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

Sunday Game Thread: Cubs (5-11) v. Brewers (8-8)

The Brewers go for the series sweep, their 7th win in a row overall, and their 17th win in the last 22 meetings with the Cubs.

Is that depressing enough for you?

Cubs v. Wily Peralta (0-1, 6.19; pitched well but took an ND in 4/9 game at Wrigley which the Cubs eventually won against the Brewer bullpen): DeJesus 8, Castro 6, Rizzo 3, Soriano 7, Schierholtz 9, Castillo 2, Valbuena 5, Barney 4, Feldman 1.

Brewers v. Scott Feldman (0-2, 6.00; pitching for the first time since a loss to the Giants 10 days ago): Aoki 9, Segura 6, Braun 7, Weeks 4, Maldonado 2, Gonzalez 3, Gomez 8, Betancourt 5, Peralta 1.

 

Comments

Rulemasters: as per a play in the TB/OAK game. Pitcher A gets two outs and puts two batters on base. Pitcher B comes in and throws a wild pitch, scoring a run. The run is then credited to pitcher A because it is still his batter. Correct?

cubs are 5-12. is it 2014 2015 2016 yet?

So, are we back to having a manager who semi-bashes the most talented and valuable young players on the team and makes empty threats about calling up the totally non-existent AAA reserves? Because I'm opposed to that. Why isn't the answer to questions about Castro's defense always simply, "We're working together with him daily to help him perform as well as he possibly can in every area of the game. He's still a very young player, but we'll see more payoffs to his consistent hard work soon." ? Then if you want to yell at him and scare him because you think that will motivate him (I'm skeptical, but OK), do that in private in the manager's office when there are no reporters admitted. It might be different if Baez were rocking AAA or AA and could realistically put pressure on Castro, though if all else were as it is now that would only mean that either Castro or Baez would be manning 3B soon.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Isn't that what they have been doing for the past two years? Can't say I am really surprised with the frustration, but I am sure Dale regrets the comments. If the Cubs decide to move Castro to second, is this something that can be done during the season, or are they better off waiting?

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

It's a dumb comment by Sveum. What did he expect when he signed on with the Cubs? Help these kids grow instead of bashing them in the face. They're gonna send down Rizzo? Is that the threat? How idiotic is that? The guy has bungled a few ground balls in April and is off to a slow start but still leads the team in RBI. I expect Sveum to just do his job and work with the youngsters. When he proves his managerial mettle he can go work on a club with established veterans who don't screw up as much.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

This is a tough thing. The kid has been here full time since 2010. He's had 27, 29, and 27 errors in the last three years. Arguably THE most important position. MOST players show improvement. He does not. He's got 4 errors so far, as well as several mis-plays that were not scored errors. On a team where ANY mistake is too much. For $60MM.No doubt Castro will break the 30-error plateau this year. And - he has demonstrated, O & B, it doesn't matter what Month of the year it is. Stop with the excuses. IMO, he is playing out of position. But, unfortunately, this will not get addressed this year. OR - I also believe it is not an impossibility that Theo will trade him for "his" kind of players - including young pitching. He can hit, which is great, but at his position you need more than that.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

I really don't have an objection to the frustration. I just think it's very unprofessional to call out any of your players in public. I see no reason to do that in any situation. All player and team issues should be addressed behind closed doors. As the manager, it's part of your job to keep up your professionalism every day even though the press is constantly hounding you (and everyone else) for something juicier. I, too, would like to see Castro take more strides defensively. And I too wonder if he won't end up at 2nd base should another Cub prospect emerge as a better defensive shortstop, or should the Cubs have the opportunity to acquire a short stop in a favorable transaction. It's hardly pressing, though, considering the Cubs are going to suck big time either way. Without the carrot of the postseason, I don't see a reason do anything but keep working with him to see if he can improve. 23 is still young, even if he's going on his 4th year of MLB time.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

The only reason I can think of is he would have better trade value if he could show the ability to play a defensive position at an acceptable major league level. Maybe that's second or third. But your points are correct, Dale's comments were silly (and I am sure he regrets them) and there is no pressing need to move Castro now.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

After reading your guy's posts again, it is an excellent point that we all want to be yelled at by our managers with the door closed in their offices. I can't imagine, however, my current manager trying to manage multi-millionaires that have made the same mistakes on the job, relentlessly, for 3+ years. It is a unique position and I get that Sveum is deserving more. Maybe he should just do this out of the press.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

I'd say if we're going to look at it from that point, they were hasty in giving such a large contract so soon to a guy who still is a bit shaky out there. The mistakes Castro makes are often just dumb things that suggest a lack of concentration. That is where Sveum comes in. He should be making him take grounders till his hands hurt every day, not bashing him in the press, and honestly, maybe having him looked at for ADHD or even a 420 issue, or something, since the problem really seems to have something to do with him being a bit of a spacey dude, as we called them when I was young. It's not just Castro, Rizzo was also the target of Sveum's whining, and it's just a dumb way to go. Sveum got hired to manage a young team. He needs to suck it up and manage them, and not go to the press with his complaints about their flaws.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Is "having potential" all it takes to play in the big leagues? For the Chicago Cubs, apparently that's all it takes. This isn't little league, it's the big leagues. Players are expected to already know how to catch and throw the ball and do it reliably. Batting average.. meh, he can go hit a 400 average in Iowa for all I care. The thing about baseball is you have to catch and throw the ball. Normally, I'm not terribly concerned about a manager riding a player, even publicly (if riding him privately doesn't work), but for the Cubs, it's different. Sveum must realize how quickly and how dramatically the fans can turn on a player like Castro because of poor play and he'll have to balance that along with all the other stuff he deals with. One other problem I have with the comment is this- of all the things to complain about, shitty pitching, shitty bullpen, shitty everything, why single out Castro? Yes, Castro is a shitty defender, but let's not single him out. It's a shit storm.

The other thing I am dismayed about is this "Cubs Way" bullshit. The EXACT negative things that move the team in the correct direction are still occurring at the same frequency as they have been.Fielding, OBP, RISP failures. One thing that just burns me where the win margin is microscopic for the Cubs, is the Cubs' pitcher just being able to field their position or do "usual things" to save them from needless arm-wear and losses. Feldman is a case in point for TWO of his three starts! Just wait 'til Garza comes back. Even Samarj. fucked up so far. I mean for fuck's sake - they have been involved with baseball since grade school. And they are learning the Cubs'Way....Oh wait...

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

I don't know how the minor league players have looked from a fundamentals angle, but that is where you will probably start seeing some improvement with this whole Cubs Way thing. If I remember right, AZ Phil was reporting on some impressive walk numbers among the lower level guys. So if that is continuing, and the error rates are down, and the general play on the field at the lower levels is high, then things may improve. Right now, the major league play is crap, and, sorry to say, that reflects directly on Sveum, whether he likes it or not. I obviously don't know a damn thing about managing a team, so I don't know where it happens when I see a team play good fundamental baseball, but I do see it, almost every time I see another team not named the Cubs play. Does it happen because of good spring training routines? Or is it part of the daily routine every day before a game? I have no idea. Whatever it is, Sveum has not accomplished his task of getting a team out there with solid fundamentals, at least not yet. It's early, but so far, this is a very bad baseball team. Sveum himself said it was very important that they start the year off well. Whoops. What's plan B? When a team is at the top of the charts two years in a row for errors, this is a problem with the manager. Although, to be fair, it's obviously really early in the year. These guys have all played the game long enough that their skill level at fielding their positions should all be about the same, aside from the standouts. I look at a guy like Rizzo and think to myself that he looks like a natural out there sometimes, and then he just nearly does a somersault as he bounds about making a bone head play. It's baffling. Hell, E-Man, Garza alone is going to double the Cubs's errors. So it's not looking to get any better anytime soon.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

The Cubs way, I believe, is about how the organization is planning to develop their farm system. What some are forgetting is that Castro was already in the big leagues when Theo took over. I don't think it was ever really an option to send him back down. That said, I don't think Theo would have promoted Castro when Hendry did. He likely would have spent more time in the minors refining his approach and defense. He's been rewarded for doing what the previous regime wanted, and that's hitting the ball without regard for a specific approach or stellar defense. Maybe he wouldn't have come out any different under Theo's direction, but I think it's a mistake to blame the problems of the current Cubs on the failure of the Cub Way

[ ]

In reply to by Jumbo

I agree with that pretty much but Theo did give Castro the mega contract. I think a lot of people agreed with his doing it. I know I did - seemed smart to wrap him up ASAP, given his age and early numbers. I still think he's really not at his ceiling yet, and one of the reasons the club hasn't made a lot of noise about moving him from short is that he has made some pretty amazing plays from deep in the hole. My biggest complaint about all this is Sveum and his public badgering of players. I've managed a lot of people and I would never consider going Glengarry Glen Ross all over them in a meeting if they have some kind of performance issues. Doors have hinges on them for a reason.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

$42M over 6 years for a young player's age 23-28 seasons? Even with the player-friendly team option for age 29, it's not a "mega contract" ... it's a hell of a good bargain. All that contract says about Castro is that the Cubs think he's a solid MLB player (doesn't take a genius to figure that one out). He got $78 million less guaranteed dollars than Elvis Andrus did on his extension.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

You stop bringing logic into this. Next you're gonna tell us that Theo was very explicit that the Cubs were going to work from the bottom up, teaching all the young kids the Cubs way and then spending money on FAs. And that he never promised we were going to compete these first years. I tell you what, a GM telling us his plan and then actually working on it. What is this world coming too.

1 pitch...cubs lead. the quest for .500 .400 .300 gets stronger.

t.wood gives up his 1st HR of the year...after 25.2 ip on the season. keep it up, guy. cubs lead 2-1 in the bottom 7...throwing another great game tonight.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

to the 13th... ...and the past 4-5 innings has been full of CIN rednecks going "WOOOOOOO!" back and forth to each other in a near-empty stadium because rednecks love to hear themselves be loud. at least it's not the ATL "tommy hawk chawp" i guess.

Just to complain a little bit more about a guy who doesn't take the field on a 100+ loss team, a guy who in many other respects is a big improvement over past iterations (Quade, Piniella, etc.), what the hell was going on when Sveum took out Wood? He's seen our bullpen, right? I mean, they did well yesterday until Bowden's second inning, but there wasn't any reason to anticipate those several innings of success.

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).