Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson

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

OPTIONED: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

All Quiet on the Cubs Front

Submitted by Rob G. on

These few weeks before spring training starts is about as dull as it gets around these parts. We're all still waiting on Cespedes, but with Jedstein and their cone of silence, it's not like we can expect many leaks. There's also the case of the musical 40-man roster chairs with the Cubs having to drop someone once they add Gerardo Concepcion. Vegas money should be on Andy Sonnastine with Marcus Mateo and his lack of options a strong second. And the issue of compensation for both Theo and Jed still looms with no foreseeable end in sight.

I've got my annual prospect list-mania post coming up for Monday which always includes my delusional top 16 which should be good for laugh. It doesn't appear our pal Arizona Phil put up a list this year unfortunately, so you'll have to get your prospect fix from the national guys.

Speaking of Arizona, I'm sure most of you know about "Boys of Spring", the site run by the spring training P.A. announcer Tim Sheridan. While we anxiously await Arizona Phil's wonderfully detailed posts from camp, that can hold you over with pretty pictures. From what I can encode from his posts so far, the following have showed up at Arizona: Justin Bour, Zeke DeVoss, Dustin Geiger, Josh Vitters, Jim Adduci, Matt Cerda, Tony Campana, Dave Sappelt, Jeff Samardzija, David DeJesus, Darwin Barney, Matt Garza, Dale Sveum and Dave McKay. I'm sure there are others, but those seem to be the ones mentioned. He did a little paraphrasing from a pep talk Sveum was giving the kids earlier last week.

  • There will be no excuses for not doing something the right way.
  • Theo Epstein is one of the smartest people he's ever been around, and that Theo will not accept mediocrity, not from himself, not from anyone.
  • Making excuses is caused by your own insecurities and lack of preparation.
  • So many games are won by one run and the Cubs will prepare and do all the little things the right way in order to be the team that wins those close games.
  • He also told the guys they are being given the greatest opportunity in all of sports, to be the players who win it all after 103 years.

The words sound nice, let's see if he backs it up with some Soriano benching when he glides into 2nd base after a drive to right center that he gawked at.

Back to Cespedes, George Ofman whom rivals Phil Rogers in bad scoops, did tweet that someone has made a bigger offer for the Cuban outfielder than the Marlins and we obviously know the Cubs interest. Time will tell...

I leave you with these words from the Cubs Ivy League leader.

"I don't agree with the word 'rebuilding' ever," he said. "Because, for one thing, it denotes that you're building something that already existed, but that's not how baseball works. You're constantly growing and moving onto the next iteration of the club, so I think building is the appropriate [word] -- sure we're building in Chicago, but we went through some building phases here. The art of it is trying to do it in a way where nobody notices. When you're winning 95 games a year and getting into the playoffs, then people don't notice that we've integrated a lot of this talent and we've made a lot of short-term sacrifices for long-term stability. I think there were a lot of times when we were able to pull that off here [in Boston], there were a lot of times that we failed as well."

Until Monday...

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Cubs News of the Moment

Comments

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 02/09/2012 - 02:55 pm

Andy Sisco signed with Dodgers, Mitch Atkins with Nationals. and the Rich Harden shoulder surgery news...

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 02/09/2012 - 02:37 pm

Hoyer on... Marmol:"I don't think what happened last year is acceptable," Hoyer said Thursday on "The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show" on ESPN 1000. "I think there's nothing more demoralizing to a baseball team than to win for 2:45 and then lose in the last 10. I think that happened a lot last year. "If you look back, this guy has had some dominant years. ... Everyone said the slider wasn't quite the same last. Hopefully there are some mechanical things we can do to get that back. Blowing 10 saves isn't acceptable, but we're not wiling to say he can't get back to where he was before." Soriano (expecting him to be with team to start the year): The power was there last year, the RBIs were there. Obviously it really comes down to defense and we're hoping with some better conditioning and some better health, that he can be a little better out there. Garza: "He's a great pitcher and a guy we're going to talk to him about being part of our future, for sure. We need more guys like Matt, not less, and if we can work something out we'll certainly have those discussions." http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/7801/hoyer-marmols-2011-… http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/7560020/chicago-cubs-general-…

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Submitted by The E-Man on Thu, 02/09/2012 - 02:25 pm

I listened to the interview live locally in the car. It was nice to hear one of the new suits. What Hoy also stated about Sori was that not only was it unlikely that he would NOT be with the team - he was "working hard" during the off-season to try to get on base more apparently. How does one do that at his age exactly? As it stands, we all know that there ain't a lot of run producers on the current roster. So if he has another .276 obp year, its gonna be interesting to find out if the team can achieve 70 wins. To their credit, the hosts on WMVP (one a lifetime season tix holder) asked some decent questions I think, if you check ROB G's links.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:38 pm

Steven Maxwell was the Cubs 37th round selection in the 2011 Rule 4 Draft (First-Year Player Draft). and because he was a college senior with no eligibility left, he remained on the Cubs Negotiation List past the 8/15 deadline, and would have remained on the list through May 27, 2012 (one week prior to the 2012 Rule 4 Draft) if he had not signed. In true Bluto Animal House fashion, Maxwell actually spent six years at TCU, getting an academic redshirt in his freshman season (2006) and a medical redshirt in 2008 when he underwent TJS. (He is now 24 years old). He had an outstanding year in 2010 while a member of the Horned Frogs College World Series squad, and was named Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year and a 2nd team All-American. He was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 12th round of the 2010 Rule 4 Draft but did not sign. He opted to return to school and pitched for the Frogs again this past season (2011), but struggled off & on with a sore arm, causing his draft value to plummet. So I suspect he failed his physical and had his contract voided.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:54 pm

Would you guys consider using coke, pot, booze etc....would you consider those PED's? Saw this discussion on boo-yah.com....just can't believe that these are considered PED's.

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Submitted by Wes on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:26 pm

I am always amazed at those guys that can show up and play when they're either still drunk or hungover. Those soft tossers and splitfinger guys always throw better when they're hungover because they aren't overthrowing. Aside from that, I cannot understand how anybody, especially a hitter, can play when he's drunk. Does not make sense to me.

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:18 pm

Jon Heyman obviously paying attention to Theo this offseason- JonHeymanCBS #brewers, #cubs, #astros are all good fits for edgar renteria, who has something left and will play in 2012

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:33 pm

sam fuld story on mlb network about his diabetes (t1 since age 10). he said one of the first things he did when he was called up to the cubs was talk to santo. santo was ecstatic and excited about another player with t1 diabetes playing the majors.

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:44 pm

tag in twitter is good for a laugh https://twitter.com/search/%23ThinnestSportsBooks My contributions: The Definitive Guide to Alfonso Soriano's Hustle Plays #ThinnestSportsBooks Protecting the Quarterback by Mike Martz #ThinnestSportsBooks The Importance of OBP by Jim Hendry #ThinnestSportsBooks Protecting Young Pitchers by Dusty Baker #ThinnestSportsBooks too easy....

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:06 pm

baker catches a lot of hell for aggregating pitchers and treating them like they're all the same. the surgery toll doesn't add up because the list is both short and debated who actually is his "fault." plus it'd be neat if they'd take russ ortiz (who b.cox worked even harder) and livan hernandez out of these discussions...or at least discounted them...because they could throw 130 pitches in a game if it came down to it and do it again 5 days later. too many articles about who he's ruined that don't even name names...except everyone's favorite fallback OMFG PRIOR 03. late september 03 with prior was the worst mistake dustbag ever made pertaining to pitching management if not for anything else than he became a scapegoat (or an evil dunce).

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Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:40 pm

the assumption of truth...and Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Jason Schmidt, Russ Ortiz, Aaron Harang, Edinson Volquez (few more in there I believe). no shit it's hyperbolic, it' s humor, but there's plenty of smoke around Baker in this fire. There's plenty of reasons to make the joke because there's plenty of times that pitchers got hurt under Baker. Is he unfairly maligned for it? A bit.... Does he deserve some criticism and an occasional jab? Yup...

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:59 pm

check out what f.alou did with schmidt. ...and russ ortiz has gone way out of his way to deflect away from dusty...and bobby cox has some explaining to do if dusty is somehow part of the problem. ortiz, zambrano, and l.hernandez were horses. people aggregate his average pitches per year on a staff, it comes out 5-ish more than league average, and people flip. criticism, yah, jab, yah...villainous hate and posterboy of pitcher abuse (thanks BBProspectus and the church of travis hafner), nah. there's defiantly smoke and perhaps fire, but some people are going around claiming arson.

Submitted by DavidP on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 02:42 pm

I can't imagine why anyone would try to sign Renteria. He played in one of the best hitter's parks in the majors last year and had an ops under 700. Barney is a better player at an extremely low cost.

Recent comments

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
    The Cubs wanted to deal JHey off well before they bought him out. They just didn't want to pay him to play for someone else for that long. Jed did give him 20+mil to play for LAD last yr.
    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: I think there was an issue with Luke Little coming into a game with men on base. He seems to need a "clean" inning to be dominant. So he is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AAA. Same goes for Michael Arias. He needs to come into a "clean" inning, and is a future closer and needs to be used in that role at AA. Porter Hodge is a more versatile pitcher, a better version of Keegan Thompson (multi-inning RP). But Little, Arias, and Hodge (probably in that order) are the Cubs top three RP prospects (all three are Cubs Top 15 prospects).

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