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

And With the Second Pick in the Draft...

I hope the Cubs end up getting Jonathan Gray.

Listen, there's very few drafts where the odds are greater than 80-90% that you're gonna land a true elite talent(A-Rod, Strasburg, Griffey Jr. were all no-brainers) and this seems to be one of those drafts where that elite talent isn't particularly obvious. So whomever the Cubs take with that #2 pick will come with all the hype of Mark Prior, but not nearly as much of the talent.

The big names in the draft that the Cubs seem to be concentrating on are RHP Jonathan Gray out of Oklahoma, RHP Mark Appel out of Stanford and 3B Kris Bryant(but probably an OF or 1B) out  of San Diego. There's a bit of a buzz around Georgia high schoolers Austin Meadows and Clint Frazier, but seems doubtful the Cubs will go that route.

Now the Astros with the first pick are likely going to take 1 of those 3 off the board and most likely one of the pitchers, leaving the Cubs with a coin flip decision. The power college arm or the power college bat. There's certainly good reason to be scared of any pitcher in the draft, arm injuries can derail a pitcher's career much quicker than any injuries will end a position player. But the history of college hitters taken with the first two picks in the draft isn't particularly eye popping either. So to keep this short and succinct...here's what each boils down to:

Gray - Big dude, expected to be able to eat innings with ease. A fastball that hits 100mph and sits in the upper 90's. Plus slider, that some believe could be a plus-plus slider with a little work. Change-up is average at best at this point. Biggest issue seems to be his control and being sure he stays in shape. Also, being a junior he can return to Oklahoma if he doesn't get the money he wants.

Rather Meaningless Stats: 9-2, 1.55 ERA, .181 Batting Average against, 127 K vs. 21 walks in 110 IP.

Appel - a lot more polish than Gray, can hit high 90's but sits around 94-95. A 11-5 curve that could be his out pitch in the majors and a change-up that's a work in progress, but farther along than Gray's. He apparently can also throw a cutter. Biggest issue is probably that Boras is his agent and could pull a Hochevar if they don't like the deal offered.

Rather Meaningless Stats: 10-4, 2.12 ERA, .203 Batting Average against, 130 K vs. 23 walks in 106.1 IP.

Bryant - 6-5" right-handed hitter with a big arm that many believe will land him in right field.  He'll be drafted for his power, power that plays to all fields. He's improved his strike zone judgement, but hard to tell how much of that is fear vs. pitch recognition. And of course, anyone with that power will likely have a bit of swing and miss in his game. Also a college junior, so he has some leverage in negotiations.

Rather Meaningless Stats: .329/.493/.820 with 31 HR...66 BB vs. 44 K in 228 AB's.

As for why I'd take Gray, it just seems to have the biggest upside of the three. 100 mph fastballs usually have a high rate of reaching the majors, so the floor is pretty high as well. How well he does when he gets to the majors is anybody's guess, but it seems like at the very worst he could be a high end bullpen arm. For whatever reason, Appel makes me think of Hochevar, not really a true #1 pick, but there's no one better around so let's take him. I'm sure Bryant will have a perfectly fine career, but if he was an elite talent, he'd probably been chased after a lot harder after high school. Also, I'd feel better about him if he batted from the left side or had any real hope of sticking at 3b. In the end, the Cubs will get what the Astros don't want most likely and years from now...um....minutes after, we'll all be second guessing the pick.

 

Comments

article about abolishing the draft...

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9348666/the-mlb-draft-work-quite-po…

whatever, but this was interesting and something I never knew:

While no. 1 overall pick Kris Benson signed for $2 million, Boras found a loophole in MLB's rules that allowed four first-round picks to be declared free agents, free to sign with any team.4 One of them was no. 2 overall pick Travis Lee. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks — for $10.2 million. The other three guys got $10 million (Matt White), $6.075 million (John Patterson), and $3 million (Bobby Seay). If there was any doubt before that the draft suppressed signing bonuses, there wasn't anymore.

*footnote*

Major League Baseball's own rules stated that if a player was not offered a formal contract in writing within 15 days of being drafted, he was a free agent. Teams had routinely missed this deadline for years, but no one called them on it. Boras did, and got pilloried in the press for it, but the people who deserved to get called on the carpet were the incompetent lawyers who created a loophole wider than the Kuiper Belt.

 

value of a pick

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/top-100-draft-flashback/

The value of the No. 1 overall pick trumps the value of all other first-round picks, including the No. 2 pick. ~snip~ Compare those No. 1 overall values with the same values for players selected with the second pick. Players selected No. 2 overall have accumulated less than half of the value of the first pick, whether in terms of career (199) or median (eight) value. Cumulative WAR totals drop off steadily from there, indicating that, on the whole, and in the 20 years examined, teams are properly assessing player value in the draft.

It goes on to recap the top 10 picks from 1998-2012.

Demographics: 7 high school (2 catchers, shortstops & outfielders), 11 college (6 righthanders)
Reached MLB: 18 of 18 signed players
Washouts: None
Impact Rate: 8 of 18 (44 percent)
Pick Value (WAR): 199 total, 11 average, 8.2 median
Best Player: RHP Justin Verlander (Tigers, 2004)—one Cy Young Award, one MVP, five all-star games, ’06 AL Rookie of the Year
Other Hits: LPH Mark Mulder (Athletics, 1998), RHP Josh Beckett (Marlins, 1999), RHP Mark Prior (Cubs, 2001), OF B.J. Upton (Rays, 2002), OF Alex Gordon (Royals, 2005)
This Year’s Pick: Cubs, who previously selected RHP Mark Prior (2001) at this position

The only spot in the top 10 where there was hasn't been a "washout" over that time period.

g.amsinger on MLB Network claiming m.appel's very high demands (and a threat via s.boras of going to play in indie ball) may drop him in the draft.

fwiw, slot money is $6,708,400 for the 2nd pick...expect the pick to get 7.5 to 8M I'm guessing.

$10,556,500 is their total bonus money for first 10 rounds for Cubs.

the 1st of the top-2 season events for the 2013 cubs is about to begin...the other being "what are we going to get in trade for all these 1st year and final year contracts" ...woo, cubs baseball. catch the hypothermia.

Cubs transaction page says we signed a couple of guys: Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP Salvador Jerez. Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP Enrique De Los Rio. Does anyone know about these guys?

phew...cubs avoid the potential appel mess...gray (non-Boras client) come on down and get your car rims money.

kerry wood and keith lockhart are in the MLB studios fake-ass war room table representing the cubs. neat.

Cubs go well over time....MLB network guys struggling to fill the time. Comedy.

End up picking Kris Bryant.

Surprise, surprise.

kris bryant...college junior...boras client...leverage + assramming adviser/agent. good luck allocating that draft money cubbies.

2017 Cubs lineup: CF Almora, 3B Baez, 1B Rizzo, RF Soler, LF Bryant, C Castillo, SS Castro, 2B Ryne Sandberg's clone

Yay. Not a sustained, whooppee Yay, just sort of a mild, yay. This draft didn't excite. Thank you TheoCorp for listening to me on the high draft pitcher thing. It's good to know you read my posts.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

as long as they didn't "go cheap" and avoid one of the top-3 it's hard to complain...they got the best available bat in the draft and one of the most exciting college bats in years. the comparisons to pat burrell aren't exactly exciting, but seem apt. he's got a really wide and somewhat squat stance for a 6'5" guy considering how much power he gets out of his swing.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

i'm still pissed they went with hayden simpson over kaleb cowart in 2010. when you have the 16th pick in the draft and it's a given there's 0 chance any of the 15 teams before you is going to even make a move on the guy you want that should tell you something...especially when it was the worst kept secret pre-draft that it was going to be simpson as the cubs pick. cowart's having a crappy 2013...but simpson is in indie ball, and probably not for much longer, and not in a good career move way.

CLE selects the most redheaded player in baseball history...clint frazier

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

lulz... he's one of the highest touted highschool hitters in quite a while...well, not including mike trout...who he's compared to. he supposedly comes with a little bit of an ego, but it's supposedly a healthy "i know i'm good" ego.

Cubs claim they had Appel #1 on board and Bryant #2. Could be just good P.R., but such is the claim.

My guess is they took so long trying to make sure they had some solid parameters on bonus numbers for both Bryant and Gray and then making a final decision.

Moran ... It's a shame he didn't go to the Cardinals. And bomb there.

ESPN draft guru Keith Law's take: Bryant's kind of right-handed power is very hard to find, and even if he ends up in right field he's athletic enough to be good there. He sets up with a very wide base and has no stride, just a toe-tap for timing. It's a quiet swing overall, with excellent hip rotation for power, but his bat speed is just average or a tick better and I worry about his contact rates when he's consistently facing guys throwing 90-plus in pro ball. He can murder a good fastball but I'm not sure how he'll react to better off-speed stuff in the pros. http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/17474/rapid-reaction-cub…

royals with the first "what?" pick of the draft...hunter dozier (SS), expected to go late 1st round or early 2nd goes with the 8th pick...and not expected to stick at SS over time.

baseball america "draft analysis" on k.bryant... ---- SCOUTING REPORT: Bryant has shown huge raw power since his high school days in Las Vegas, and has blossomed into college baseball’s premier slugger. He posted a 1.081 OPS and nine homers as a freshmen, then a 1.154 OPS and 14 long balls as a sophomore, but he has taken his game to new heights as a junior, posting a 1.357 OPS and 25 home runs (seven more than any other Division I player) through 49 games. Opponents have pitched him very carefully, but he has remained patient, posting a 56-31 walk-strikeout mark. Bryant’s best tool is his plus-plus righthanded power, allowing him to launch towering shots over the light standard in left field or hit balls over the fence to the opposite field. He has adopted a wider base and a simpler approach at the plate this year, and he has impressed scouts with his ability to turn on inside fastballs or go the other way with sliders over the outer half. His plate discipline and ability to consistently barrel up a variety of pitches make him a safe bet to be at least an average hitter, and many scouts think he’ll be better than that. Bryant’s arm gives him another above-average tool. His athleticism gives him at least a chance to stick at third, although he’ll need plenty more repetitions to master the position. Some scouts project him as a prototypical right fielder. He has average speed and can be faster under way, and he has shown good instincts in right and center. WHERE HE FITS: As talented as Bryant is, he’s entering a crowded Cubs’ system and will likely slot behind Javier Baez, Albert Almora and potentially Jorge Soler.

Bryant conference call highlights

highlight so far was sitting down and talking to Theo Epstein, says he'll tell his grandkids one day about it

open to playing anywhere on the field as long as he hits in middle of the order (how demanding)

takes as much pride in defense at 3b as his hitting

cards (19th) picks Marco Gonzales (LHP)...1st LHP 1st rounder since 1994 for them slight surprise pick...but given it's STL he's pretty much a shoe-in for 2016 Cy Young ...and shelby miller hits his 1st MLB HR to celebrate the pick

Dodger pick Chris Anderson RHP Jacksonville U at 18. Cubs selected him in the 35th round in 2010.

ryne stanek (RHP) still on the board after 25 picks...he was expected to go somewhere between 10-15 and pre-season was considered a top-10 pick.

Yankees at pick 26 take Eric Jagielo 3B Notre Dame. Cubs picked him in the 50th round in 2010. Downers Grove North HS

hunter harvey (son of bryan hunter if you remember his short flash of brilliance) was drafted 22nd by the O's...he never had any contact with them and the pick was a surprise. his chance of going to college is around 0.0001% given that there's trained animals with more education desire than this kid.

of course Cardinals get Kaminsky....

@ProfessorParks Of course the #Cardinals take LHP Rob Kaminsky. He will come back to bite other teams on the ass. Smart org makes another smart move.

and

Good velo from the left-side; excellent sink; power CB that is a money pitch; one of the best in the class.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

injured (torn labrum, hip) ian clarkin (expected to go 15-20) is the only undrafted "shocker" left, i believe. ...scratch that...he just went 33rd to the yanks...hell of a steal if they can sign him rather than going to college.

time to see what the hell was up with KC's strange/stupid/wtf #8 pick of a guy expected to go very late 1st round at best.

if MIA was going to piss away their competitive balance pick with matt krook, they should have just traded it away. massive fail. the chances of him not pitching college ball is rather remote. he would have gone much earlier if he wasn't so insistent that he was going to do the college thing. good luck with that pick, MIA.

Cubs pick Rob Zastryzny (aka Z-man cuz im not spelling that again) with the 41st pick...LHP never heard of him. j.mayo not impressed...not in his top-100...doesn't like his stuff. john hart likes his stuff, though he believes he may end up in the pen. i guess we have to keep in mind what the cubs first pick is going to cost.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Though Zastryzny won just two of his first 11 starts this spring as Missouri got a rude welcome to the Southeastern Conference, scouts aren't holding that against him. A lefthander who can really pitch with his fastball, he should go in the first three rounds. Zastrzyny effortlessly adds and subtracts from his fastball, usually sitting around 90 mph but capable of dropping down to 86 or elevating four-seamers up in the zone at 95. The 6-foot-3, 193-pounder can locate his fastball to either side of the plate and gets good angle, which helps it play up further. His most reliable secondary pitch is his changeup, which shows flashes of being a plus offering. His breaking ball is less consistent, as he will switch between a slider and curveball. Zastryzny throws strikes but will need to refine his command in pro ball. -Baseball America-

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

"Zastryszny is a four-pitch starter who lacks a true out pitch, changing speeds and locations to get hitters out in a way that will be tough to replicate at higher levels. Zastryszny will run his four-seamer up to 92-93 and mixes in a two-seamer at 87-88 that has some sink but hasn't kept him from being homer-prone this year in the Big 12. His changeup at 80-81 has good arm speed, and he'll throw an occasional show-me curve at 75-76 with good shape but soft rotation. He's a strike-thrower who drifts off the mound a little early and turns his pitching hand over just as his front foot lands, generating very little torque from his hips to maintain or boost his velocity. I think he's a back-end starter because of his control and left-handedness, although he'll have to use the four-seamer less so he doesn't become a 35-homer-a-year guy."

found that on Espn.com

...still watching the draft coverage...get to see tommy lasorda go to the mic to announce LA's 56th draft pick...it was worth it.

STL picks oscar mercado with the 57th pick...all fielding, no hit, no power SS. oddly, i was reading about him earlier today. he's got very serious fielding/throwing skills...practically MLB-ready, but he hits poorly even vs highschool competition without a shred of power.

WAS gets their first pick...68th of the draft. times have changed. jacob johansen (RHP)...1-pitch kid, 95-99mph fastball.

COL scouting director on the air (via phone) on the COL game (tied, 5-5 in the 11th fwiw) he seemed to be surprised/pleased they got j.gray, but at the same time it seems there was someone else they were expecting to snag (most likely bryant). there was more than a few sentences about adapting while the draft is in progress and you don't know what's going to happen in picks before you...but hey, there were 2 teams in front of COL and i can't imagine they thought appel was going to last until pick 3 unless they were extremely optimistic.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

speaking of this game...double umpire fail on a single play. bases loaded, hit to arenado...guy called out at 3rd on a play where arenado throws the ball before he tags the base (while stepping over it)...and guy at 1st called safe when he was out by 1/2 step that you didn't even need a slo-mo replay to pick up on. run scores...SD up by 1 going to bottom 12th.

Conor Glassey‏@conorglassey Gotta feel for Jon Denney, showing up at the #mlbdraft and not getting picked.

Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat Zastryzny (ZAS-tris-knee) was projected by some as a possible 1st round pick. Baseball America ranked 12th best LHP. --- yeah...uh...i'd like to see this list of "some"

I was watching Bryant videos on YouTube. It's amazing to me that the kid generates any power at all. His stance has his feet so far apart, and when he swings, there's almost no movement in his feet and no weight-shifting in his hips. It seems like a good recipe to hit for contact but not power.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

I can summarize. Baseball is, in my opinion, the hardest game to play at the major league level of all the sports. Others may disagree but it is very difficult to excel at that level. So I think it is really just a healthy dose of skepticism. The kid seems awfully confident that he can not only play it, but also hit at the major league level today. I suspect the first thing he'll run into is adversity. We'll see how he handles it. But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It's better karma than just automatically assuming he's gonna suck out there.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

"How's his swing plane?" given that he can actually move his bat during his swing, it's not an issue. the whole point of all of this "plane" thing was that i (and others) noticed that once he started his swing there was -0- adjustment on the fly except his "move" where he would pull his shoulder in (which kinda saps power out of the swing and isn't a very steady/stable means to adjust during a swing)...where it started is where it was going to end...which leads to shit contact unless you're barry bonds. guys like vlad (and currently miggy) make a decent living being able to adjust their bat once they start their swing...which takes a lot of strength...to square the bat up on a ball. while others were busy telling me i was full of shit, we got to see it play out until he finally told the world he was dealing with a long-lingering, multi-year, wrist issue (omfg surprise and shock!). 2 years, 2 players lost, and $4.25m later...

[ ]

In reply to by The Joe

i know it's mostly jokes...some were dead serious, though...and let me know in detailed rants from "theo-jed wouldn't do that" to "the trade wouldn't have happened if his medicals didn't check out" and points in between. i wasn't the only person who saw it...given he's a slugger more than a natural hitter it was a bit alarming to watch him swing a bat like that.

I am assuming many of you have already seen this, but BA has a slick Draft DB going with drop-downs for everything. Pretty nifty.

Rotoworld blurb: Mariners released OF Corey Patterson. Patterson caught on with the M's at the end of the April, but he's been given a pink slip after batting just .175/.224/.270 over 19 games at Triple-A Tacoma. He'll now look for a minor league deal elsewhere.

Conor Glassey‏@conorglassey #Cubs 3rd rdr BYU CF Jacob Hannemann is one of my favorite sleepers in this year's draft. Jacoby Ellsbury comps, which Theo knows all about.

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).