Cubs MLB Roster

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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, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* 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
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Brenly for Grace Would be a Lousy Deal for the Cubs

Submitted by Cubnut on

Cubs color man Bob Brenly interviewed for the Brewers' managerial job on Thursday, leading Paul Sullivan to wonder if former Cub and onetime Chicago playboy Mark Grace would replace Brenly in the Cubs' booth, assuming BB lands the Milwaukee job.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Brewers GM Doug Melvin will probably limit the number of candidates to three, with Brenly competing for the slot against former Mets manager Willie Randolph and former A's manager Ken Macha. Brenly's appeal vis a vis the other two options includes his having won a World Series with the Diamondbacks and his deep knowledge of the Cubs personnel. Melvin expects to make his selection next week.

Grace, meanwhile, has been a TV analyst for the Diamondbacks in addition to working for Fox. Notwithstanding his frank assessment of the Cubs' aborted '08 post-season run, that "they just laid down," I can't say that I've been very impressed with his work as an announcer.

I liked Brenly and Kasper the first time I heard them together and as they have grown more accustomed to one another in the booth, I have grown to like them a lot. I would hate to see Brenly leave that post—whether he's replaced by Grace or anybody else—and to the extent that his inside knowledge of the Cubs might be an asset to the Brewers, I would also hate to see him in charge of Team Bratwurst.

Tags
Cubs announcers
Bob Brenly
Mark Grace

Comments

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Submitted by Tatooine on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 10:14 pm

I grew up listening to Steve Stone and would love to see (or more appropriatley hear) him come back to the Cubs. His insightful comments during the 80s and 90s are one reason I think Cubs fans are generally more knowledgable than almost any other. I don't think he's being talked about nearly enough. One of the things I have heard about him is conflicting reports over whether or not he could get out of his Sux contract. That's just Friday afternoons, right? Surely he could get out or have some backdoor for a full time gig. I love Grace, but he was a better player than announcer. Of course he's new at it and given his stature as a former member of the Cubs I think we should give him a chance to hone his broadcasting art. I would be most comfortable with him as a third member of the booth. Either Len, Bob, and Gracie or Len, Stony and Gracie. Karros would be a decent choice. Haven't heard Plesac. Loved Big Red, but in the booth I think he'd be more like Joe Carter 2.0

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 10:39 am

i f'n love mark grace in the booth. that said...it's cuz i enjoy hearing him blab on and on about stupid crap covering a team i don't care about. he's done some classic funny stuff, a ton of corny stuff, a lot of odd stuff, but very little stuff that would make him a top tier color guy. i kinda prefer him where he is at least until he hones his craft a bit more (if possible).

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 10:27 pm

brenley used to work cubs radio and is/was generally considered a good color man. eventually he'll manage somewhere again, if not next year... he's VERY in tune with youth and youth culture (well, 20-30 year old "youth"). he knows the music, the dress, and how to communicate without sounding like someone's 80 year old grandfather. he's known for being an announcer that the players don't mind in the lockerroom (which is kinda rare to have a guy like that in the booth who isn't treated as an outcast in the lockerroom). aka...he has shown and projects to be a good manager of personalities. he's also got that ring-thing going on.

Submitted by billybucks on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 10:37 am

Grace was an over-rated, self-promoting ballplayer (Yeah, Mark, we know; most-hits-and-doubles-in-the-80's), and the only interesting thing abut him was his former model wife. Leave him to the vapid fans in Arizona. I like Brenly, and it's always more enjoyable to watch when there is obvious chemistry in the booth. However, as a manager, one game sticks in my mind -- may have been vs. AZ(?). Cubs down a run in the 9th, LH reliever on the mound, DLee singles with 2 outs, Rammy due up. Lou pinch-runs Pie for Lee, knowing that the LH reliever goes to a slide step with a fast runner on first, and his slider flattens out when he does that. Pie doesn't run, Brenly is baffled ("why pinch run Pie if he's just going to stand there?"), then Rammy hits a flat slider for a game-winning HR. Brenly had no idea what was going on (neither did I, at the time).

Submitted by buckaroo banzaii on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 10:22 am

the last thing we need in chicago is a straight-talking veteran of the cubs, the city, the world series. we have more than we can handle on the radio. having to listen to 'fibber mcgee and ronnie' is too much criticism for me!

Submitted by Q-Ball on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 10:25 am

Apparently Grace though RIPPED the Cubs yesterday, per ESPN Radio. I don't remember the exact quote, but to the effect that "the Cubs choked and froze and should be embarrassed". I don't disagree with that, but who knows if the powers that be want that kind of straight talk. They sure didn't with Stone after the 2004 late season collapse. I used to not like Kasper/Brenly, but they have grown on me.

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 10:52 am

I mentioned the other day that Tyler Colvin had missed a week of AFL games. Here's the injury report (Jason Grey blog, espn.com):
On an additional injury note, Cubs outfielder Tyler Colvin has been pulled from the AFL due to a bone spur in his elbow, and he's scheduled to have surgery this week.

Submitted by Tito on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 10:22 pm

I heard Plesac on Mac, Jurko and Harry one day a few weeks ago, and they were grilling him on the possibility of doing Sox radio, like they had inside info that it was a done deal. Plesac did not discourage the speculation.

Submitted by Chifan on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 10:05 pm

They were paying Brenly 850k, so they have room in the budget to get a top-flight guy. My vote goes to Orel Hershiser, who does a great job on ESPN despite being saddled with Steve Phillips most of time. Stay clear from Grace as he sounds like a bonehead on D'backs telecasts I watched this past year on MLB.tv.

Submitted by Dmac on Sat, 10/25/2008 - 10:36 am

Sutcliffe was previously offered Brenly's job (before Brenly was hired) but turned it down, primarily because he didn't want to work a full game schedule. Did anyone catch Harold Reynold's work in the beginning rounds of the playoffs on TBS? Hard to believe this was the same guy who came off so badly during his "Baseball Tonight" tenure on ESPN, but I thought his work was excellent. Never said too much, always insightful, and let the game come to the viewer. Maybe being surrounded by Phillips and Krukie made him catch a case of the stupids. I used to like Stone, but he's become way too enamored with himself these days. He's always calling pitches from the booth, and if you happened to listen to him and Farmer last season, it was like hearing two narcissists argue over who gets to use the mirror.

Submitted by George Altman on Sat, 10/25/2008 - 10:37 am

I lived in Arizona during the D-Backs 2001 Championship season with Brenly at the helm. You can go back to some stories in the Arizona Republic after that season and find more than a few comments by players that they won that championship 'in spite of Brenly, not because of him'. He was not a very-well liked or respected manager....never exactly sure why.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

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