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

John Henry is mad about premature media reports?

 

So it's come to this.
Apparently Boston Red Sox owner John Henry got mad and is further delaying the Theo Epstein to the Cubs deal because of "premature media reports"?

Sit back and put yourself in the shoes of a Boston Red Sox owner.
Your team gags at the end of the season and doesn't even get in the playoffs - the biggest slow motion choke in the history of baseball.
Your manager leaves amid rumors of pill popping and perhaps a lack of leadership.
You hear rumors your team was ordering Popeye's and drinking in the clubhouse during games.
And your general manager wants to leave what was just a couple years ago a world championship team and organization to go to the most famous loser franchise in baseball.

John Henry's not mad about any stupid premature media reports.
He's mad because his toy broke and he's lashing out.

I heard that Bud Selig may go try to be the adult at the negotiations and save the day.

Whatever.
Honestly, I can't wait to hear what the hangup turns out to be, and surely the Cubs won't be portrayed very nicely, either.
My guess is it will be something silly.

 

Comments

As Rob and I argue about the value of getting Theo into the office as soon as humanly possible, it made me wonder what the guys on staff are doing. Do you suppose Ari Kaplan has suddenly become the most popular guy in the office? Knock, knock: "Hey Ari, have you got some time to show me about this Sabermorphics this week?" From Ari's website: Ari combines technology, statistical analysis and business acumen for a fresh look at evaluating players for maximum return on a baseball club’s investment both on and off the field. He has worked with some of the top-tier baseball Managers, coaches, and players to understand strengths, weaknesses, and habits of players. It sounds like a good part of his work may be in evaluating the kinds of returns a free agent will bring, both on the field and in marginal revenue.

Nothing preventing the Cubs from doing the (probably easy) deal with Moorad for Hoyer and installing him as GM, except that Epstein might prefer they wait a little longer. (He wants to get on with his life, too.) Once the Cubs have Hoyer, it's an untenable situation for the Bosox. The Cubs have a new GM, they're still waiting.

I jumped another 1800 spots on the season ticket waiting list this year, after jumping about 2700 the year before that. I moved up a total of 65 spots the three years prior to that.

[ ]

In reply to by Leningrad Cowboy

I'm been on the list since sometime around 2004-05. The only way I seem to make decent progress toward the top is following a hopeless season. But even after 2006 I didn't really move up much. So if this franchise can put together any kind of reasonable streak of success under Epstein, I may not even get a call for a few decades yet.

Under Epstein's guidance, Boston went 839-619 (.575) in the regular season and 34-23 in the playoffs, winning more than 90 games in all but two seasons.

Theo's first move? Bob Howry signed as pitching coach, Stevie Eyre signed as pitching coach for left handers. Howry: "My philosophy is to throw only fastballs." Eyre: "We need more guys like John Grabow. I saw a flaw in his mechanics and he should be fine now."

I don't remember who posted this URL, but there's a funny bit in it:
With Gonzalez entering his walk year and determined to test free agency unless he got a deal he couldn't refuse, Hoyer dealt him to the Red Sox for three prospects and utility man Eric Patterson, who for the Padres did more harm than good, both on the field and for team chemistry.
http://insidethepadres.blogspot.com/2011/10/hoyer.html

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I think Epstein out-negotiated his former protege in the Gonzalez talks. For the Padres, the trade will be defined by how prospects Antony Rizzo, Casey Kelly and Reymond Fuentes perform. None, at present, is viewed by non-Padres scouts as a good bet for stardom. Among some scouts, Fuentes needs a bounceback year to regain prospect status.. tough crowd... Rizzo in a half season at age 21, put up a OPS over 1.000 in AAA with 26 HR's in 413 PA's, near a 10% walk rate and about a 20% K rate for his minor league career. Kelly wasn't his normally dominating self in AA, but certainly not a bad season. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=kelly-001cas

Edgar Renteria, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Carl Crawford, and John Lackey. Crawford is especially disturbing. It's Boston's Soriano, maybe worse because Crawford's assets are built around speed and defense, and he's 30. You guys out there know better than I but I seem to remember that being a 7 year contract - too lazy to look it up. Levine on espn.chicago was trying to suggest the Cubs need to go after CJ Wilson, who wants a ton of money and surely a long term contract. I really don't know much about the guy, other than what I see in the stats, and he's had 2 good seasons of 200+ inning baseball. Prior to that, no more than 74 innings. I assume he was a reliever before. I don't like long term contracts to any pitcher, really, and it's one area where it's important to develop the farm system. Something Hendry actually did well for a little while. I'm not going to be one of those who gets excited about a CJ Wilson signing. Theo has his work cut out for him if he wants this team to turn it around any time soon. I hope he (and we) show a little patience and doesn't make any dumb ass long term signings.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Crawford was 28 when he signed a 7-year deal (through his 35 season). Soriano was 30 when he signed an 8 year deal (through his 38 season). To make a rough comparison, how much more would you have liked the Soriano deal if it just expired? Wilson is going to get ace money, but he's really a #2 starter (and yes, he was a reliever prior to 2010). Sabathia who is old (30) and probably will get a six year ($150 million) deal if he opts out and Darvish, who may not get posted but will probably cost something approximating Daiske's contract ($110 million) are the only ace caliber starters on the market. The Cardinals may not re-up Wainwright, but I expect they will. That being said, there's no ace pitching in the world series. How fun would it be if the Cubs signed Sabathia (.627 OPS) and got Dontrelle Willis (.665) to go along with Carlos Zambrano (.646), though?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

He's an ace and recognized by myriad baseball writers and managers as such. I guess that "Ace" is somewhat subjective b/c there is no definitive, absolutely agreed upon definition by every person, connected with the sport. He performs on the big stage, like other "Aces" have done throughout baseball history - not like Ryan Dempster. Many evaluators and armchair GM's like yourself (well, not like you) will go by Whip, K/BB, and era. AND, the intangibles of how tough the pitcher is under duress. Zach Grienke is an "Ace" and imploded when the team needed him the most. Give me Carpenter any day. CY + 2nd in CY 2009. Here is his Post-Season resume: 4 Seasons (9 Series) 8 2 .800 3.10 Including a .643 WHIP in 2 WS starts. We'll have to agree to disagree.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I guess the bottom line is that I'd be a crummy GM these days. Free agency is such a huge risk. I'd be nervous at almost any signing, even Albert. Who I consider an amazing player. At some point, you just have to take the plunge, and yeah, I'd like the Soriano deal ok if it just expired. I even really actually liked it at the time, but I did think it was a huge roll of the dice. Hendry gambled that they could win it all and he lost.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Both Crawford and Lackey had excellent stats before the signing. Sure the deal for Crawford was too long but there was no reason to expect he would fall off this fast. If he had continued to perform even close to what he had before coming to Boston the Red Sox would be in the playoffs and if they won another World Series no one would care if he wasn't that good in 3 or 4 years. Trying to blame Theo for these players completely falling off is some major revisionism in my opinion. While 2007 was certainly an outlier for Lackey, he had nothing lower than a 115 ERA+ before going to Boston. He dipped a tiny bit in 2009 but I don't like using one year to judge someone good or bad (Cubs seem to think if someone has one good year, you should sign them for lots of money). Carl Crawford, outside of 2008, consistently had an OPS+ of over 110. Very good batting average, not great OBP but not bad. I would have supported both signings for the Cubs if we had a team where a couple signings like that would get us to the World Series because you already have so many other pieces. Red Sox had that.

[ ]

In reply to by johann

I'm not slamming the whole Theo thing, I'm just aware that he's not God, and fixing the Cubs is gonna be a tough nut for him to crack. I'm glad about what the Cubs are doing right now. I feel strongly that Ricketts is putting together a good team of professionals to fix a very bad organization. I'm pretty hopeful that the team will get some better teachers into the minor leagues, that kind of thing. I'm also a realist when it comes to modern free agency. Crawford was not a good signing IMO, but Boston was pretty stacked, and they can actually afford a signing like that. Last year's drop off may have also been an aberration. He may bounce back. It would have sucked if the Theo deal had fallen through. Now all the guy has to do during his 5 year contract is bring a World Series to the Cubs. Piece of cake.

So @LynchieWCVB reports Cubs prez Crane Kenney was holding up Theo talks 'for his own interests' and is in hot water with Commish #redsox He atleast deserves a shoe to the sack.

Just to put in perspective the kind of player Theo was signing to Boston before he collapsed, here is Lackey before Boston vs Garza with ERA+: Lackey: 2006 129 2007 150 2008 119 2009 115 Garza 2006 78 2007 117 2008 119 2009 110 Lackey had been the better pitcher. Sure he's making a lot more money, but if you have the money to spend and know your team is good enough to win a World Series and spending all that money can help that happen how can you possibly say that's a bad move? The bad move is when you give a contract like that on a team that doesn't have much chance of winning a World Series. I would just like to know how Theo could have predicted such a fall off and how he can possibly be blamed. I can guarantee you if the Cubs were oh so close to winning a World Series and could sign a pitcher putting up those kind of numbers even if it were for too much money but with a very good chance they could help us win it all now and for the next couple years we would back it. Especially if the payroll and roster were such that it wasn't preventing us from filling real needs at other positions.

http://m.espn.go.com/mlb/story?storyId=7134646 "But I love playing in Chicago. I love being a Chicago Cub, and I want to be here for the rest of my career. I'm happy that Theo is going to be in charge now and really looking forward and excited and getting an opportunity talk with him. And hopefully it's not just picking up an option for this year, but I'll go out there and play the best I can and be here for a long time."

via rotowurld: "Jamie Moyer (elbow) still plans on playing in 2012." ... "The lefty has been throwing 60-pitch bullpen sessions and will soon contact teams that might want to watch him throw." via crunch: "VIVA MOYER! HELL YEAH, DUDE." he turns 49 next month, btw...julio franco, take that...satchel paige, you're next.

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

I don't think the solution to Z is to get a manager who won't put up with his act. The solution to Z is to minimize the effect of his act. Had the Cubs not made a gigantic issue of him leaving the clubhouse, or had just lied and said that he was given permission, they wouldn't have nearly the issue they had. Of course they went out and smeared him in addition, but other teams have this kind of things happen all the time and just keep it all in house. If the guy ever wants to pitch again he has to put it all out there next season. You have to keep him and let him be your #3 starter behind Garza and Dempster. You'll never get him to be more self motivated than in a contract year, even if he says he'll retire.

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).