reply to by tbone

Maybe so, T, but a Cub fan bought the Diamondbacks and within a few years won a WS with Brenly at the helm. Now that team plays more like the Cubs than the Cubs do. Money wisely spent seems to be more the answer that transcends managerial traditions. LouPi couldn't handle a young team in Tampa and even made more bad vibe decisions with vets and a big payroll. Baseball remains a thinking man's game, and ryno made HOF decisions at 2nd base - he can do it here and maybe, just maybe 15 years from now he will still be manager and have the Atlanta, Yankee and Dodger tradition of 1 man steering the ship.

very hard to say in advance who is right man for job; much harder than saying in retrospect who was the wrong one...i just think this team had stopped playing for piniella but it might be dangerous to read too much into the 17-7...many of these games are little more than exhibitions

I didn't think this team was really a contender coming into the season. However I also don't/didn't think this was a 90 loss team either. For whatever reason this team did seem to quit on Lou. I do however think that a big bat, 3rd starter and an 8th inning guy could make this thing a fringe contender next year. Call me crazy?

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

That was a Lou/Hendry pissing match? I thought it was a Lou/Z pissing match. Moving Z to the pen had nothing to do with not having anyone to pitch in the 8th inning. They did have Marshall, and he was lights out all year, but especially in the first two months. Lou (and maybe Hendry) was trying to make a statement to Z.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

He moved him to the pen April 21st. You'd think a rational Lou would have given his highest paid, best track recorded Starter more than 4 starts? Again, I think moving the highest paid SP to the pen in mid April was a middle finger from Lou to Hendry. All signs point to it. Especially reading between the lines in the Z and Lou quotes in the link I posted above. Lou said it would be temporary. Just until we can trade for an 8th inning guy It was Lou trying to force Hendry's hand into getting him a player. Just like icing Stevie Eyre was his way of forcing Hendry to make a trade.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

Hendry is the nut-less wonder. You really think Lou deferred to Hendry on anything? That has kinda been the problem with Hendry from the beginning. He's had two forceful managers that he deferred to. He seems to cave in WHILE bending backwards in contract negotiations. And yet he STILL finds a way to spend more money on Xavier Nady NOW. Kim Ng might have more testicular fortitude than Jim Hendry does?

mlbtr is blocked as an attack site, suddenly, yet if you click on 'why is this site blocked?', the Google page that opens says they've never found any malicious code.

[ ]

In reply to by Wes

Thanks Wes. --- FBI arrests man trying to set off a bomb one block from Wrigley as the Dave Matthews Band concert ended Saturday night: http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/09/fbi-man-arrested-in-plot-to-… On Saturday night, Hassoun met with the agent, who provided him with a backpack that Hassoun thought contained a high-powered explosive device, according to the FBI. He was showed how it works, the release stated, and although it was intended to look real, it was made of inert materials and unable to explode. Early Sunday morning, Hassoun and the agent then went together in a rented vehicle towards Wrigleyville, where the bombing would take place. At about the same time, crowds were leaving Wrigley Field after a concert by the Dave Matthews Band. Hassoun was then watched by agents as he placed the fake explosive into a trash container near Eddy and Clark Streets -- about a block south of Wrigley Field, the release stated. He was then arrested and the fake device was recovered.

[ ]

In reply to by Paul Noce

the lack of national coverage from almost every outlet is weird, btw. everyone's busy worrying about some idiot in deleware and what she did as a teenager. ...then again the president had a town hall q/a meeting (it's nice to have a president again that actually takes people asking him questions, btw) and no one seems to care about that, either.

Cubs had an extra starter at that point(Lilly was coming off the DL) and the bullpen was awful. Lou hadn't quite warmed up to trusting Marshall in the 8th and and everyone was unhappy with Z's antics at that point. One of Lilly, Dempster, Silva, Gorz, Wells or Z had to move and the combo of Z having the worst ERA at that point and possibly having the highest impact back there led to the decision. The F.U. to Hendry from Lou is just gossip.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

So Silva, Wells or Gorzy had earned the spots over Z? Doubtful why would Lou tell Z and make statements to the press about "until we make a trade" unless he was calling Hendry out?

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Did Lou not harp from the beginning about needing: lefthanded rightfielder who could bat 5th late inning lefty reliever left handed backup catcher immediate removal of Eyre, Barrett, Murton and Cedeno? You seriously don't think that Lou made his roster desires known? He aired Hendry out in thinly veiled comments to the media, almost from day one. Although Hendry did botch his job epically. Especially since October 2008.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

sure, nonetheless someone had to go from the rotation and it was a reasonable decision given the circumstances of a) someone having to be dropped from the rotation and b)someone that would be a good fit for the 8th inning. not the decision I would have made or many other fans, but not some nefarious plan by Lou to publicly shame Hendry into making a trade (which never happened anyway).

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

unfortunately I never got my masters in debunking Cubs conspiracy theories... nonetheless, saying stuff to the press isn't the same as making a move just to fuck with the GM that has done nothing but try to give him whatever he wanted when he asked. or a move that if done just to piss off the GM would just turn the club on him and a move Hendry supported and was the one that talked to Z to get him to agree

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

I just object to the fact people saying Z sucked is the reason he was moved to the pen. If your one of those people *cough* Real Neal *cough* it's a lame ass axe to grind. 4 starts doesn't make a season, especially with a guy who has never had a season ERA over 4.00. And wow do those same people eat any crow with Z sporting a tidy 3.75 ERA at the moment? Many of who thought it would be impossible given what he went through this season. Zambrano is the teams most reliable and best pitcher. Hands down. Again when he turns in 1 season of a 5.00 ERA, sound the alarm bells if he puts 2 of them back to back, maybe its time to stick a fork in him as a reliable starter. But people bitching after 4 starts or 1 or 2 months about the demise of him, is just pure comedy. It's like people are in a god damn hurry for him to suck so we can hurry up and watch Coleman and Samj put up some 5.00 and 6.00 ERA seasons. I don't know if you think they grow on trees or something but they don't. On the other hand its really easy to find a starter to put up a 5.00 ERA.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

Zambrano gets paid to win 16+ games. Last year he won nine. This year he was 3-6 in mid August, with an ERA of 5.46 when he took the mound on August 14th and started the winning streak. It's not surprising that his employers felt cheated, and gave him the ball so he could make himself tradeable.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

Lou has said that players were going to be held accountable. Z had been the worst of the starters, so he was the one sent to the pen - why is that so hard to grasp? It was actually Lou living up to his word. Lilly and Dempster have been much more reliable than Z from 2008 to 2009, not sure what you were huffing to come up with Z is the most reliable starer idea. He's second on the team in walks, despite pitching 116 innings, let's not cast him for that statue outside of Wrigley just yet, OK? Talk about Strawmen - who said that Z's career was done?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

You must of missed Zambrano's entire career. To totally disregard it after 4 starts like you are Neal is foolish. I don't even know why you mention walks. What does that prove? Zambrano has had a fairly high walk rate his entire career, yet he still pitches with an ERA below 4. What you should look at is his strikeout rate to determine a decline and thats just fine. But that doesn't really fit your argument. Your better off just quoting Wins, despite all the flack you will take. Zambrano has 9 to Dempsters 14 in 84 less innings. Ohh wait that doesn't really help you either. Hey lets just look at Dempster since his break out year. Hovering around a 3.50 ERA, isnt winning alot of games but the rest of his numbers are fine and he is the greek god of awesome in your mind and many others. You stack them up against Zambrano and they look awfully identical only with Zambrano getting less innings. The only difference is Zambrano has been doing it since 2002, Dempster just figured out how to pitch in the last 3 years and is now 33 to Zambrano's 29. Who you going to bet on over the next 5 years? Your boy Dempster or Zambrano? I guess people forget Zambrano is only 29. Dempster and Lilly aren't/weren't the gold standard. They weren't Roy Halladay or Tim Lincecum better, all 3 of them were about the same. About as even of a 3 headed monster at the top of the rotation as you could get. Those 3 you could plug in atleast 10 wins, an ERA between 3.50 and 4 and about 180 strikouts. Barring injury and a stupid move to the bullpen. He isn't Kerry Wood hurt every year and he isn't washed up physically. He is still a damn fine pitcher, just like your heroes Dempster and Lilly.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

Mike if you are incapable of remembering way back to 2009, please at least use this internet thing and look things up. Zambrano hasn't pitched 200 innings since 2007. He hasn't had an ERA below 3.50 since 2006. Oh heaven forbid we put a #3 starter into the bullpen instead of a #4 starter, the whole season's fucked! Dempster is demonstrably a better pitcher than Zambrano. Unless you are using a standard other than ERA, Innings, Starts, Wins or K's... which you obviously are.

Mike Quade will win approximately 10-20 world series titles for the cubs in the next couple years. He's that fucking good.

So that answers the question what would happen if a splintered bat flew into a guy. My bet was that it would go all the way through him. I was wrong.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I agree, it's a clear plastic tape, it has to feel different. Maybe with pine tar and gloves it doesn't. In one of the videos on the BatGlove website one of the D'backs people talks about introducing it in the minors and let guys get used to it, whether they like it or not, then implement it in the majors too. But who knows what MLB is thinking.

I suggested last week that giving Nady at-bats was a plan for some reason to keep Nady's agent happy. I present circumstantial evidence that something is going on... http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/4683
There’s little doubt Nady could have used some minor-league at-bats in the beginning of the season, but I’m not sure what kind of deal GM Jim Hendry cut with agent Scott Boras. That was still one of the more odd conference calls when they signed Nady. Boras also took part. None of us could remember an agent taking part in a conference call to announce the signing of a player.

THIS JUST IN: The Cubs placed RHP Mitch Atkins on the Designated List (Designated for Assignment) this past Saturday to make room on the 40-man roster for RHP Esmailin Caridad, who completed his 30-day minor league rehab on Friday and then was activated from the 60-day DL and optioned to Tennessee on Saturday so that he was available for Saturday night's game at Jacksonville (Caridad had been pitching for the Smokies since his rehab was moved from the AZL Cubs to AA Tennessee in August). Because both Geovany Soto and Tyler Colvin were active (and playing) Saturday, the Cubs had to make a roster move involving another player (Atkins) to make room on the 40-man roster for Caridad. Saturday is only a business day during Spring Training, so the Cubs would have had to wait until Monday (yesterday) to place Atkins on Outright Waivers, and thus they won't find out until tomorrow if any MLB club put in a claim on Atkins. Atkins can be outrighted to Iowa tomorrow if he gets through waivers, but he is eligible to be a Rule 55 Minor League FA (6YFA) post-2010 if he is not on a 40-man roster by the end of the World Series, so unless he likes Des Moines and wants to remain with the I-Cubs in 2011 (where he will be behind at least a half-dozen other more highly-regarded pitching prospects), I would think Atkins will (if he is not claimed off waivers) take the opportunity to ply his trade elsewhere, probably with the Baltimore Orioles (he was a John Stockstill draft pick before Stockstill left the Cubs and took a similar job with the Orioles). Atkins was the Cubs 7th round draft pick in 2004 out of Northeast Guilford HS in McLeansville, NC, and was named Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2008 when he went a combined 17-7 (combined) between Tennessee and Iowa. He was added to the Cubs 40-man roster on 11-19-2008. After having a nightmare 2009 season at Iowa (8-12 with a 6.58 ERA, with 164 hits & 26 HR allowed in just 146.1 IP), he bounced-back and put up an 8-3 mark at Iowa in 2010, with a 3.63 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, allowing 88 hits (14 HR) in 106.2 IP and 28 G (15 GS), with a 42/76 BB/K. Atkins had four short stints (seven games, all in relief) with the Cubs at the big league level over the past two seasons, and went a combined 0-0 with a 5.25 ERA and 1.58 WHIP, allowing 13 hits (2 HR) in 12.0 IP, with a 6/10 BB/K. He was not one of the Cubs September call-ups. Atkins is 24 years old and has one minor league option left, should he be claimed off waivers.

mike quade holding a fungo giving his pre-game interview (taped) in the media room... he's looking baseball as all hell.

hendry formally interviews sandberg in arizona...things starting to point to an announcement soon after end of season? [in other words, not waiting for yankees to finish?]

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Submitted by The Real Neal on Wed, 09/22/2010 - 9:02am. Despite having hired two minority managers, he still has to interview one, right? The wonderful world of political correctness we live in ============================================= REAL NEAL: Ex-Iowa manager (and current Nationals 3rd base coach) Pat Listach will be interviewed by Hendry before a Cubs manager is named. He was also the minority interview post-2006 before Piniella was hired.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Submitted by The Real Neal on Wed, 09/22/2010 - 10:44am. I'm confused. Growing up in America speaking a Romance language surely should make you a Latin-American, right? Do you know if the policy actually name continents of origin and percentages of "minority"? ==================================== REAL NEAL: Piniella was born in Florida and he is not of African descent. The only native U. S. born Americans who are considered "minority" by MLB are African Americans. This all goes back to the Al Campanis furor on "Nightline" when he said blacks don't have the "necessities" to manage. MLB expands its awkward definition of "minority" to include foreign-born Latin Americans from Mexico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. I can't keep argung this with you. Piniella is NOT considered a minority as far as MLB is concerned because he was born in Florida and he is not of African descent. He is of Euro-Spanish descent, just like Mike Piazza is of Euro-Italian descent (Italian is also a "romance" language).

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Thanks. That really is bizarre. Interesting that they didn't bother using the Civil Rights Act's defintion of protected class when developing their policy. As fewer and fewer of the premium black athletes choose baseball, the candidate pool you'd think will shrink over the next 20 years or so.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

It sort of makes me wonder if these "writers" intentionally write one or two things a year just in the hopes of getting the FJM treatment. I can sort of understand how better understanding the cause-effect relationship in observing anything could take away from the beauty and wonder of it. I don't get how that would possibly keep someone from getting laid, though. The "white guys" joke had me BWAHAHAing into the ear of some poor lady on the phone.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

it has it's place...i just never got the crew of readers who wanted a daily dose of frat boys screaming obscenities and outrage while clinking plastic cups of self-celebration at each other. they have plenty of imitators out there. most don't have a shred of pseudo-intellectual/intellectual filler to drop in between all the screaming, though, and come off as drunk bleacher bums.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

they just remind me of the drunks in the bleachers who talk amongst themselves...from what they say and especially from how they say it. it's comedy, but some people consider what Tim and Eric or Howard Stern do comedy. not everyone is gonna chuckle at every type of comedy. ...this kind of stuff...from the BEWBS vs. stats article...it's a common theme/formula for a huge chunk of their writing... ---- Um, "this time of year?" "Spring training?" Check your calendar, genius. It's September! How dumb is this guy? Oh, right. Our fault. We only do this once a year now. Incidentally, that alcohol/boat fumes mixture has a name: It's called Revere Beach! Ka-boom, Boston style!

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

yeah, first and only. i'm obviously a freak of nature for being the only person ever to make this link or observation. it's all coming straight out of no where and it'd be nice if i actually had a shred of explaination for myself. as a similar site once said...obviously i don't understand sarcasm. yes, i don't find it funny, obviously i'm an ignorant idiot that's not capable of criticism. ps- everything i say is a daily battle to force my humor on the world. if you don't like it you obviously are a commie nazi mexican terrorist. gtfo my country.

I have always questioned how team offensive statistics are listed---highest batting average first. The team scoring the most runs, obviously, is the best offensive team. Most of us have questioned batting our best OBP hitter 8th. How productive was our batting order? Could it be measured by seeing how how many runs were produced per hit? The Cubs currently rank 17th in MLB in runs scored, 651 runs on 1327 hits making each hit producing .4905 runs. (We rank 19th in this resspect.) On the other hand, the best run producer per hit is Tampa Bay who has scored 756 runs on only 1256 hits, producing .601 runs per hit. What does this prove? Nothing. But it is interesting to note that Tampa Bay leads all of MLB in BB and stolen bases.

I don't see why you guys are debating humor and Zambrano. Can we talk about the real issue most closely related to this post? Who has a favorite kind of tree anymore? I mean, come on. Who can be bothered?

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).