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

Game 2 Recap - Cubs Almost Lose to the Pirates Again

Box Score | Video

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R H E
Pirates 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0   3 5 1
Cubs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 x   5 9 0

I know, I know, it's just the second game of the season and it doesn't matter where you get your wins, but losing to the 'effin Pirates irks me like nothing else. I feel comfortable labeling today's game the first must win of the season. :)

The Good: Z pitched well enough, and if not for a cramp, had a chance to leave with 7 IP and 3 ER. I think we'd accept that everytime. The team managed some extra-base hits, the first of the season by Z himself with Baker, Soriano and DeWitt also hitting doubles. The bullpen retired the last 9 in a row after Wood walked his first hitter (Ronny Cedeno of all people) and as a group struck out 6 over those 3 inningss. And of course the 8th inning...

Fukudome worked a nice walk laying off a close 3-2 pitch off the inside corner. Castro launched one to the ivy in right for a double that scored Fukudome. Byrd was due up next and all I asked for was something to the right side and he obliged on a 1-2 fastball with a grounder to Overbay who muffed it about as bad as anyone could muff a routine grounder. Castro hustled home for the second run after the ball bounced into short right. After a Ramirez flyout, Soto delivered his second hit of the day, but Pena popped out weakly leaving it up to Soriano to try and tie the game or better. After looking slow on a few fastballs, Soriano caught up to one on the outside corner and it dropped in right center easily scoring the tying run and Evan Meek was done for the day. Chris Resop came in and walked Colvin and then Blake DeWitt went with the pitch over the third basemen's head for the game-winning hit. And there was joy in Cubville....

The Bad: The hackers were back out, with the Cubs swinging at 4 of the first 5 pitches of the game and something like 39 pitches through 4. Here's what the first batter did in Maholm's 7 innings thanks to ESPN pitch-by-pitch summary:

  1. Strike (foul), J Baker lined out to center
  2. A Ramirez grounded out to third
  3. A Soriano flied out to center
  4. Ball, Strike (looking), S Castro singled to center
  5. Strike (foul), Strike (looking), Ball, Ball, Foul, G Soto singled to left
  6. Strike (foul), J Baker doubled to deep left center
  7. Strike (swinging), Ball, Strike (bunted foul), Foul, Ball, Foul, Ball, Ball, C Pena walked

I believe Z had the best early at-bat working Maholm to 7 pitches before his double. On the day they ended up with 2 walks off Maholm (and no runs) and then another two walks off Meek and Resop in the 8th (5 runs). The offense as a whole looked befuddled for the most part.

Z downed too much caffeine and not enough water again and had to leave with a cramp in his arm. It's the new Z everyone!!!

The Armchair Managing:  I did think that in a 3-0 game with a runner in scoring position that Q-Ball should have burned Reed Johnson with 2 outs after Clint Hurdle went to the bullpen and Jose Veras. I think you put Fukudome in there because Reed is pretty much Neifi versus right-handers. It worked out in the 8th though when he did use Fukudome to lead-off and pinch-hit for Jeff Baker and he drew a walk on a close 3-2 pitch and ended up scoring. So all is forgiven in a win...

I'm curious about the Tyler Colvin plan. He handled himself well enough today against the lefty, but is this gonna be a strict platoon with Fukudome? Johnson would obviously be the better option for that against lefties, but I understand trying to get Colvin some at-bats while trying to use Fukudome's OBP advantage as the leadoff hitter. But if so, Colvin's numbers are sure to suffer although it'll certainly help him for next year having to battle lefties a lot.  I imagine Q-Ball will try to play some sort of matchups, or the hot hand once they played long enough to figure that out. And I imagine Colvin will get the occasional start at first base too. Something to keep an eye on...

Garza vs. Ohlendorf tomorrow...

Comments

is there a group of you willing to update the bullpen chart using Google docs? I can put it back on the right sidebar and allow access to anyone willing, but I can't keep up with it everyday myself. 3-4 volunteers would be great, simply if you notice it not updated yet, you go to a Google spreadsheet and fill in the pertinent info.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Who else do they have that can lead off? At this point Castro is a run scorer, not a run producer. If they hit him third, who is he going to drive in? I am hoping that this is just the start to something bigger. Soto should be batting third and Colvin should be in the line-up everyday. It is time for the Cubs to turn the corner and had over the keys to our young players. Everyone is negative of Barney because they compare him to Theriot and he is not. Barney has won everywhere he has been and it has not been because the talent around him was superior to the teams they were playing (like Theriot in college). Barney is a true baseball player and a winner and the sooner the Cubs realize this the better off the team will be. Having played baseball my whole life and in college, there are certain players that just get it and make those around them better and I believe that is the type of player that Barney is.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Theriot success in college was more a result of the talent around him than his influence on the team. Barney led two of the biggest underdogs ever to back to back world series titles and granted, they had talent, he was without doubt the leader of those teams. Look at the success that his teams have had in the minors. Every successful Cubs farm team for the last say 5 years has one link and that is Barney. Is he going to hit double digit hrs, no. Is he going to hit over .300, possibly. But if you ask others in baseball about him you will hear the same thing, he is a winner. Now I am not trying to paint Barney as a savior but he is the exact type of player the Cubs have been lacking throughout their history, a proven winner who gets it and makes his teammates better. Just give him a chance. Seems to me that I remember another long suffering franchise who turned to an undersized, converted ss to 2nd baseman who was too small to make it in the bigs and all he did was contribute to them becoming World Champs and now is the unquestioned leader of that franchise.

[ ]

In reply to by ksimp14

Theriot success in college was more a result of the talent around him You may want to reconsider this, College Baseball Expert: Via LSU Sports.net: "LSU’s second-leading hitter on the year, batting .353 (94-for-266) with 18 doubles, three triples, one homer and 48 RBI ... voted second-team all-SEC by the league coaches ... finished his career in the Top 10 in several school categories, including hits (No. 8 – 255), triples (No. 9 – nine) and walks (No. 5 – 157) ... he also collected 625 assists, tying Jason Williams (1993-96) for first place in LSU career annals ... LSU’s leading hitter in SEC games in 2001, batting .374 (46-for-123) with 11 doubles, one triple, 18 RBI and 24 runs ... posted a team-best 17-game hitting streak during the season ... named SEC Player of the Week April 9 after an 8-for-12 performance in three games at South Carolina (April 6-8) ... 4-for-6 with one double, three runs and two RBI vs. Ole Miss (April 14) ... 4-for-6 with two runs at South Carolina (April 7) ... 2-for-5 with one double and a career-high four RBI vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (April 10)." His 2000 CWS Line - 4 Games (0 errors) OBP Ryan Theriot........ .368 4-4 19 6 7 1 0 0 4 8 .421 He had the nice benefit of having Hawpe and Fontenot on the same team, but he had PLENTY of success on his own, regardless of whom was around him.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

there is no reason for the sarcasm or negativity, I was just trying to distance Barney from Theriot because everyone is so down on Theriot. Theriot was a very good college player and had a great college career. He was exactly what the Cubs needed at the time when he came up and produced for them and for whatever reason, got away from doing what got him to the majors and I believe got a little full of himself. Again, I am not trying to paint Barney as the savior of this team or the organization, but after 100+ years of suffering, it is time to think outside the box and go with guys that make the team better, not the guys with the highest contracts. It is nice to see the Cubs manager try different things and get everyone involved, because the quickest way to develop a strong team is to have competition for playing time. This keeps the veterans on their toes and lets the kids know that if you produce you are going to play.

[ ]

In reply to by ksimp14

Every successful Cubs farm team for the last say 5 years has one link and that is Barney. Considering he's been with the organization since 2007, that's quite the feat. 2007 - played for Peoria for 44 games, they missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. AA Tennessee (sans Barney) did make the playoffs though. 2008 - Daytona - they did win the FSL, I'm sure it was all because of Barney's .682 OPS 2009 - split between AA/AAA, not sure when he made the move, but AA had a better 2nd half that got them in the playoffs and likely after Barney left. Iowa ended up a .500 team. 2010 - Iowa just missed the playoffs. Sandberg was manager of 3 of those teams btw.

Ohlendorf vs Garza today. Shapes up as a battle between pitchers with big fat ERA's around 10.00 in spring training. On the other hand, Ohly-owned us last year. 2 starts in May vs Cubs: 3 earned runs on 7 hits in 13 innings.

Chance of rain 60%. Will this be enough moisture for Pena to make him feel comfortable? Hope he brought his Under Armor as well.

National Anthem singer is singing A-Merica. God Bless A-Merica. (like A and Merica are two separate words) People in the stands look confused. Wow. He can clearly sing but he's butchering the National Anthem and God Bless America.

4 Top prospects for this shit? And of course the D didn't help matters botching up a made to order 5-4-3. Garza will be gone by the 6th if things continue. He's had two two-out risp innings and let up rbi's in both cases. One to Ronny Cedeno! He's gotta do better.

OK - 10k's so far. A few lucky hits by Bucs. Garza seems to have recovered as of 6.1 innings. Edit - make that 11. Also most hits given up in career -12. Edit 2 - make that 12 k's Cuscak making his annual visit fwiw

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).