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

The Color Purple

Submitted by Dr. Joseph Hecht on

Synonyms for Purple:     amaranthine, amethyst,  bluish-red, burgundy, grape, heliotrope, lavender, lilac, magenta, mauve, mulberry, orchid, periwinkle, perse, plum, pomegranate, puce, reddish-blue, violaceous, violet, wine.

I had to see it in person. For some reason the pictures of the Wrigley Marquee looked more Fuchsia than Purple when I saw Cubs mlb.com reporter, Carrie Muskat's Twitpic.  Any camera or maybe just the wrong lighting can play tricks on you and so can photoshop (tee hee, I rule too!). But in person, sitting in the McDonalds parking lot with my trusty iphone camera and my eyes, there it was...In glorious PURPLE.

Per Wikipedia...

The marquee was installed circa 1934. The sign was BLUE until the 1960s, and originally used changeable letters similar to the scoreboard to announce upcoming games. It originally read "Home of "The Cubs" but was changed to "Home of Chicago Cubs" by 1939. This was also changed during football season to reflect the Chicago Bears. In 1982, the two line announcement board was replaced with an electronic message board and a backlit advertising panel was added below

Of course, the Red Marquee just might be searching for it's Blue Roots.

Tags
Purple Wrigley Marquee

Comments

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Submitted by jacos on Mon, 11/22/2010 - 11:27 am

The article is from Phil Rogers. Should have said that first before I even bothered to click. Just from reading the heading looks like old Bourbon Breath has started celebrating the holidays a little early this year.

Submitted by navigator on Mon, 11/22/2010 - 11:47 am

I think the Ricketts should just keep the Wrigley sign lavender, in honor of them being the gayest owners in MLB.

Submitted by Mike Vail on Mon, 11/22/2010 - 11:49 pm

Have no fear: Dick Pole is available. Actually, I would like to have Orel Hersheiser as pitching coach,but it ain't gonna happen, so Mazzone?

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 11/22/2010 - 11:58 pm

Tampa Bay Rays have signed 1B Russ Canzler to a minor league contract. Canzler is the second Cub Rule 55 minor league FA to sign with a new organization (RHP Mitch Atkins signed with the Baltimore Orioles last week). The Cubs have signed two minor league FA from outside the organization so far (ex-BAL IF-OF Scott Moore and ex-COL LHP Scott Rice), and have re-signed James Adduci, Angel Guzman, Bryan Lahair, J. R. Mathes, Jonathan Mota, Mike Parisi, and Bobby Scales to 2011 minor league contracts. Adduci, Guzman, Lahair, Moore, Rice, and Scales (and presumably Mathes, although it hasn't been confirmed) got NRIs to Spring Training. Pitcher Jeff Gray, catchers Mark Johnson, Mario Mercedes and Mark Reed, 3B Scott McClain, and outfielders Jason Dubois and Brad Snyder remain free-agents.

[ ]

Submitted by Jumbo on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 11:12 am

Phil Based on the minor league contracts and players moving up through the system, who do you think are locks for Iowa? Are the Cubs far enough along in the farm rebuilding to not have to fill out the AAA roster with a bunch of "professional" minor leaguers?

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 11:08 am

Submitted by Jumbo on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 4:12am. Phil Based on the minor league contracts and players moving up through the system, who do you think are locks for Iowa? Are the Cubs far enough along in the farm rebuilding to not have to fill out the AAA roster with a bunch of "professional" minor leaguers? ======================================================== JUMBO: The Cubs are deep enough in their minor league system that they really don't need any minor league free-agents to fill out the Iowa roster. However, one of the functions of a club's AAA roster is to have at least one player at every position (plus several pitchers) who can, if needed, be promoted to the big leagues during the course of the season to replace an injured player or pitcher. Because the exact make-up of the Cubs 2011 MLB Opening Day roster is unknown at this time, I would say that as of right now, very much subject to change, that the 2011 Iowa Opening Day roster will probably look something like this: STARTING PITCHERS: Casey Coleman Jay Jackson, Chris Carpenter (unless he is moved to bullpen) Thomas Diamond J. R. Mathes RELIEF PITCHERS: Jeff Stevens Esmailin Caridad Brian Schlitter James Russell Justin Berg David Cales Austin Bibens-Dirkx (starting pitcher if Carpenter in bullpen) NOTE: This presumes Cubs MLB pitching staff is Dempster, Zambrano, Gorzelanny, Wells, and Silva as the starters, and Marmol, Marshall, Cashner, Grabow, Mateo, Maine, and Samardzija in the bullpen, but that will change if (as expected) Cubs sign FA starting pitcher and/or FA RH reliever CATCHERS: Welington Castillo Robinson Chirinos (C-1B-3B) Steve Clevenger (C-1B-3B) or Chris Robinson (other to AA) NOTE: This presumes Koyie Hill is Cubs back-up catcher (TBD) INFIELDERS: Matt Camp (SS-2B-3B-CF) Bryan Lahair (1B) Nate Samson (SS) or minor league FA SS Marquez Smith (3B) Tony Thomas (2B) OUTFIELDERS: James Adduci or Matt Spencer (other to AA) Tony Campana (CF) Brandon Guyer (RF-CF-LF) Ty Wright (LF) Bobby Scales could replace Mark Johnson as I-Cubs player-coach, starting the season on the Disabled List with some vague injury, and then getting reactivated for short periods whenever a position player goes on the 7-day DL. Mark Johnson (who was player-coach at Iowa in 2009-10) served as an Instructor and Game Manager at Instructs post-2010, and I suspect he will be named the new Cubs Minor League Catching Instructor (with Marty Pevey going back to being a manager), unless he is named manager at Peoria, Boise, or Mesa (this presumes Casey Kopitzke will be promoted to Daytona or Tennessee).

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 11:20 am

One thing to keep in mind about the Cubs 2011 MLB roster is that Geovany Soto had shoulder surgery post-2010, and it's possible that he will not be able to throw well enough to be a #1 catcher next season (at least at the start of the season). But Soto is also probably the Cubs best hitter, so do you just sit him on the bench and use him as a PH until he is healthy enough to handle the #1 catching job, or do you move him to a position where he can hit without having to throw much? And then even if he is healthy enough to catch 110-120 games, do you want your best hitter to sit on the bench 40-50 games, or would you rather have him in the lineup 150+ games by moving him to another position on days he's not catching? Because Soto (even if healthy) is NOT going to catch 150 games. The only other position Soto can play is 1B (he played there quite a bit at Iowa in 2007 when he had a sore shoulder), and that may be one of the reasons (cost being the other) the Cubs are looking at first-basemen like Nick Johnson and Chris Davis, so that Soto will be able to play 1B whenever necessary without being blocked by an Adam Dunn. But whether Soto plays 150+ games (at catcher and 1B) or just 110-120 games (max) at catcher (only), the Cubs back-up catcher is still going to start 40-50 games. Also, remember that Tyler Colvin didn't say he would not play 1B, just that he didn't want to move there during the season. So look for Colvin to play 1B (in addition to RF-CF-LF) in Spring Training if the Cubs don't acquire another LH 1st baseman during the off-season, with Soto also getting some reps there.

[ ]

Submitted by Jumbo on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 11:54 am

Thanks for both comments, Phil. I understand that arguments that Soto at 1B is less valuable than at C, but if there is no money to be spent outside the organization I would be all for a one year rental like LaRoche or an untested type like Davis. Between Soriano, Byrd, Fukudome, Colvin, and another 4th/5th outfielder type, I don't see why Colvin, Soto, and potentially one additional player couldn't hold down 1B. I'd rather do that than make a big commitment to a free agent like Dunn. With the existing roster, how would you construct the Cubs lineup? There's no great leadoff option. Fukudome could do it against RHP in the first half, but I don't think that's the way to go. What do you think of Castro leading off instead of staying in the second slot? Even if he's not a prototypical leadoff man I think he's the best choice for an everyday lineup. Not a lot of other options?

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 11:15 pm

Submitted by Jumbo on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 11:54am. Thanks for both comments, Phil. I understand that arguments that Soto at 1B is less valuable than at C, but if there is no money to be spent outside the organization I would be all for a one year rental like LaRoche or an untested type like Davis. Between Soriano, Byrd, Fukudome, Colvin, and another 4th/5th outfielder type, I don't see why Colvin, Soto, and potentially one additional player couldn't hold down 1B. I'd rather do that than make a big commitment to a free agent like Dunn. With the existing roster, how would you construct the Cubs lineup? There's no great leadoff option. Fukudome could do it against RHP in the first half, but I don't think that's the way to go. What do you think of Castro leading off instead of staying in the second slot? Even if he's not a prototypical leadoff man I think he's the best choice for an everyday lineup. Not a lot of other options? ======================================================= JUMBO: I'd go with... Fukudome, RF or DeWitt, 2B Castro, SS Byrd, CF Ramirez, 3B Soto, 1B-C Colvin, 1B-RF Soriano, LF DeWitt, 2B or W. Castillo, C and then Baker (3B-2B-1B), Barney (SS-2B-3B), Chirinos (C-1B-3B), Fuld (LF-CF-RF), and either Fukudome or W. Castillo on the bench. However, If it's Hendry making the call, then Koyie Hill probably is on the roster, replacing Chirinos or Castillo. If the Cubs acquire a LH 1B like Chris Davis or Nick Johnson, Colvin would probably play RF full-time and Fukudome would be the 4th OF instead of Fuld (presuming Fukudome is not traded). I would think that the Cubs would probably be willing to eat as much as 2/3 of Fukudome's $13.5M 2011 salary ($9M) if they can find a taker (and I think they probably can, as long as it isn't a team Fukudome has on his "no trade" list), and then they would use the $4.5M in 2011 payroll saved by trading Fukudome to pay for the RH set-up guy. If Fukudome is traded, I could see Marlon Byrd hitting lead-off (at least for a while). He has hit there before. Eventually Brett Jackson will probably be the lead-off hitter, and Hak-Ju Lee projects as either a lead-off hitter or #8 hitter if he reaches MLB.

[ ]

Submitted by Paul Noce on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 11:30 am

Dunn demanded a 4 year deal at $15 mil per from the Nats, who offered a 3 year deal last summer. Money wise, Dunn getting $12-13-14 mil per doesn't seem so crazy now, but still, he's a DH who refuses to accept he has fielding disease.

Submitted by Old and Blue on Sun, 11/28/2010 - 11:38 pm

Ok so this Bears game might actually be worth writing about.

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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