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 5 Quick Recap - Cashner is King

Box Score | HighlightsFangraphs WP chart

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R H E
DBacks 0
0 1
0
0 0 3
0 1
  5
7
1
Cubs 0 2
2
0
0 0 2
0
x   6
10
0

The Gist: It seems the weekday recaps are gonna be a little harder to get to for me. Andrew Cashner got his first major league start and threw quite well except for a 3rd inning home run to Ryan Roberts. He made it into the 6th on just 72 pitches (43 for strikes) and 10 groundballs to 5 flyballs.  Then the bad news...he felt something in his shoulder and left the game with a 4-1 lead and went for an MRI, which we should hear the results tomorrow.

That meant going to the depleted bullpen that was without the services of Marmol and Wood. Samardzija was up first and pitched quite well in the 6th, striking out Kelly Johnson and Justin Upton to end the inning on some nice breaking pitches. Q-Ball tempted fate though by putting Samardzija out there in the 7th and he promptly walked the leadoff man. He did get the next batter on a fielder choice and then after a visit by Q-Ball, walked the next batter to end his day(good pep talk). That meant Marcus Mateo who had nothing going for him as he walked a hitter and gave up a single to allow the first of Samardzija's inherited runs.. In came James Russell, who got the lefty Russ Branyan swinging, but gave up a single up the middle to Willie Bloomquist that tied the game before ending the inning by getting Kelly Johnson out.

The Cubs came back in the 7th to take the lead again with Byrd's third hit of the day(welcome to the 2011 season) plating the lead run and Tyler Colvin walking with the bases loaded for the needed insurance run. Russell came back out in the 8th, with Q-Ball clearly saving John Grabow for possible extras and Sean Marshall for the 9th. He promptly gave up a leadoff single, but that was erased by a 3-6-1 double play started by Colvin and awkawrdly finished by Russell who somehow kept his foot on the bag on the throw back. And then ended the inning striking out Chris Young.

Marshall got in a little trouble in the 9th, giving a run back. But an amazing play by Starlin Castro to nail Xavier Nady on a bouncer that went off Marshall's glove that Castro came in on, barehanded and whipped across on a short hop probably saved the day (replays did show that Nady was safe). Then Marshall ended it by getting Bloomquist swinging for his first save of the season.

Some other notes...

- Fukudome got on base 3 out of 5 times out of the leadoff spot which is great. What wasn't great was him not advancing to third in the first on Byrd's looper down the left field line. The ball was heading toward the left field line which means Fukudome easily could have been standing on 2nd and even slightly past even if he thought there was any chance to catch it and should have been hustling to third the second he could see the catch wasn't going to be made. This isn't a question of speed, but of awareness. And of course Ramirez flies deep to left the next at-bat that would have scored him.  Then in the second he got nailed at home on a gapper to left by Castro. That one didn't seem too bad, a lesser leadoff man doesn't get on-base in the first place to get Castro up there and Young did cut it off from getting to the wall and of course the nice relay home.

- Assuming Cashner misses at least one start, with the off day Thursday, the next time a 5th starter is needed is at Houston on Tuesday. My assumption is Casey Coleman would be first in line for a start, meaning a roster move (likely Cashner to the DL, but possibly someone else getting sent down if he's only missing the one start). If the injury ends up being serious, I don't think the Cubs will go back to Carlos Silva, seemed some bridges were burned when he departed. I would of course love for the Cubs to go after the Twins Kevin Slowey, but don't know the asking price (allegedly a reliever that can help now...think Sean Marshall quality) or how Slowey's arm is doing after his injury last year.

Parachat Moment:

Me: "I stepped away from the computer. How did Koyie Hill get on-base? Act of God?

sbwilliams: "He walked on four pitches...so yes."

Cubs go for the sweep today before the day off on Thursday...Armando Galarraga vs. Ryan Dempster.

Comments

(replays did show that Nady was safe) I didn't think they were conclusive. There was one shot where he looked completely safe, and another where it was much less clear. Of this latter shot, Kasper opined it appeared to be a correct call. Not that it matters much. Here's hoping for the sweep today.

[ ]

In reply to by Stevens

Submitted by Stevens on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 9:11am. On TV, Kasper and Brenley criticized the coach for first sending him and then changing to a stop sign. ============================================= STEVENS: FWIW, Mark Grace said the same thing on the D'backs TV broadcast. Said Ivan DeJesus put up the STOP! sign too late, because by that time Fukudome had seen the wave home, and was looking at the 3rd base bag and making his turn at full blast. Grace also opined that that the Nady call could have gone either way on that close play at 1st base, and that since neither Arizona 1st base coach Eric Young or manager Kirk Gibson argued the call, the D'backs must not have thought it was a bad call, either, because both Young and Gibson will argue when they think the umpire made an incorrect call.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Submitted by The Real Neal on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 10:31am. Did you catch the bit where Grace referred to the D-Backs as "them"? It was sometime in the 9th, I can't remember the exact circumstance. ===================================== REAL NEAL: He tries hard to pretend that he's an Arizonan now (heck, so am I!), but I think we all know that Mark Grace left his heart in Chicago. What's telling is when broadcast partner Darin Sutton mentions that Gracey is treated like a king everywhere he goes in Chicago and asks Mark about Chicago, he always says he loves the city, he loves the fans, and he loves the ballpark, but I never hear him say anything good about the Cubs organization. I think he might have burned some bridges there.

1B ump yesterday was a des moines native which significantly decreases probabilities of wrong call[s]; behind plate today to call the sweeper...

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).