Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

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

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs Attracting Attention in Venezuela

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Several Cubs minor leaguers who can be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent (6YMiLFA) or who are eligible for selection in next month’s MLB Rule 5 draft are making noise in the Venezuelan Winter League (VWL).  

Switch-hitting utility IF-OF Marwin Gonzalez hit a combined 251/295/333 in 109 games (426 PA) at Daytona and Tennessee in 2010, but the 21-year old Venezuelan has put-up an eye-popping 370/469/543 line so far in the VWL, as he currently leads the league in doubles, is 3rd in walks and AVG, 4th in OBP, and 6th in SLG. Gonzo is a versatile player (he has played 3B, SS, 2B, 1B, LF, and CF in the minor leagues) with doubles power that could morph into some HR pop as he fills-out, and while it is very unlikely that he will be added to the Cubs 40-man roster by the 11/20 roster-filing deadline (he is eligible for selection in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft), the youngster is at least making the Cubs think twice about it. Just off his performance in the VWL (which is basically equivalent to AA), Gonzalez could draw some interest in the Rule 5 Draft from a low revenue/small market MLB club looking to populate their bench with young, cheap, versatile labor with some upside, and Marwin Gonzalez is certainly that.

After hitting 344/398/588 with 39 doubles, 13 HR, and 30 SB (3 CS) in 102 games (412 PA) at AA Tennessee in 2010, 24-year old right-handed hitting OF Brandon Guyer is presently hitting 348/444/435 in the VWL, and is tied for 3rd in the league in stolen bases and is 6th in OBP. Along with RHP Chris Archer, Guyer (the Cubs 2010 Minor League Player of the Year) is a virtual lock to get added to the Cubs 40-man roster later this month. (Reed Johnson and Cody Ross would probably be the current MLB players most-comparable to Guyer).

Squarely sitting atop the bubble as far as whether he will get added to the Cubs 40-man roster, 25-year old Marquez Smith is hitting 255/356/549 so far in the VWL, and is tied for 3rd in the league in HR. A college teammate of Cubs OF Tyler Colvin at Clemson, the stocky (5’10 215) Smith (who looks a bit like a fire plug) appeared to turn the corner in 2010, hitting 297/371/556 between AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa, while pounding out 20 HR and 28 doubles in 107 games (392 PA). Although he is slightly below-average defensively at the hot corner, Smith probably will have to make it to the big leagues as an everyday 3B because he lacks the athleticism and versatility needed to play other positions (he was tried at 2B, but it didn’t work out). If he can continue to display HR power, the Cubs might look at Smith as they begin to consider candidates to replace Aramis Ramirez post-2011.

25-year old 6’2 RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx is 1-2 with a 1.90 ERA (8th in the VWL) and 1.10 WHIP (10th in the VWL) so far. ABD was rescued by the Cubs from independent ball in 2009 (the right-hander had been released by the Seattle Mariners out of Minor League Camp), and he pitched well at Peoria in 2009 (7-2 with a 2.09 ERA and 0.91 WHIP) before moving up to AA Tennessee and then to AAA Iowa this past season (where he was a rotation starter), going a combined 10-7 with a 3.78 ERA and 1.17 WHIP at the two stops. Because he was released previously in his career, Bibens-Dirkx was/is eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent post-2010. But even if he has re-signed with the Cubs for 2011 (the official MLB Rule 55 minor league FA list should be released tomorrow), he would still be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft, and off his performance at Tennessee and Iowa during the 2010 regular season and in the VWL so far post-2010, he could get a look from somebody. A Christian rock artist during the off-season, Bibens-Dirkx was a teammate of Cubs minor league LHP Chris Siegfried at the U. of Portland before getting drafted by the Mariners in the 16th round of the June 2006 draft.

Veteran 1B-OF Jason Dubois is tied for the VWL lead in HR, as the 31-year old hopes to land a Spring Training NRI from somebody in 2011. And although Dubois did what he was paid to do in 2010 (hitting 20 HR in just 71 games at AAA Iowa) it is very unlikely that he will return to the Cubs organization next season. The main reason the Cubs signed Doo-Bee last off-season was to provide a RH power bat at Iowa to help offset the three lefty-sluggers (Micah Hoffpauir, Brad Snyder, and Bryan Lahair), but since none of the three are likely to return to the I-Cubs in 2011 (Hoffpauir and Snyder are out of minor league options, and Lahair is a minor league FA), there is really no reason for the Cubs to bring Dubois back to Des Moines, either

Tags
Cubs Minor Leagues
Brandon Guyer
Jason Dubois
Austin Bibens-Dirkx
Marquez Smith
Marwin Gonzalez

Comments

Submitted by Tony S. on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 11:03 pm

Az Phil-- Random question, actually 2. Noticed on mlb.com that the Indians outrighted Marte (again). This smells like the kind of low risk/high potential that JH usually leaps on, albeit usually with pitchers. I could see a scenario where the Cubs sign Marte to a minor league deal with a NRI to essentially give organizational competition to Vitters, with the winner taking over 3B on the big club when we trade Aram at the deadline (if not before). Question 1: Should the Cubs do something like this? I'm pretty sure Aram is gone at the deadline if not before, and it seems we do have some depth at the hot corner in the minors, but somebody else's overhyped prospect on the cheap seems like not too bad an idea, but I want to hear your take. Question 2: Okay, you think I'm crazy and it's a stupid idea, fine. But do you see Hendry doing it anyway??

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 11:33 pm

Submitted by Tony S. on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 4:03pm. Az Phil-- Random question, actually 2. Noticed on mlb.com that the Indians outrighted Marte (again). This smells like the kind of low risk/high potential that JH usually leaps on, albeit usually with pitchers. I could see a scenario where the Cubs sign Marte to a minor league deal with a NRI to essentially give organizational competition to Vitters, with the winner taking over 3B on the big club when we trade Aram at the deadline (if not before). Question 1: Should the Cubs do something like this? I'm pretty sure Aram is gone at the deadline if not before, and it seems we do have some depth at the hot corner in the minors, but somebody else's overhyped prospect on the cheap seems like not too bad an idea, but I want to hear your take. Question 2: Okay, you think I'm crazy and it's a stupid idea, fine. But do you see Hendry doing it anyway?? ================================================ TONY: I don't think the Cubs will sign Andy Marte this off-seson because they have Aramis Ramirez in Chicago, Marquez Smith at Iowa, and Josh Vitters at Tennessee, and so I doubt that the Cubs will look like a good destination to Marte and his agent. Now, if Ramirez was already gone and the Cubs were rounding up candidates to compete for the job, then I could see that happening. Just not now. I do think the Cubs will sign a FA shortstop with MLB experience to a minor league contract and NRI to ST, though, to compete with Darwin Barney for the middle-infielder back-up job, with the loser becoming the starting SS at Iowa. It's also possible that the Cubs could trade Barney this off-season, because he could be a starting SS on some MLB clubs (like probably BAL, CLE, DET, HOU, KC, PIT, or STL), and perhaps could help the Cubs net a LH 1B or RHRP if they opt to trade to fill one of those needs instead of spending big bucks on a FA. As I have mentioned here before, both Luke Scott (a left-handed power-hitting 1B-OF) and Joel Hanrahan (a RH set-up man with closer experience) are arbitration-eligible (Scott with Baltimore and Hanrahan with Pittsburgh) and either one probably could be had if the Cubs want to offer a couple or three of their MLB-ready auto-renewal guys with some upside. The Cubs have quite a few trading chips they can package together if a team with somebody the Cubs want is looking to fill multiple holes with young MLB-ready (or near-ready) players.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 11:52 pm

Submitted by Tony S. on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 4:41pm. Phil-- Thanks!! I know Luke Scott was discussed somewhere (BCB?) last winter, but would he really be worth a couple/3 auto-renewal guys? Sounds steep to me (unless it's mostly junk, like Barney + junk) *edit Looked at Scott on BR, numbers don't look bad, although he's 33 next year. Better than Nick friggin Johnson, anyhow... =================================== TONY S: Luke Scott is a proven major league power hitter, he is healthy, he can hit both LHP and RHP, he is under club control through the 2012 season, acquiring him won't require signing him to a multi-year contract, and he can also play corner OF if the Cubs want to play Geovany Soto at 1B on days he's not catching. If Soto is just used as a catcher he'll be in the starting lineup maybe 125 games at most (if you're lucky), but play him at 1B on days he's not catching and you can get his bat into the lineup for 150+ games. Whether Soto sits on the bench or plays 1B on days he's not catching, the Cubs back-up catcher will still get at least 35-40 starts. So wouldn't it be a good idea to try and keep Soto in the lineup for as many games as possible if he's the Cubs best hitter?

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 11:57 pm

Submitted by Tony S. on Sun, 11/07/2010 - 5:40pm. Phil-- Great points, but I'm required by TCR law to say... ...how much good will Soto do batting 8th??? ;) ============================ TTONY S: I fully understand the TCR Law as it pertains to Soto, but if he plays everyday (playing 1B on days he's not catching) I would bet he is more-likely to hit in the #4 or #5 slot (and stay there) than if he is used just as a catcher and sits on the bench one or two games per week. BTW, I did want to mention that guys like Micah Hoffpauir and Sam Fuld have more value as trading chips than might be expected. Hoffpauir has hit 251/312/421 in 162 career MLB career games (exactly equivalent to one full season), and Fuld has hit 252/368/344 (plus offering Gold Glove defense, above-average speed, and savvy base-running) in 98 career MLB games. Not great, but not awful either. While neither Hoffpauir nor Fuld would be an everyday players on most teams, I can almost guarantee you that both will be on an MLB 25-man roster somewhere next year. Hoffpauir could be one element of a larger package for a Luke Scott (for example), and Fuld will be a decent 4th OF no matter where he ends up.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 11:24 am

for what's it's worth I saw Smith play against the local dynamo, the round rock express, and when I first noticed him I said, "oh dear, he's obviously just a AAA filler guy". He was beyond awful at third. But, it was just one game. Then, I think he hit at least one HR. Maybe two. This guy has serious power. And it wasn't crap power. One, he pulled, ala Soriano, but the other he cranked the other way. I really, really like this guy as a hitter.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

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

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

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