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

The DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge

Submitted by Rob G. on

So I was approached a few weeks back to be part of a donation drive for an organization known as Donors Choose. You may have noticed it on the right sidebar. Since Kirk buttered me up by saying he's a regular reader of the site, I couldn't help but take kind to his cause.

So if you have any extra money left over that you were planning on spending on playoff tickets or World Series merchandise (sigh, slams forehead on desk), consider making a donation to a very worthwhile cause.

DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.

Proposals range from "Magical Math Centers" ($200) to "Big Book Bonanza" ($320), to "Cooking Across the Curriculum" ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, and a teacher impact letter.

I do know a little about this as the Angel Fan Wife and the Angel Fan Wife's mother are both school teachers. Well the Angel Fan Wife was a school teacher I should say, she's moved on to bigger and better things. But to say the least, the public school system isn't easy on teachers or their pocketbooks. I'm sure you're all aware of the budget crunch that many states face when it comes to education and for the particularly low-income areas, if a teacher wants anything for their kids besides prepping for standardized testing, it almost always comes out of their own pockets or more likely doesn't happen at all.

So I picked a few high poverty areas in Chicago and projects that seemed interesting or sports-related. A lot of schools no longer have gym teachers and the regular teacher has to do it themselves and there certainly isn't money for equipment. If you know of any other projects, I'd certainly be willing to add them to our donate page. TCR will be donating about $120 before the month is over. If you can help out, great. If you click on "Top Giving" tab on the right sidebar widget, you'll see the challenge part of all this and see we have ground to make up. 

I also wanted to mention that even if you can't donate at the moment, consider voting for Donors Choose at the American Express Members Project Page. There are 5 charities that are up for a $1.5 M donation for the winner. You do have to be an AMEX card holder and the voting ends today. But if you can, please drop a vote as they are currently second.

 

And just to have something baseball related here....some photoshops that Dr. Hecht sent me over the weekend that I assume were sent to him.

 

the new DVD set coming to Amazon in November...

 

one for the kids...

 

sure to be a Parachat and Chad favorite

 

and the winner...

 

 

Tags
Donation Drive
Cubs Humor

Comments

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 10/13/2008 - 10:33 pm

Shouldn't the Dodgers be starting the lefty Kershaw vs the lefty-heavy Phils tonight? does that make too much sense?

Submitted by Cubster on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:34 am

Pujols just had elbow surgery but not ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction (Tommy John Surgery), instead Pujols had ulnar nerve decompression and transposition by Cardinals team orthopod (Dr. George Paletta). This is the same elbow operation that Angel Guzman had in 2007. Of course, expectations and recovery time are different for a pitcher. If I extrapolate from what surgery was performed, Pujols was having medial elbow pain with numbness radiating into the little and ring fingers (aka Cubital Tunnel Syndrome). He should be better by spring but who knows since all previous reports were that Pujols UCL was damaged. If the nerve was transposed it means it was moved out of it's normal path (aka, the crazy bone, medial elbow) and put in a more anterior position. It is fairly traditional operation but there are some risks to mobilize the nerve to get it to move anteriorly, so some surgeons have gone back to just decompressing it without the transposition part. This is the same doc who scoped Chris Carpenter's elbow, supposedly for arthritic spurs then about 2 months later decided Carpenter needed UCL Reconstruction. Shows you that even in the best of hands these problems are somewhat unpredictable, especially if the diagnosis isn't clear. More people are familiar with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which is a different nerve (median n.) which gets pinched in the wrist/palm area and produces pain/numbness in the thumb, index long and half the adjacent ring finger...and one can get it from frequent long posts to sports blogs.

Submitted by Cubster on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:33 am

The cause of these nerve compression syndromes is always tough to say but repetitive activities (hitting, pitching and typing email to family members in Venezuela) are always suspects. I'm surprised it's not more common but pro athletes are relatively young and I suspect they get more of these as they age if they stay active athletically. The symptoms usually develop over years and the UCL is very nearby anatomy so there can be overlap to what area is getting repetitive stress and then wear/inflammation. I doubt it has much to do with the "hint/hint" stuff as that's more likely to have tendon ruptures or chronic tendonitis rather than nerve compression problems.

Submitted by Washington on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:38 am

Sad news to report. Kevin Foster has died. Condolences to his family and friends. http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2008/10/14/ap-state-il/d93q8r5g2.txt snip- CHICAGO - Kevin Foster, who broke into the major leagues as an infielder and later converted to a pitcher, has died of cancer at age 39. His brother, Mark, said Kevin Foster died in an Oklahoma City hospital on Saturday after a six-month bout with renal cell carcinoma. Raised in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Foster was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 29th round of the 1987 amateur draft. The right-hander was traded to the Seattle Mariners and the Philadelphia Phillies, where he broke in the major leagues in 1993. Foster spent five seasons with the Cubs after being acquired from Philadelphia for Shawn Boskie in 1994, going 32-28 from 1994 to 1998. His best season as a Cub came in 1995, when he was 12-11 with a 4.51 earned run average. snip-

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:44 pm

The Padres activated Michael Barrett from the 60-day DL and have outrighted him to AAA, meaning he will refuse the assignment and become a free-agent.

It will be interesting to see if the Orioles sign Barrett to a minor league contract with an NRI to Spring Training, because if they do, it could be an indication that Andy MacPhail will pursue Rich Hill this off-season (or during Spring Training 2009), with the plan being to reunite Hill with his favorite catcher & big brother (Michael Barrett) and his former minor league pitching guru (Alan Dunn). If you wonder why having Barrett and Dunn on the team would matter, you don't know Rich Hill.

And don't be surprised if the Milwaukee Brewers sign Iowa Cubs skipper Pat Listach as their new manager if they decide not to retain Dale Sveum. A couple of scouts I talked to believe Listach (who was PCL 2008 Manager of the Year) is a "rising star" and will get an MLB managerial job in 2009, and Listach spent most of his playing career with the Brewers. Listach would have the added advantage of having more than just a little bit of inside knowledge about the Brewers #1 adversary.

 

[ ]

Submitted by The Real Neal on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:03 pm

Do you really think Listach knows that much about the Pirates? In all seriousnous, do you figure the current AA and down managers will move up a rung? Any chance Ryno leapfroggs up to AAA to get 'better prepared' for his goal of replacing Pinhead after '10? Do you think there will be a power struggle between him and Trammel for that gig? I'm alright with either one of them, but assume Ryno's not going to want to be a minor league manager indefinetly.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:39 pm

Submitted by The Real Neal on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 12:03pm. Do you really think Listach knows that much about the Pirates?

In all seriousnous, do you figure the current AA and down managers will move up a rung? Any chance Ryno leapfroggs up to AAA to get 'better prepared' for his goal of replacing Pinhead after '10?

Do you think there will be a power struggle between him and Trammel for that gig? I'm alright with either one of them, but assume Ryno's not going to want to be a minor league manager indefinetly.

===================================

REAL NEAL: I don't know what the Cubs are planning as far as their 2009 minor league managerial assignments are concerned, but I would say Jody Davis has a better chance of moving up to AAA than does Ryne Sandberg.

Ryno seemed to get increasingly frustrated at Peoria in 2008 (he got thrown out of a number of games), and while he is presently the "bench coach" with the Mesa Solar Sox in the AFL (Ray Burris is the Mesa pitching coach, BTW), I just don't think he has a future as a manager. (Jody Davis was the manager of the Cubs team in the AZ Instructional League, and that's the job you get when you are an organizational guy on the move).

I could see Ryno fitting in more along the lines of a Billy Williams, maybe a Genuine Lifetime Cub/Spring Training Instructor/Special Assistant to the Team President type of gig.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:05 pm

Wow, Phil, I can't imagine Sandberg signing on to all those bus rides without some promise of upward mobility. Piniella got frustrated and was tossed once or twice in his career, too. Sandberg is a manager type, not an easygoing rah-rah, take-me-out-to-the-ballgame Billy Williams type. Davis just won the FSL title and is competition, sure. Competition is good. Just don't keep adding years to the 60-something guy who goes 0-6 and blames his team. The Chicago Cubs: trading youth for age since 1946.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:42 pm

AGEISM!!! John McCain approves...at least Palin isn't Piniella's successor.

 

the 0-6 playoff run is has been pretty brutal and Lou certainly deserves as much blame as any other player, but 7 bb's by dempster and 4 errors in game 2 are probably the bigger culprits. As well as Rich Hill and Ted Lilly throwing fastballs to Chris Young and all the double plays in 2007? Or am I just crazy and Lou should have willed better performances out of them?

[ ]

Submitted by big_lowitzki on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:51 pm

You are crazy. Lou should have told Soriano to not strike out. And he should have told DeRosa to not hit into that double play. And he really should stop telling the Cubs infield that they are all equal, so they should ALL make an error. And why the hell did he tell Dempster to throw so many balls? He really should have had Koyie Hill catching, and Dempster would have been throwing so hard the ump wouldn't have been able to see the pitch, and would have had to call the pitches strikes.

[ ]

Submitted by blockhead25 on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:18 pm

well, he did tell Fukudome to bat 2nd in the most important game of the year. I like Lou, like him a lot. We didn't lose because of Fukudome or the lineup in general. But I still can't get over why he attempted to change things up after a 97 win season. It would seem to send an odd message to the players. On the otherhand, I don't blame Lou for leaving Dempster in for the grandslam...If your game 1 starter can't go 5, chances are the next guy comes in and gives up the big hit, or the next guy, or the next guy.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:27 pm

yeah, I guess he wanted to get the lefty higher up in the order...shame DeRosa got hurt because I think he would have been playing RF and Fontenot at 2b.

I didn't even think about taking Dempster out before Loney. Dempster's been walking the tightrope all season with the walks and then getting out of it and who the hell would you trust in the pen anyway? Go to Cotts or Marshall there, but I don't think that's really improved the odds there or for the rest of the game.

[ ]

Submitted by The Real Neal on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:02 pm

I thought the biggest indictment of Lou's roster management was game 3. After game 2 he said that Fukudome wasn't going to play anymore until spring. Then the DeRosa/Fontenaught alignment costs us a run on defense, then Fukudome gets into the game, and gets a hit against the starter that the rest of the lineup had mistaken for '96 version of Hideo Nomo. Yes, the players didn't execute, but Lou's job is to put the players in the best position to execute, and trotting out a 3rd basemen to play right with Harden on the mound wasn't doing that. Nor was benching the guy with the most experience against the opposing starter. The Z/Dempster thing is pretty inconsequential in my mind, they both got roughed up and neither game was close. There was someone saying that Dempster should have pitched more in the final two weeks of the season to stay sharp and strong... he was right. ...... Back to the subject: I would be surprised if Ryno is managing Peoria again next year. His stated intent was to be a big league manager, so if the Cubs aren't moving him along that path - particuarly if a spot opens up higher in the ranks - then he'd have to find an ogranization that is interested, or hang it up.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:43 pm

be nice to know if Fukudome's experience versus Kuroda was in Japan before I make that leap. If Kuroda owned him in Japan, maybe not such a great idea. Fwiw, 1/5 with a walk in the 2 games in the regular season plus the hit in the playoffs so 2/6.

But yeah, the defense bit us in the ass in the third game from DeRosa (and game 2 as well at 2b). Not playing Fukudome in game 3 and put a gimpy DeRosa out there seemed too reactionary for my tastes.

Of course there were a lot of other things that went wrong in Game 3 as well.... 

[ ]

Submitted by blockhead25 on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:46 pm

One problem with your whack job theory to start one of the worst pitchers in baseball over the final 2 months of the season in the most important game of the year. Lou did pitch the unquestionable ace of the Cubs pitching staff in game 1. But I know how happy you were to see Dempster fail...as being a self righteous arm chair manager is more important to you than the Cubs success. Be proud Chad, be proud.

[ ]

Submitted by Chad on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:03 pm

#3 starter. Z was/is our ace. Always has been. And will be until a better pitcher comes along. But unless Rob G's trade simulator comes through, Z was going to be and will continue to be our best pitcher. I don't give a damn what Dempster did in the regular season. He pitched way over his head. Z is a big game pitcher who thrives in the spotlight. For reference, please see game 1 of the NLDS 2007. F lou. If I owned the cubs, i would have fired him the moment the last out of game 3 was recorded.

[ ]

Submitted by blockhead25 on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:33 pm

It would be one thing if Z was simply mediocre for a couple starts. He wasn't. He was AWFUL. Absolutely, dreadful. One of the worst pitchers in the league over August and September, and that includes his no hitter. No sane manager in their right mind in a short series would have put Zambrano on the mound in game 1 after his Aug/Sep performance (Many of which were "big games). In a 3 game series, you throw an erratic pitcher who had nothing in the regular season in game 1, you play with fire. With Dempster, he was steady from start to end. He walked 7 batters the entire month of September. 2007 was 2007. He was not the same pitcher in August and September as he was in that 2007 playoff game. You simply don't throw your most erratic pitcher out in game 1 knowing that you can't predict if he is going to throw a 1 hitter, or give up 8 runs. You were wrong then. Fooolishly wrong. And you are wrong now. The Cubs didn't lose because Dempster started game 1 instead of Zambrano. They got crushed top to bottom...and even Z did not pitch well. Yes, he pitched better than Dempster, no doubt...but as an "ace" you pick your teamates up. He didn't, he left some meatballs up, and the game was gone. Again, I find sports fans like you absolutely pathetic. During the worst moment in the Cubs season, after 162 games of us following every pitch...you cared far more about being right in your ridiculously wrong arm chair manager views, then you did about the failure of the team. Be proud Chad. Be proud. Whatever makes you feel better.

[ ]

Submitted by Chad on Wed, 10/15/2008 - 10:26 am

Bullshit. The series was over when loney's ball cleared the basket. I don't give a flying fuck what you thought about zambrano's meaningless starts in september. NO FUCKING HITTER He's the best pitcher on that staff and a big game pitcher. the only one we have. Look at that stats for teams that win game one of a series. It's staggering. The series was lost that night because we sent the wrong pitcher to the mound. F lou. And if you think that i'd rather be right than see the cubs win, we'll that is a pretty stupid thought.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 10/15/2008 - 10:57 am

Z shit his pants in September, Dempster didn't shit his until October -- but they both blew it down the stretch. Z needed to pull it together late in the season like the ace you say he is, and Dempster needed to throw more strikes. But Z lost himself that Game 1 start with his performance in September, even counting the no-hitter. There was no right choice for the Game 1 starter, as long as the Cubs lost that game. Had they won, either choice would've been correct. Would've helped if they'd hit a bit, too.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:31 pm

keeping 25+ people from trying to kill each other while maintaining a workplace where those people actually feel like showing up. people can point to all kinds of numbers/wins/etc.-based stuff all they want...you're gonna find most managers get dismissed because they lose their clubhouse's control or the clubhouse becomes unstable with cliques. of course there's a chunk that get fired because the organization wants to "shake things up" or the losses keep piling up and the "leader" takes the fall regardless of what led to the losses. what happened to the brews and yost vs. mets and jerry is a good starting point to compare/contrast similar incidences with dissimilar locker room situations. -edit- accidently but "charlie" in the last paragraph...as in the manager of the phils (replaced with jerry)

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Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:54 pm

fwiw, full no-trade clause

'09: $8M team option

'10: $15 M

'11: $16 M

'12: $17 M

'13: $22 M club option ($4 M buyout)

according to Cot's...

that makes it sound like the team can just drop his option for 2009 and not pay the rest of his contract if they wanted, but I doubt that's the case. He signed an extension before the season and my guess is that it guaranteed the '09 season. 

[ ]

Submitted by dB on Wed, 10/15/2008 - 10:07 pm

I don't think you can rule out Atlanta. They don't have a top pitching prospect but they could include Jurrjens in a trade along with Heyward or Schafer and/or Brandon Jones. Plus they have something like $30 million to spend this year after finally losing Hampton's contract + Glavine among a few others. Not to mention Peavy grew up a Braves fan so that would certainly be a team he'd waive his no-trade to. Too bad Dempster wasn't in the middle of that 3/$15.5M contract. The Cubs could flip Dempster and Pie + whatever else for Peavy.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:12 pm

of course I made that shit up and no idea what they would do with Lee unless they could flip him. But as for the new Gonzo vs. Teix...

Gonzo is way cheaper and 2 years younger.

Teix WARP 3 since 2005:

 9.2, 7.7, 7.8, 10.8

Gonzalez:

.2, 7.5, 8.8, 8.6

if it was in anyway possible, I'd certainly take Gonzalez for 3 yrs instead of the ridiculous 8-10 yr deal Teix will get.

 

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:08 pm

Lee and Samninja both have NTCs, though the Shark would have to be stupid to not want to pitch early in his career in San Diego. Not sure why the Padres would want Lee, but maybe that's not part of the equation. I could see them being interested in Ceda, Samardzija, Pie, Hill, and Atkins. Colvin add's little to that deal--he's not really the sort of player I'd want if I were the Padres.

Submitted by John Beasley on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:58 pm

I'd love to get Tex too, but it's not going to happen. I think y'all know it, too. Time to talk about Rafael Furcal and Milton Bradley or maybe Bobby Abreu. Maybe a trade for Curtis Granderson. Pie and pitching? Tex would be perfect for the Cubs lineup except the whole Derrek Lee thing and the whole $200 million thing.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:33 pm

I actually think Bradley makes a lot of sense for the Cubs, way more than Abreu. He's the #3-#4 hitter the Cubs have been looking for, and the Cubs really wouldn't have to live and die by him being healthy, being that they could turn Fukudome, Pie, or DeRosa (/Fontenot) to take his spot in the field when he's hurt. I would think that Lou would be able to contend with his combative personality, and he could add some "fire" to an otherwise fairly quiet team. Or he, Zambrano, and Cedeno could all have a bad game some time and beat the crap out of each other. If he's looking for more than 2 years and an option, though, the Cubs shouldn't even talk to him. I'd like him a lot more on a 1 year and an option contract, but he wants multiple years. I really expect Hendry to make a big play for Furcal and a lefty or switch hitting, slugging outfielder. Time will, tell though. Feel bad for Theriot if the Cubs sign Furcal and don't open up 2nd for Riot--he's not likely to have many years better than 2008 that could earn him playing time.

Submitted by Chifan on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 10:03 pm

I wonder if Lee would OK a trade to the Rays, as we matchup good with them on a trade. They could use a RH bat to equal out their line-up and they have a surplus of SP annd SS's. I am thinking something like Dlee (cash for half his contract) and Atkins for Sonnastine, Brignac and Jonny Gomes.

Submitted by Tito on Wed, 10/15/2008 - 10:42 pm

Inappropriate? Not really. But trust me, we've heard them all. There's a fair amount of joking, but there's also a fair amount of sensitivity, depending on who you're talking to. A little bit of a fine line. Me, I don't really make the jokes, having lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's, though of course we did use humor quite a bit while coping. I don't like when TV shows joke about it, but that's more because it flies in the face of trying to raise awareness about how serious the disease is. Blah, blah, blah...

Recent comments

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • 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. 

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