Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Cubs Claim Catcher Off Waivers

The Cubs have claimed 26-year old C-1B Max Ramirez off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox claimed Ramirez off waivers from the Texas Rangers last Wednesday, and immediately placed him back on waivers again the next day, obviously hoping they were the only club with interest in Ramirez and that they could sneak him through. But what the BoSox did not foresee was that during the time that Ramirez was on waivers the Cubs would make an eight-player deal where they would trade four players who were on their 40-man roster for two players on the other club's 40 (thus opening up two slots on the Cubs 40-man roster), and that one of the players the Cubs would trade would be a catcher (Robinson Chirinos).

Ramirez was signed out of Venezuela by the Braves in 2002, and was traded in stretch drive deals twice, from ATL to CLE in July 2006 (for RHRP Bob Wickman), and from CLE to TEX in July 2007 (for OF Kenny Lofton).  

Ramirez was a Rangers Top 10 Prospect as recently as 2009. He is an offensive-first right-handed hitting catcher with plus-power who has also played some 1B in recent years, with a 298/396/476 minor league line in 563 career minor league games. If his minor league numbers are averaged out over 140 games per season, he would average 18 HR, 89 RBI, and 33 doubles per season. He has hit 217/343/357 with four HR and four doubles in 45 MLB games (2008 and 2010 with Texas).  

He doesn't have much of an arm, throwing out just 18% of opposing base-stealers in his minor league career, and his all-around defensive skills are rated below-average. He is also a very slow runner.

Ramirez will be competing in Spring Training with Koyie Hill and Welington Castillo for the Cubs back-up catcher gig, but (like K. Hill) Ramirez is out of minor league options, so if he does not make the Cubs 25-man roster coming out of Spring Training he would have to pass through Ourtright Waivers without being claimed before he could be sent to the minors.  

 

 

Comments

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In reply to by jacos

"Cubs still cling to the Hack Wilson Model of a ball player." I wish. Hack was fast enough to play center field for six years with the Cubs (back when deep center field was 440' away from the plate). Also had 10 stolen bases one year followed by 13 the next year. He also averaged over 11 assists a season for his six years in center for the Cubs. Yeah, I could live with a few Hack Wilsons on the team.

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In reply to by The E-Man

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 01/10/2011 - 4:47pm. ...He doesn't have much of an arm, throwing out just 18% of opposing base-stealers. Geez PHIL. 18%?! This seems like it would be in the bottom 5% of all of major league catchers, right? Maybe if he can hit, its still an upgrade over Koyie Hill ================================================= E-MAN: Max Ramirez will have to hit a TON in Spring Training to make the Cubs Opening Day roster.

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In reply to by The E-Man

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 01/10/2011 - 5:07pm. AZ PHIL: I guess so, then. What in your opinion, is the "exit strategy" for K.Hill in terms of the Organization? Coach? Equipment manager? Team carpenter? Well, maybe not the last one... ======================================= E-MAN: Koyie Hill reminds me of Elvin Tappe. Old farts like me remember El Tappe as a long-time plus-defender with a weak bat catcher with the Cubs, and he was a charter member of the Kollege of Koaches in 1961 as a player-coach. The thing about K. Hill is that the Cubs pitchers like to throw to him, and management takes note of things like that when it comes to choosing a back-up catcher. He will probably be a minor league manager or coach when his playing career is over. Although he has a strong & accurate arm and plus-power, Welington Castillo needs to improve his receiving skills before he gets a shot with the Cubs. He also is considered something of a dolt when it comes to calling a game. He isn't exactly Albert Einstein.

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In reply to by DavidP

"Do teams tend to steal more when playing a team that has a weakarmed catcher?" Look at Doumit. 91 starts at catcher, 90 steal attempts, 79 steals. So the average team stole almost a base per game when they played the Pirates and Doumit was catching. I would want to know who the teams were that stole the most bases; how they did in low-scoring games and one-run games; how they did in late innings. When the other team's stopper or closer is on the mound, it's not so easy to hit HRs and doubles, and speed might become a bigger factor.

Baseball America' Jim Callis on the Cubs Top 10: As for the Cubs, Brett Jackson would ascend from No. 2 to replace Archer as the system's best prospect, while Alberto Cabrera, Darwin Barney and D.J. LeMahieu would come into the Top 10. Quick scouting reports on the newcomers: Cabrera is a righthander with a 92-97 mph fastball and mid-80s slider; Barney is a proven winner and quality middle-infield defender who plays above his tools; and LeMahieu is the best pure hitter in the system but needs to find more power to make it at third base, his best defensive position. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/ask-ba/2011/2611134.html

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In reply to by QuietMan

With Chris Archer (my #1), Brandon Guyer (my #5), Hak-Ju Lee (my #7), and Robinson Chirinos (my #19) having been traded, my Top 15 now looks like this: 1. Trey McNutt, RHP 2. Brett Jackson, OF 3. Josh Vitters, 3B 4. Jay Jackson, RHP 5. Chris Carpenter, RHP 6. Welington Castillo, C 7. Ryan Flaherty, IF-OF 8. Jae-Hoon Ha, OF 9. Aaron Kurcz, RHP 10. D. J. Lemahieu, INF 11. Reggie Golden, OF 12. Darwin Barney, INF 13. Alberto Cabrera, RHP 14. Marquez Smith, 3B 15. Chris Rusin, LHP

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In reply to by Jim Hickmans Bat

Submitted by Jim Hickmans Bat on Mon, 01/10/2011 - 10:08pm. A. If Sczcur (sp?) commits to baseball, where would you rank him on your list? I'm guessing 7-8ish. B. Either of the two other Aarons, Schafer and Kirk? C. No love for Dolis? He seems to be a favorite of some scouts. =========================================== JIM H: A. I rate Matt Szczur right now just outside the Top 15. Right now I like Jae-Hoon Ha better than Szczur. Ha is a year younger than Szczur, has already developed HR power and base-stealing skills, and is an above-average defender at all three OF positions. Both Ha and Szczur could eventually morph into another Brandon Guyer, but Ha is closer to realizing that potential than Szczur at this time. Szczur is a raw baseball player right now, an athlete still learning the finer points of the game. He's fast but not a good base-stealer, displays BP power but not in games, and has good range in CF but with a LF arm. Szczur needs to commit to baseball before he can hone his natural hitting skills and improve his arm strength and baserunning. That said, I would not be surprised if the Cubs offer Szczur a Jeff Samardzija-type deal sometime in the next month or two, asking him to give up his NFL dreams and concentrate on baseball, perhaps with the enticement of a major league contract and a spot on the 40-man roster. The Cubs do have a roster slot open, and if they did sign Szczur to a major league contract with the accompanying spot on the 40-man roster, he would get a 4th minor league option year, so he would not have to be rushed. A lot depends on how he performs in the Senior Bowl later this month, because it is there that he will have a chance to show what he can do against major college competition. B. Aaron Shafer has potential as a RH middle reliever. He needs to prove himself for a full season at AA, but he could get added to the 40-man roster post-2011 with a strong performance at AA and perhaps in the Arizona Fall League post-2011. (Shafer fits the profile of the type of pitcher the Cubs send to the AFL). He has a similar skill-set as Kyle Smit. Austin Kirk is a pretty good prospect, and could move up with a strong performance in 2011. He needs to do a better job of throwing strikes, and he needs to be more consistent. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he is the Opening Day starter at Peoria. C. Rafael Dolis has always been a "project," but he did not progress as much as hoped in 2010, returning to Daytona at the start of the season and then struggling after a mid=season promotion to AA. I guess the disappointment stems from high expectations, given the way he wowed everybody with his gas and power slider at Instructs post-2009. After last weekend's trade, I would rate Dolis in the same group as Szczur, just below the Top 15. I do consider him to be a definite MLB prospect, but he has to refine his command and be more consistent if he is to be anything more than an MLB middle-reliever.

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In reply to by QuietMan

I see no reason why the "best pure hitter in the system" can't solve the Cubs' second-base problem, long term. I think the trade of Lee has clarified this situation a bit. Lee was not going to become a second baseman, and Castro was not going to give up his SS gig. LeMahieu will be at Tennessee this season, so he can start competing for a big-league job in spring 2012.

I was gonna bitch how we didnt get Max Ramirez a few days ago. If i remember correctly he had a shoulder injury and hasnt been right since previous to that he was a hitting machine wherever he went.

I think Ramirez is a great low-cost pickup. Has been a top prospect in the recent past, didn't cost anything (except a few bucks). If he doesn't work out, we didn't lose anything.

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In reply to by SheffieldCornelia

Submitted by SheffieldCornelia on Mon, 01/10/2011 - 7:51pm. I think Ramirez is a great low-cost pickup. Has been a top prospect in the recent past, didn't cost anything (except a few bucks). If he doesn't work out, we didn't lose anything. =================================================== SHEFF: Exactly. If there wasn't a couple of slots open on the Cubs 40-man roster, they wouldn't have even thought about claiming him (which is why they passed on him last week when the Red Sox won the claim). And if the Cubs need his roster slot later in the off-season, I would think they will just put him back on waivers. This was a "What have we got to lose?" kind of waiver claim.

Here is my take on all of this: (1) The Cubs don't mind paying Ramirez to start the year on the DL if he is not completely healthy. (2) Once activated, his initial role would be as a bat off the bench and will be tried out at catcher and 1B and any other positions he might be able to play in a pinch. (3) His ultimate role might be to be the team's 3rd catcher so that on days when Koyie Hill starts, we can use Soto off the bench as a pinch hitter and still have Ramirez available if the game goes long. If he can't come close to Jake Fox' defensive ability at a position, he can be released with little remorse.

I'm interested in the Defense vs Offense from your backup catcher discussion. As long as it's for spot starts (opposed to filling in for DL injury). I'm for offense. I don't know much about Max Ramirez but looking at his stats I noticed one thing... Even if he doesn't hit, but it seems he can... He seems to draw some WALKS (12 BB in 85 PA last year at Texas, 14.1% walk rate) minor league OBP is .396 (.298 .396 .476 .872) minor league career walk rate is 13.6% (I converted AB to PA by adding walks to AB) (minor league stats from baseball cube) conversely, Koyie Hill's mlb career OBP is .276 and has a 7.7% career walk rate Geo Soto's career OBP is .360 and career walk rate is 12.5% I'll live with the problems related to clogging the bases.

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In reply to by Cubster

I couldn't agree more. I'm sure the Cubs pitchers, coaches, and management love Koyie Hill as a person, future minor league coach, fine American, votes in every election, etc., etc. And, of course, he adds 2-3 mph to every pitchers' fastball. But for heavens sake, if you're going to play your backup catcher as much as Hill plays, why can't the Cubs have a backup catcher who can at least get on base with some regularity? Maybe Hill's minor league coaching career could start around March 30th?

Rosterbation: the discussion of backup catchers Per Carrie Muskat tweets... 33 days until spring training starts Starlin Castro 3-for-5, double shy of the cycle in Escogido's 9-7 loss to Toros in DWL

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=10775 old and probably subscription based, but he interviewed 3 past catchers and their take on what it takes to be a good one. Jason Jaramillo of the Pirates (youngin), Gregg Zaun of the Brewers (veteran, and proprietor of one of the coolest websites around), and A.J. Hinch of the Diamondbacks they don't seem to agree on much which is funny, Zaun thinks framing pitches is very important, AJ Hinch not so much, but Hinch thinks controlling the running game is vital even if by reputation, while Zaun puts that on the bottom of his list (Zaun feels actually catching every pitch and framing it properly is #1 priority). Jaramillo believes it's all about developing a good relationship with the entire staff. They all do seem to stress calling the game and implementing the game plan as Hinch calls it near the top. Worth a read...

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In reply to by Rob G.

Yeah, I doubt it. 2012: Barry Larkin The best new addition to the ballot is Bernie Williams. Larkin had 62% this year, so he will almost certainly get in. Bagwell's votes will jump a lot, but he won't make it from 42% to 75% in one year. 2013: Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell Having 3,000 hits, assumed by most to be clean, etc. will make Biggio a first ballot HOFer. Bagwell will have been in the 60%s the year before, so he will make the jump and they will fittingly go in together. Given how Palmeiro was treated, I see no way that Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, or Piazza (all first time eligible in 2013) goes in on the first ballot. Schilling will get some votes, but not nearly enough. I think these two years are pretty clear. 2014: Gets interesting. The ballot will have holdovers: Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Piazza, Schilling, Palmeiro, McGwire, Edgar, Raines, and Jack Morris will get a bump in his final year on the ballot (but I think will fall short). Mike Mussina and Jeff Kent are new on the ballot. I don't think either is a first balloter, but they will get significant votes. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas are also first time eligible and I would guess first balloters. They have monster numbers and are all assumed clean. Maddux will approach Seaver-type percentages, Thomas should be in the high 80s or low 90s, and Glavine should be in the high 70s or low 80s. There is a slight chance Glavine could slip to year two, but I would guess 1st ballot. Beyond those 3, though, we really have no idea how voters will respond to Bonds et al. the second time around. If we look at McGwire's totals and Palmeiro's first year, the signs are not good that those guys will get in anytime soon. Bonds, Clemens, and Piazza in particular were so great that they there really is no precedent. But if I had to guess sitting here today, I would say that with Maddux-Thomas-Glavine on most ballots, no one else will get in to the hall in 2014. 2015: See above clusterfuck of holdovers, PLUS Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Gary Sheffield, and John Smoltz as first-timers. Johnson and Martinez I would assume are first-balloters. Beyond that, I have no idea how these holdovers will play out. Might Mike Mussina get enough to get in? Maybe someone like Piazza, who is not AS linked to steroids as Clemens/Bonds gains support and gets in. Maybe voters feel like Clemens or Bonds have been punished enough and they get in. I don't know. But again, looking at it from today, I suspect only Martinez and Johnson in 2015. 2016: See above but add in Ken Griffey Jr. and Trevor Hoffman. Plus maybe Manny Ramirez, Andy Pettite, Chipper Jones, and Jim Edmonds if they don't play in 2011. Griffey is an obvious first-balloter. I would then guess that perhaps Jeff Kent makes it in this year. Smoltz and Mussina are also a possibility. Hoffman might make it in this year, but there is a very real possibility that he will be on a ballot with: Griffey Bonds Clemens Piazza Sosa Palmeiro McGwire Schilling Mussina Kent Smoltz Ramirez Sheffield Raines And it will be Lee Smith's 15th year if he survives this far. With a 10 person max on ballots, many voters will have them full. So I would anticipate few getting in each year because some voters will not vote for steroids players, and even those that do will be split on criteria for which 10 get on, making it even more difficult to reach that 75%. Sitting here today, and assuming a continued anti-steroid stance towards all candidates who have suspicions, I would guess the following: 2012: Barry Larkin 2013: Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell 2014: Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, and Tom Glavine 2015: Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez 2016: Ken Griffey Jr. and Jeff Kent Then beyond you will have Hoffman, Smoltz, and Mussina getting in, along with Chipper Jones. I still think Tim Raines has a shot eventually. But in 2017 we will likely see Ivan Rodriguez, Omar Vizquel, and Jim Thome hit the ballot (presuming 2011 is their last year). It will be very interesting to see how all of this plays out over the next 10 years.

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In reply to by jacos

I'm to the point now where I don't even care who took steroids. Everyone is being painted with the same brush, so the accusation of steroid use is meaningless. If everyone cheated, then there was an even playing field and no one had an unfair advantage. In my mind, the steroid era was just one of many controversial eras that MLB has gone through. Baseball has changed over the years and players should be judged by the standards of the era in which they played. I don't think it's fair to keep out steroid users/suspected steroid users when the HOF is already full of guys who took amphetamines, played during segregation, hit with corked bats, threw spit balls, etc.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

The point is, we don't know who did and who didn't. So baseball writers (at least the ones voting for the HOF) are treating them all the same, whether they used, are suspected of using, or have never been connected to PEDs. For them, it's easier to treat them all as guilty. So for all practical purposes (at least as far as it concerns HOF voting), everyone cheated.

Back to catchers, and Ramirez (the title of this page - not that it makes any difference), I was curious what some other catcher's CS % were in 2010: in 46 games "Hank White" toted a 50% Soto's: .221 KHill: .178 (I guess he is as bad as the guy they picked up) 72 games... YMolina .485 CS%, 135 Games ( The best of the Flying Molinas) B McCann .300 136 Games Pudge was around .430 (I closed the page now). So, I suppose if you have some offense and can handle the pitchers, the CS can be pushed under the table some...

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In reply to by The E-Man

to further clarify, there's also a reputation factor and the pitcher makes a big difference as well. I'm using games started as a game played could just be a pinch hitter, although could be a defensive replacement, but usually a catcher gets the whole day off from behind the plate. 2010 Soto -.221% 95 Stolen Base Attempts in 97 games started (.979 attempts per game) McCann - .300 120 SBA in 129 GS (.93 A/G) Molina - .485 68 SBA in 130 GS (.523 A/G) Pudge - .344 64 SBA in 102 GS (.627 A/G) Martin - .386 70 SBA in 79 GS (.787 A/G) Hill - .178 45 SBA in 60 GS (.75 A/G) in 2009 Soto - .28% 82 SBA in 92 GS (.891 A/G) Hill - .40% 50 SBA in 69 GS (.724 A/G)

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In reply to by The Real Neal

could be, could be Soto's reputation getting around the league each year don't know if we can say for certain. I think we can say, teams aren't shy about running on Soto. McCann 2005: .551 A/G (also half a season) 2006: .771 2007: .685 2008: .90 2009: .806 2010: .93 Soto 2008: .718 2009: .891 2010: .979 League SBA just cause I was curious: 2005: 1909 2006: 2126 2007: 2070 2008: 2029 2009: 2020 2010: 2043 and if I were to draw any conclusions, it's that Bill James was right 30 years ago about the general ineffectiveness of SB's in the grand scheme of things.

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In reply to by Rob G.

someone smarter than me can translate what that means in terms of runs over the course of a season just rounding it to make easier numbers says Soto is getting run on once per game and is basicaly letting 8 of them get by per 10 attempts. over 100 games that's 80 baserunner advances (not runs, just bases and usually 2b) Molina - for an extreme example - is basically giving up 25 extra bases over that 100 games what that translates into actual runs, got me. For some absurd simple math, say teams average .300 with RISP and assuming all runners from 2nd/3rd that steal would score from that hit, that would be 24 runs scored off Soto and for Molina that's 7.5, so 16.5 runs which is 1.6 wins (over 100 games), but there are so many more factors and run scoring matrixes that would go into that, that the number would be significantly lower. I think BR.com has a catcher defense component that takes a bunch of that including wp's, pb's, etc into account.

Also it's tough to factor in that some pitchers are really bad at holding runners at first no matter who is catching (except the elite catchers like YM or Pudge in his prime). Yadier Molina probably is better at holding runners at first (let alone throwing them out at 2nd) than most of the StL pitchers themselves. Greg Maddux never seemed to care about runners at first but when you generate so few baserunners it's less necessary to care about holding them. Thanks for posting the attempts per game numbers Rob (A/G). I think that's a pretty telltale stat about the catcher's throwing skills and reputation. The A/G stats for an entire pitching staff, an individual pitcher and the individual catchers would make an interesting study although I bet it's been done somewhere already.

From Bruce Levine's chat earlier today: Kevin (San Diego) How is the market for Fukudome and Gorz still look? Bruce Levine (1:40 PM) I don't think all that good for Fukudome. The Cubs have heard from 4-5 for Gorzelanny. Baltimore and Detroit are two of the teams, although Tigers just signed Penney. http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chicago/chat/_/id/36494 He also throws in Doug Glanville as the possible radio guy with Sarge, Zonk, & Otto.

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In reply to by QuietMan

Buried in the Levine chat is a question about a rumored deal with the Angels: Fukodome and Gorz to the Angels for Kazmir and Willits. Levine indicated that he hadn't heard anything about it but would check it out. Kazmir is owed $12 million for 2011 and $13.5 million for 2012 (with a $2.5 million buyout (which would certainly be exercised if his steep decline continues)so the dollars work out pretty close. I suspect that the Cubs would like that deal more than the Angels, depending on your view of Gorz.

If the Cubs can't trade Fukudome, then why not trade Byrd? 1. It frees up the daily OF spot needed for Colvin--assuming the Cubs are actually interested in seeing whether Colvin is a long-term asset or not. 2. Byrd was signed last winter before it was known that Colvin was going to break out. Now that he has, why do they need Byrd? 3. Byrd's contract is actually quite reasonable, he should be easy to trade on that basis. 4. Fukudome, for all his flaws, is about the best leadoff option the Cubs have for 2011. You keep him, you have your leadoff man. 5. Playing Colvin and Fukudome every day in CF/RF gets the Cubs that lefty-righty bat balance which the front office has presumably been obsessing over since 2007. Pena, Colvin, Fukudome and DeWitt, that's 4 lefties in the lineup against RHP. So, how about trading Marlon Byrd?

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In reply to by Jim Hickmans Bat

I'm not sure I see the point of just dumping Fukudome at this point unless it's a straight bad contract swap. He has decent value as a fringe starter/4th OF and even if Hendry finds another team to take Fuku's contract where are the cubs going to spend another $6-7 mil now? He'll have a lot more trade value when the Cubs are out of it in mid July. The same goes for Byrd, though I think he's better than a fringe OF and could actually bring in a decent haul at the deadline with his reasonable contract. As for Gorzo, you may as well bring all the SP (Z, Dempster, Garza, Wells, Gorzo, Silva, Cashner, and whomever else I'm forgetting) to camp and see how everything shakes out. Someone will probably get hurt and spots will open up, or try to fleece another team that has injury problems. Doing anything now would almost seem like making a move just to make a move.

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In reply to by tem99

I tend to agree. Colvin to me is still a bit of a question mark. Hot start and very mediocre past May. I'd not be surprised at a 670-830 OPS out of that guy in 2011. You are going to need to have 4 guys playing in that Cubs outfield. Each of the Sori,Colvin,Byrd,KFuk tag team is likely going to get 400+ at bats. Might as well stand pat and let Brett Jackson get 400+ at bats in Des Moines this year?

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In reply to by Dr. aaron b

I'd not be surprised at a 670-830 OPS out of that guy in 2011. really going out on a limb there. I myself suspect anywhere from 10-40 HR's from Colvin next year, hope he can hit that range. .844 OPS in the first half for Colvin, .787 in 2nd half. To me, it's whether you want a guy to get on-base or a home run when deciding between Fukudome or Colvin. the guy that really sucked down the stretch was Marlon Byrd who put 2 sub .700 OPS months to finish the season and we're all worried about Fukudome's struggles.

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In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Actually Colvin was sort of all over the place. His May OPS was 1.034 but he had a lousy sample size, so it doesn't really count for much. Then in June he dropped to 780, which is very mediocre. Then in July he had an 856 OPS, which I'd be pretty comfortable over the course of a season. August was abysmal -- 638. I think he's actually a pretty big question mark, even though I do like his swing. With his numbers, he really can't have a sophomore slump. He needs to push it to another level to be any kind of an impact player at all. As a Cubs fan who likes a good story though, I'll be rooting for him.

in addition to Texas not getting Chirinos to flip to Tampa as an ingredient, it appears that Texas lost out on Garza when they wouldn't put Mitch Moreland into a deal for Garza. from Evan Grant (a Rangers columnist): http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/grant-rangers-reluct…
The Rangers were serious about wanting Garza, but without being willing to include Mitch Moreland in the deal, they weren't as serious about actually making the deal. The Rays wanted Moreland. The Rangers value him as their long-term first baseman. They ultimately chose not to deal Moreland, which allowed the Cubs to become much more serious players in the deal.

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In reply to by John Beasley

Keri: Were they telling you, “be aggressive, be aggressive, swing, swing, swing?” Fuld: Yeah, I definitely got a lot of that sort of instruction. It’s frustrating, but it’s reality. You have to please your boss before anybody else. That’s one of the things I’m actually looking forward to in going to the Rays, is maybe a little more advanced thinking when it comes to the numbers of baseball.

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In reply to by crunch

I think in Fuld's situation it's the opposite, since has little to no power he needs to be patient. If they are instructing all of their hitters to be more aggressive and not work the count, that explains hitters like Josh Vitters (and why we rarely develop big league hitters that do anything). Telling a hitter to be more aggressive all the time and telling them to be more aggressive when a pitch is in a certain zone and situation are two different things. Of course, we don't know to what extent their mantra to be more aggressive goes.

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In reply to by Paul Noce

Submitted by Paul Noce on Wed, 01/12/2011 - 3:09pm. I think in Fuld's situation it's the opposite, since has little to no power he needs to be patient. If they are instructing all of their hitters to be more aggressive and not work the count, that explains hitters like Josh Vitters (and why we rarely develop big league hitters that do anything). Telling a hitter to be more aggressive all the time and telling them to be more aggressive when a pitch is in a certain zone and situation are two different things. Of course, we don't know to what extent their mantra to be more aggressive goes ============================================== PAUL N: I've mentioned this before, but at Extended Spring Training last year, EXST Cubs Manager Jody Davis would skip a player's next AB in an EXST game if the player was called out on strikes in his previous AB. Davis couldn't do this in official NWL games as Boise's manager, but punishing a player for getting called out on strikes (especially when the umpires at EXST are very inconsistent with their ball-strike calls) tends to make hitters think that they have to be more aggressive than they might otherwise be. Mark Johnson will be the EXST Cubs (and Boise) manager in 2011, and it will be interesting to see if Johnson (who was known for being a VERY patient hitter in his playing days, with 100+ more walks than strikeouts) takes the same approach as Jody, or if he will teach patience and plate discipline.

Brace yourselves for dumb-ass Cub Caravan articles... http://bit.ly/eMRMZw here's one of the first, Paul Sullivan says put James Russell into the mix for a starting job. Of course if Gorz gets traded, then Sean Marshall and Russell get mentions in these kind of articles because they are southpaws. Next: Will John Grabow come off the 600 day DL?
Left-hander James Russell was added to the mix of potential Cubs starters Wednesday, joining Carlos Silva, Randy Wells, Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman, Tom Gorzelanny and Jeff Samardzija in the battle for two openings.

WSCR reporting as part of Kerry Wood's deal that he would get a job with Cubs either on radio or TV. Cubs will not announce new radio guy at Cubs convention. My theory it will be Otto until Wood goes into radio in 2013.

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).