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

Ron Santo statue to be unveiled today.

It's Ron Santo Day.
Today at 5:30 outside the right field gate at Wrigley, the Ron Santo statue will be unveiled.
The team will be out there along with the Santo and Ricketts family and any other member of the Chicago Cubs family.
People will speak, maybe even Kerry Wood, and it's sure to be pretty emotional.
So take a minute today to think about Ron as a Cub and Cub Fan.
I don't know for sure, but I'd turn on WGN AM 720 about 5 today and see if they cover it live, and leave it on thru the game because you'll want to hear Pat Hughes do the game tonight.
And man do I hope they did something with the statue along the lines of the Billy Williams and Ernie Banks statues rather than get all arty like the Harry one. 

Comments

I agree on the Harry statue. Looks like something out of Dante. The only problem I have with the Williams statue is that rather than showing his distinctive batting stance or swing, it looks like he just awkwardly fouled a ball down the left field line.

from callis None. Believe those are both done & under wraps. @jdfisch: Does Rock shoulders signing affect vogelbach Gretzky signing? #cubs #mlbdraft and Believe it's done, just not officially announced. @Dylanj85: what happened with Trevor Gretzky ? Did that deal fall through? #cubs #mlbdraft

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

itto (PR): What's the upside of Abreu, aquired by the Cubs in the Kosuke Fukudome deal? John Manuel: We had a feature on Abreu earlier this year by venerable K-Tribe beat writer David Hall, and Abreu has all kinds of upside. He's got plus raw power and bat speed to spare. But he's one of the minors' freer swingers (kind of strange how the Cubs keep accumulating such players) and has to identify spin better, and that's just not a skill that develops overnight. Good to see him off to a good start in Daytona, but he's new there; curious to see if he makes adjustments when pitchers realize they don't have to throw him strikes.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/minorleagueupdate/ Hak-Ju Lee, SS, Rays (High-A Charlotte): 2-for-5, R, K. Three straight multi-hit games for the first time in over a month; .317/.389/.442 overall. Brett Jackson, OF, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa): 3-for-5, 2 R, BB, K, SB. Up to .313/.407/.615 in 26 Triple-A games; hard to see him not spending most of 2012 in the big leagues. Jae-Hoon Ha, OF, Cubs (Double-A Tennessee): 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI; 2-for-4, CS. 20-year-old Korean was hitting .241 entering August, but 16-for-32 run in last nine games have him up to .300/.336/.457 in 37 games. Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Double-A Mississippi): 2-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, CS; 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 K. Hitting .406 in August in .287/.322/.463 overall; there is progress here, but is it enough?

Jason Parks chat http://www.baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=864 Moe (NYC): Hey Jason- I had a question concerning #TheLegend. I was curious who you consider a better prospect, Mr. Alfaro or Matt Szczur? I ask because they are extremely different beasts one (#TheLegend) is a raw MONSTER the other (Szczur) is a solid player with an unspectacular upside. I know Alfaro's chance to reach his ceiling are just a fraction of Szczur's chances to be a solid everyday guy or bench guy, but how to you weight the factors? Thanks Professor. Jason Parks: Alfaro is the better prospect. I'm a big fan of Szczur, but despite the speed, does he have anything elite in his skill-set that could change games at the next level? Not really. Lots of tools, but he's not going to be elite. #TheLegend, on the other hand, is a bigger risk, but a much bigger reward, with an arm that is a 7/8 and power potential that is at least a 7. Those are game changing tools from a premium position on the diamond. That makes him the better prospect. and Toby (Toronto): The Blue Jays have the 2nd best farm system in baseball. True or False? Jason Parks: I don't know. They are top 5 for sure. I haven't thought about it much because it ultimately doesn't matter how the national media grades systems. hehe, truth.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

more Matt (Chicago): What is your current call on one Josh Vitters? He's squaring the ball up but BBs still lacking. Jason Parks: He's never going to walk. He loves to swing and has one of the better raw hit tools in the minors. If only he could work himself into quality hitting environments he could hit .300 at the major league level. It's not going to happen and its a huge waste and Starlin Castro has put a few doubles over the fence the last week; sign of things to come? What would you project the power to? Thanks for everything. Jason Parks: ... Castro will develop more power as he matures, but I don't expect crazy production in that department. I love his swing. He has one of the best hit tools in the game.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

keeps going Matt (Chicago): Is there any hope of Trey McNutt materializing into a decent mid-to-top of the rotation SP? Is he the only notable SP prospect in the Cubs system? Jason Parks: Sure. I think staying in the middle-of-the-rotation is more realistic, but I'm a fan of his stuff. and Matt (Chicago): How do you think Brett Jackson's D will hold up in CF at the ML level? Btw, I love reading your pieces at BP, you've helped cover the loss of Christina? Jason Parks: Thanks. In my recent CF piece (submitted to BP editing) I called Jackson Mr. Solid-Average. I think his defense will be just that.

CUBBY BLUE: Caught your back page in Vineline. Ricketts may be "SO COOL" to you in the 500 section as you cash your freelance check, but you may want to wipe the grease off your fingers. I hope your check doesn't bounce, either. Any mixed feelings about doing that for an owner that can't find the toilet yet, or are you able to separate yourself from the whoring that many of us have had to endure to make a buck? Anyway, you sure are getting some nice gigs. Congrats.

article on the advantages of signing before the deadline, here's the Cubs mentions I could find http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14757 Catcher: Neftali Rosario, Cubs. Rosario, a sixth-round pick out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, received a $150,000 bonus, one of the biggest in the round. The 18-year-old has lived up to expectations by showing excellent receiving skills and a plus arm. He’s also shown a surprisingly good bat, hitting .340/.375/.566 in limited action for the Cubs’ complex team in Arizona. He might not be ready for a full-season assignment in 2012, but this summer's performance gives him a better chance for one. 1B Big Names Unsigned: Cubs second-round pick Dan Vogelbach is an exceedingly beefy bat-only slugger with huge power potential, and it will take big money to sign him away from Florida. Cron's younger brother, Kevin, was a third-round pick by Seattle and is a similar player to his brother. 2B Big Names Unsigned: Players are rarely drafted as second basemen, as it's a position created when shortstops prove unable to play on the left side of the infield. There are no unsigned players drafted as second baseman in the first, but plenty will end up there. Cubs first-rounder Javier Baez is the highest-drafted player likely to end up at the keystone.

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).