Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-23-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
* Matt Mervis
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 9 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P

DFA: 1 
Garrett Cooper, 1B 
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

The Current NL Central Lineups

Submitted by Rob G. on

I'm using the MLB depth charts, the Bill James projections for wOBA on Fangraphs and their 2012 playing age along with a few assumptions like Dusty isn't going to play Devin Mesoraco or Chris Heisey over veterans. Let's see how the NL Central offenses stack up. Obviously the actual order of lineups and players may vary, and there's no accounting for expected playing time due to injuries or sucktitude.

Cardinals:
Furcal(.324), Beltran(.367), Holliday(.394), Berkman(.380), Freese(.353), Molina(.320), Jay(.328), Schumaker(.309)

Average wOBA: .347
Age: 31.75

Brewers:
Morgan(.311), Weeks(.348), Braun(.411), Hart(.355), Ramirez(.362), Gamel(.357), Lucroy(.319), A. Gonzalez(.285)

Average wOBA: .344
Age: 29.375

Reds:
Stubbs(.331), Phillips(.332), Votto(.408), Rolen(.334), Bruce(.363), Ludwick(.323), Hanigan(.324), Cozart (.315)

Average wOBA: .341
Age: 29.75

Cubs:
DeJesus(.324), Castro(.346), LaHair(.352), Soriano(.331), Stewart(.329), Soto(.344), Byrd(.319), Barney (.294)

Average wOBA: .330
Age: 29.375

Pirates:
Presley(.345), Tabata(.328), Walker(.329), McCutchen(.360), Alvarez(.333), G. Jones(.338), Barajas(.288), Barmes(.300)

Average wOBA: .328
Age: 28.125

Astros:
Lowrie(.341), Altuve(.321), Martinez(.353), C. Lee(.339), Bogusevic(.325), Paredes(.292), Schafer(.288), J. Castro (.287)

Average wOBA: .318
Age: 26.375

The Cardinals are of course going to have to stay healthy to keep up the offense and that's no small task with Carlos Beltran, Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday and Rafael Furcal on the roster. I'm sure the Cubs are hoping to get a little bit more from David DeJesus and Ian Stewart than their current projections, but doesn't mean it will happen.  If and when the Cubs replace Byrd and LaHair with Anthony Rizzo(.318) and Brett Jackson(.342), their average age would go down to 27.125, as would the projected wOBA, albeit slightly to .329 (Rizzo gets no love in the Bill James projections for whatever reason). Another fun exercise for the Cubs is to replace LaHair, DeJesus and Stewart with Prince Fielder, Beltran and Aramis Ramirez because why the hell not? this is all just for fun. In that case, the average wOBA goes up to .345 while also likely hurting the Brewers and Cardinals a bit. Of course, that also has the potential to bring the average DOTDL up to potentially astronomical levels (Dollars on The Disabled List) along with the problem of justifying the $50M or so to pay them for just this year.

I'll see if I can do something similar with the projected pitching staffs in the very near future.

Tags
NL Central
2012 Projections

Comments

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:49 am

with Tigers out of the Cespedes talks most likely, it would appear that Cubs and Marlins are ahead of the pack. I'd have to think Marlins are far more willing to give out stupid money at this point though, especially if they think Cespedes is someone they can market around.

Submitted by superjimmer on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:52 am

Here is a wish that I think makes sense: Garza (and cash and/or another player) To Cleveland for: Dillon Howard RHP Jake Sisco RHP Luigi Rodriguez OF The thinking is Cleveland needs to answer Detroit move, and while their minor league system is not well ranked they do have some raw talent at the lowest levels. So they get Garza for a few years, and then their A/AA guys will be ready when they are ready to reload. Cubs get a few more pieces for the future to gamble on...

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:53 am

some links for those interested in him, expected cost is $20M range and likely bidding won't start until after the season starts. http://orioles-nation.com/2011/12/12/talent-from-cuba-jorge-soler/ Looking at Jorge Solver’s age and physical frame makes you think you just caught lighting in a bottle. His frame and projection is still massively untapped and he could be a 230 pound masher in his prime; it is that type of lower foundation and torque that makes every scout think he will be better than Leonys Martin, who was signed by the Rangers last year. He shows every tool that you covet and then some for an up the middle prospect. http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2010/11/cuban-defector-sh… Soler, the 18U team's right fielder, has a strapping 6-foot-3, 205-pound body, is 18 and has five-tool potential. The best running time scouts got for Balaguer was 4.4 seconds to first base; Soler, also a right-handed hitter, checked in at 4.26. Soler has bat speed and what one scout called "explosive power" to go with above-average arm strength. http://www.snywhyguys.com/2011/12/25/scouting-jorge-soler/ Soler is four years younger and more talented than Leonys Martin, another Cuban outfielder who signed a $15.6 million major league contract with the Rangers in April. Once Soler is cleared to sign with a major league team, he’s expected to top Martin’s deal. The new CBA provides for a $2.9 million international cap for each team for the 2012-13 signing period, which doesn’t start until July 2. As long as Soler signs before then, he won’t be subject to the cap. And even if he were, he’s talented enough and the penalties for busting the cap are so light (a 100-percent tax on the overage and a prohibition on signing any international player for more than $250,000 in the next signing period) that I bet several clubs would be willing to exceed the $2.9 million.

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:39 am

i really wanted to like Baseball IQ, but it's pretty bland/dry. these guys are some legit/hardcore baseball nerds, though. it's delivering what it promised and you can learn + jog your memory about a lot. matt vag is good for keeping guys loose, but almost all the contestants lack personality.

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Submitted by navigator on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:21 am

Some great reporting by the affirmative action Trib reporter... //The Schlenker bid of $4.8 million was named the preferred bidder prior to Friday's auction, meaning other bidders would have to top the price.// Subsequent bidders would have to bid more to win. Who knew? .. Actually, with a preferred bidder designation someone would have had to outbid Schlenker by 5% to win the bid and no doubt they were hoping the Ricketts would do just that.

Submitted by Jace on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:38 am

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/ The way this article is written, you would think that Samninja was one of the Cubs' best pitchers. This came as a pretty big shock to me. I must not have been paying attention last year, but in the past he has always been infuriatingly wild... What is everyone else's take on him? When i looked up his career stats, I pulled up an article saying the Cubs had declined his option for 2012... What is his contract status?

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Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:11 pm

Samardzija signed a major league contract right after being drafted that had him signed through 2011 with options for 2012 and 2013. The Cubs declined his options, but he still hasn't reached 6 years of service time, so he's still property of the Cubs. A matter of fact, he hasn't even reached arbitration eligibility, so for one season he's still an auto-renewal player which means Cubs can pay him essentially whatever they want over the league minimum. Most players get called up and they are auto-renewal players for the first 3 years and then arb eligible the next 3 years and then free agents. Samardzija signed the somewhat unique major league deal, so his first few years were covered by that contract. The Cubs wisely declined his option this season because he hadn't reached 3 years of service time and hasn't been as good as they wanted, so he's now like any other player with 2+ years of service time although he is out of option years already.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:26 pm

pretty much... had he reached 3 years or more of service time by the end of 2011 and been a little better, then picking up the option would have made some sense for the Cubs, but the way things worked out, it was a no-brainer to decline it. Bad thing is he's out of option years though, so he has to stick with the club or be outrighted and then exposed to waivers.

Submitted by DavidP on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:56 am

Samardzija came on strong last year as the season wore on. Towards the end, he looked like the pitcher the Cubs had hoped for a couple of years ago. I believe that is the reason why the Cubs felt comfortable in trading Cashner. Whether he can do it as a starter, however, is still up in the air.

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:21 pm

that raised their stock with fall/winter league performances http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15896 LaHair has gone from a Quad-A hitter to one scouts believe in. He was one of the best hitters in the minors in 2011 with a .331/.405/.664 line for Triple-A Iowa, and he was impressive enough in an end-of-season stint with the Cubs that he's been handed the first-base job, even after the acquisition of Anthony Rizzo. Though things are finally lining up for LaHair, he played in Venezuela this winter and dominated the league; he hit 15 home runs in 169 at-bats and drew nine intentional walks. Just as importantly, he spent some time in left field, hoping to prove that when Rizzo is ready, he'll be able to move, as opposed to just fade away.

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:57 pm

his career has been long over besides minors filler these days, but... "Daryle Ward was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for amphetamines."

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 01:44 am

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chicago/chat/_/id/42232 - says Cubs will go after Cespedes and Soler (guess Cespedes makes sense with lack of FA hitters available next offseason and him or Jackson can move to a corner, probably Cespedes. Soler's a few years away). - completely forgets that Volstad is part of the rotation mix, corrects it - thinks either Garza gets an extension or he's traded between now and July 31st. - suggests Hoyer/McLeod talked a reluctant Epstein in trading Cashner for Rizzo

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 01:01 am

ken caminiti aint got shit on this dude... "Dustin Richardson has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for five different PEDs. A former fifth-round draft pick, Richardson was released by the Braves earlier this winter after struggling to rein in his control issues last season at the Triple-A level. The 28-year-old could struggle to find a new opportunity."

Submitted by Sweet Lou on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 01:00 am

According to MLB Trade Rumors:
"Free agent Raul Ibanez believes that a three-day session that he had in December with Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo will be key to a bounce back season in 2012. Last season, Ibanez hit .245/.289/.419 in 575 plate appearances for the Phillies."
Rudy hasn't had much of an impact on the Cubs (the teams that pays his salary), but he is apparently helping players that will be playing against them. Doesn't seem right, does it?

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 01:06 pm

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/42270/mlb-insider-keith-law Re: Rizzo I think the idea that he had "holes exposed" (try taking that phrase out of context) as a 21-year-old in the big leagues is pretty damn silly. Re: B. Jackson Well, yeah, it does. If he can't maintain a high enough contact rate against better-quality pitching, the OBP won't hold up. Re: Soler and if Cespedes is worth over $50M I'd be in on both, since they're the last truly free international free agents we'll have until eventually baseball realizes they've shot themselves in the foot with the restrictions in the new CBA. Re: Backloading or frontloading contracts Teams prefer backloading because it keeps money free in the current year to add more players, and because they're essentially betting on salary inflation. Players prefer backloaded deals because the final year's salary affects potential arbitration cases.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 01:09 pm

Thu, 01/26/2012 - 2:11pm — Rob G. Re: The Current NL Central Lineups Manny Corpas is your 40-man casualty... outrighted and will now be an NRI to spring training. ======================= ROB G: Per Article XX-D of the CBA, Manny Corpas now has eight days to decide whether to accept the Outright Assignment or elect free-agency. (Players who have accrued at least three years of MLB Service Time and/or been outrighted previously in their career can refuse an Outright Assignment, and Corpas has accrued 4+076 MLB ST through the 2011 season). If he elects free-agency, he can choose to become a free-agent immediately, or he can defer free-agency until the end of the MLB regular season. If he elects to become a free-agent immediately, his contract is terminated and he receives no termination pay. If he defers free-agency until the end of the MLB regular season, his contract remains in force and he is paid at the minor league split rate while on Outright Assignment. Also, he would not have the right to be an Article XX-D minor league free-agent post-2012 if he is added to an MLB 40-man roster prior to the conclusion of the MLB regular season. The fact that he was not claimed off Outright Waivers makes it pretty obvious that none of the other 29 MLB clubs wanted Corpas if it meant having to add him to their 40-man roster (at least for the salary he's getting from the Cubs), and it is likewise questionable whether he could hope to get the money he's getting from the Cubs if he were to elect free-agency now and sign a minor league contract with another club. So Corpas will very likely accept the Outright Assignment and defer free-agency until the conclusion of the MLB regular season (presuming he has not been added to an MLB 40-man roster by that time). BTW, if the Cubs bring Corpas up from the minors and add him back to their MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) at least 20 days after MLB Opening Day, he burns a minor league option (he has two left), even though he was outrighted--not optioned--to Iowa today. However, if the Cubs bring him up from the minors and add him to their MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) prior to the 20th day of the MLB regular season (like if he makes the Cubs 25-man roster out of Spring Training), an option is not charged.

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 01:24 pm

Leyland says Miguel Cabrera will indeed move to 3B...Tigers pitchers must be thrilled. Fielder, Cabrera and not like Peralta is all that great. Dear god, stay away from Rick Porcello in your fantasy drafts.

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:56 am

MLB MLB BREAKING: @Phillies sign OF Juan Pierre to Minor League contract with invitation to Spring Training. I betting he doesn't play in MLB next year.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:36 pm

Fri, 01/27/2012 - 11:48am — Jace Bobby Scales is BACK! =============================== JACE: Bobby Scales will probably be a player-coach at Iowa in 2012, coaching 1st base, and getting temporarilily activated whenever they need a body. Meanwhile, Scales will learn the ropes of managing and instruction under the I-Cubs' veteran minor league manager (and ex- Cubs Minor League Field Coordinator) Dave Bialas. The Cubs have done this many times before. Just for example, Casey Kopitzke, Mark Johnson, Jason Dubois, Franklin Font, and Leo Perez were all player-coaches in the Cubs organization before getting full-time gigs as minor league coaches or managers. Besides Bobby Scales, other candidates for minor league player-coach next season would include Blake Lalli, David Macias, Carlos Figueroa, and Mario Mercedes.

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:18 pm

David Cameron tweet- In 1982, Bob Stanley faced 694 batters in relief. In 2011, Jeff Samardzija led all relievers with 380 batters faced.

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:21 pm

Ruzz Canzler DFA'd by Rays to make room for Keppinger. just a tsunami of ex-Cubs news today....

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:53 pm

Well... mikewickett michael wickett tweet- Corey Hart: "You lose more in the clubhouse with craig counsell leaving than Prince". #brewers

Submitted by navigator on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:04 pm

Hey, Anybody get their swing analyzed by Rudy Jaramillo for $150. http://www.rudyjaramillo.com/5452.html And then what to make ? of this tidbit from C. Muskat's column on Josh Vitters... //Stewart has gotten a head start. He attended a mini-camp with Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo in early January in Mesa and the reports were good.//

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:51 pm

b.selig at "Sox Fest 2012" (wsox) asked about the theo-compensation issue...reply "..it's in my lap." no idea how long this will drag on.

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Submitted by Jim Hickmans Bat on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:52 pm

Lame. Vitters comes across as a woe-is-me, huge chip-on-the-shoulder kid. A call-up "isn't up to me, it's the front office's call" etc...how about you hit better than a 800 OPS in the minors in your SIXTH professional season and maybe someone will take you serious? Cripes, the Cubs are real men of genius when it comes to having that #3 overall pick, aren't they? Patterson, Montanez, Vitters. Awesome.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 01:04 pm

lulz...MLBInsideNews "Scott Swaim" closed his account minutes/hours after prince fielder was signed. at least that's over.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 01/28/2012 - 01:57 am

fwiw, matt garza was at the bulls game on the 25th. wonder what he's in town for (besides a basketball game)...or if he lives here now in the offseason. he's got 3 kids and at least 1 is school age, maybe 2. he wasn't good at condoms in highschool...supposedly a good family dude, though. whatever, rock on.

Submitted by John Beasley on Sun, 01/29/2012 - 01:36 pm

will be making a calculated gamble that Cubs fans are slightly less whiny than Red Sox fans.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 01/29/2012 - 01:40 pm

"Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals are "actively shopping" right-hander Kyle McClellan." i still think it's an error on STL's part not having him as a starter. maybe someone will "fix" that issue. cubs not rumored in the mix, fwiw.

Recent comments

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I’ll spare the details which I’ve stated before but, in short, the Cardinals have lost their sight of their successful identity and strategy over last several dominant decades. From the beginning of the season I saw the Cardinals being in last place or near it again this year, and my prediction is that Mozeliak will be gone after the end of the season.

  • Bill (view)

    I would have kept Cooper rather than Wisdom, but at least I can understand why they did it.  In a team that lacks dominant power hitters, Wisdom can be a dominant power hitter, at least in streaks.  I suppose that there is always the possibility that the streaks longer in both duration and frequency.  I will be content if they essentially make a 100 % DH commitment to Mervis against righties and Wisdom against lefties.  When a regular needs rest, give them total rest, rather than a DH rest.  Do this for at least 2 months, and then re-evaluate at that point.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    This is Cubs adjacent but…


    Jordan Walker just was optioned by the deadbirds. For all the talk of the Cardinals development machine, they’ve really missed on a lot of can’t miss superstars lately. Walker has struggled. Gorman has been okay. They’re already trying to push Carlson out the door. Their pitching system has been so bad they had to go out and sign basically a full rotation over the last two offseasons.

    They’ve still developed a few of those pesky solid players, like Donovan, Edman, and Nootbaar. Their two best prospect to MLB players have been Adolis and Arozarena, neither of which is a cardinal.

    I hope they never figure it out again. Cardinal failure brings me such joy.
     

  • Raisin101 (view)

    Thank you so much! I really appreciate not only all your posts but how eager you are to respond to our questions.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Is it just me or does it seem that official scorers are becoming less likely to call a misplay an error? 

     

    Guess I've hit my cranky old-man phase in life.  "I remember back in the day when an error was an error.  Official scorers have gone soft.  Now where did I put my readers?!!??"

     

    Sidenote, maybe Bellinger should be a little more careful against the Astros.  That was the series last year that a play at wall put him on the IL.   

  • crunch (view)

    i hated the almonte pickup, but he's 9-10 out of 12 for good outings, following a great spring.  hope he can keep it up.

    i already miss cooper, but yeah...the thin OF roster backup the team seems to want to carry probably got wisdom preference over cooper.  i could live without seeing wisdom at 3rd unless it's a blowout, though.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Things I've been wrong about:

    -Tauchman is fine as a 4th OF. I knew that. I just want a better LH DH option and he was really the DH for us until Seiya got hurt. I'm glad Mervis is getting a chance at it. Caissie is coming for that job for sure. But Tauchman continues to be highly useful as a 4th OF with Seiya being hurt

    -I wanted Yency to go to get guys at Iowa a chance. Guys like Palencia and Sanders or RileyT. Maybe even Hodge! But Yency has been better the last two plus weeks. He did hit 96 the other day. He was 93 in Texas to open the season.

    -Leiter has his split working enough. It just needs to stay there

    -I was surprised Jed picked Wisdom over Cooper. I wonder if this happens if Seiya wasn't hurt. Wisdom has more power. Cooper is the better hitter. Jed picked Wisdom and Wisdom had an option left as well.

    -Palencia just doesn't miss enough bats. Similar to ManRod, just two yrs younger. ManRod is killing AAA for TB right now!

    Things I got right so far:

    -Hendricks. Sorry Kyle. You got paid though!

    Jed, you missed there.

    -Smyly. If Jed could've traded him before or during ST, then he should have and saved some cash.

    -Mastro.  Not a LH DH. Pinch runner. Defensive utility. Maybe he's better than Madrigal but didn't get a legit chance to prove it.

    -Luke Little is good. He's had one bad outing. That's it. Needs to get better entering with guys on base. But he needs to stay in MLB.

    -Oh yeah....Morel is doing fine at 3B! He'll get better as well!!

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger "right rib contusion"

  • Childersb3 (view)

    South Bend just lost the lead in the bottom of the 9th on the weirdest scenario, ever.

    It's absolutely pouring rain....men on 1st and 2nd, 1out....JPatterson asks for a new ball, but no time out was called....he throws the old ball toward the dugout (not sure if it rolled out of play).....the ump declares the runners get two bases each so one run scores. Then a single up the middle ties the game.

    The rain was coming down in buckets at this point.

    Just weird

  • crunch (view)

    ...and bellinger is gone in the 7th because of that 2nd blown chance and the wall he bounced off of...

    hopefully his rib cage/shoulder feels better tomorrow, we just got happ back.

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