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

The Cubs Trade Machine Rolls On

Lets see what a post on my iPhone looks like...apologies in advance.

So the Cubs have moved Scott Hairston and his 2-year deal and a player to be named later for RHP Ivan Pineyero and a player to be named later. Pineyero was good enough to be named to the South Atlantic All-Star team this year. Beyond that check out the comments in the earlier post or the wonderful powers of Google if you care to learn more. Suffice to say that since this involves Hairston, the players involved aren't going to be huge difference makers. The Cubs will pay some of Hairston's 2013 deal, but Nationals will take on his 2014 commitment.

Comments

I have mentioned here before (most recently when he was on a rehab assignment at Extended Spring Training) that I believe Junior Lake's future is as a RH platoon OF, and that he would (eventually) take Scott Hairston's slot on the 25-man roster.

While Donnie Murphy will probably (initially) take Hairston's spot on the 25-man roster. and while I do believe Lake needs more reps at Iowa, the Hairston trade (and his own performance at Iowa since returning from the DL) should accelerate Lake's ETA to the big leagues to September 1st at the latest.

Pineyro is a ranked prospect in a deep farm system (the Nationals' No. 27 entering the season, according to Baseball America) and he has pitched very well in his first year of full-season ball. Pineyro was a South Atlantic League All-Star before being promoted to high-A and has compiled a 3.24 ERA and 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings between those two stops.

The Pineyro capsule in Baseball America's Prospect Handbook points out how he bounced back from suffering a broken jaw on a line drive in extended spring training a year ago, saying the Nationals "rave about Pineyro's maturity and professionalism, and his quick arm is intriguing. His fastball velocity jumped to 90-94 last year. He has also a good feel for a changeup that projects as an average to plus pitch.''

From the Phil Rogers tweet in the sidebar...

Link is in the sidebar, but 3 Cubs in BA's midseadon top 50.

10Javier BaezssCubs

Earlier this year became second Florida State Leaguer to hit four home runs in one game.

16Albert AlmoraofCubs

Missed first month with hamate injury, but has made up for lost time since returning.

 

18Jorge SolerofCubsWill miss two months with stress fracture in leg, but talent is too good to ignore.

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

That's nice. Since he hasn't played pro ball yet, we haven't discovered the holes in his game. If he ends up a K-prone RF instead of a 3B, it would be hard to justify ranking him above Baez. I'm actually most confused by the adoration for Almora, who has been ranked by some ahead of Soler. I'm curious what they're seeing that I'm not. Seems to me Almora has a lot left to prove as a hitter, and he doesn't have any off-the-charts tools (like Baez does, for example) to justify the rankings.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

I keep hearing that his instincts are great and allow him to make up for unexceptional speed. That doesn't exactly blow me away. I'll wait to jump on the band wagon until I see some more numbers from the minors in which he either hits for power consistently or takes some walks. Should admit here that I haven't seen him play, and that I've only seen Baez and Soler in the WGN spring training games.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

I've seen him play (Almora) at Kane County. He has crazy-good contact skills, great balance at the plate and is a line-drive machine -- handles both hard stuff and breaking stuff well. He was one of the youngest guys on the field and looked like a man playing among boys. He also flashed a good glove and arm in the field (threw out a runner tagging up from third after a long run to grab a fly in right-center field) and showed great enthusiasm for playing. I'm sold on the guy after seeing him.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Just one thing to add about Almora's contact skills -- I saw him play in a double-header. 8 plate appearances, reached base 7 times and only swung and missed at ONE pitch out of all his plate appearances. On everything else he was able to either foul it off or drive it hard, mostly to left-center and right-center. He maintained good balance at the plate at all times -- and put the ball back up the middle on fastballs and off-speed stuff. Didn't get too far out in front or behind, no matter what the speed of the pitch. Faced four different pitchers, too.

per mlbtr...JH Tseng
18-year-old Taiwanese righty JenHo Tseng, ranked #29 on Jesse Sanchez's top 30 international prospect list for MLB.com, is "known for his upright, quick delivery and a fastball that has reached 95 mph." The Cubs have emerged as the favorite for Tseng, tweets Sanchez, and he's expected to command at least $1.5MM. Assuming Eloy Jimenez's $2.8MM deal with the Cubs is finalized, and the Cubs add Tseng at around $1.5MM, they appear a lock to exceed their bonus pool by more than 10% even if they max it out by acquiring more pool space.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

CHARLIE: The Cubs can trade SBV slots, but if they do and they reach an overage that triggers a 75% or 100% tax on 2013-14 ISP bonus amounts that exceeded their adjusted ISBP, the tax could be fairly significant (several million dollars). 

So even if they go over their adjusted 2013-14 ISBP and trigger a tax and restrictions on bonuses in the 2014-15 ISP, they can at least minimize their eventual 2013-14 ISP tax-penalty by maintaining a high ISBP. 

I guess it would ultimately depend on what kind of deal the Cubs are offered for an SBV. They can't sell the SBV outright, but they could recoup some of the potential ISBP overage tax-loss by trading the SBV along with a player where the other club pays more of the player's salary than might be otherwise expected, or acquiring a player for an SBV where the other club pays most or all of the player's salary.  

And if they blow past the 2013-14 ISBP limit and can't sign top international players in the next ISP, that should make the Cubs SBV sellers rather than buyers starting next July.

It won't do any good to have a $4-5M ISBP if you can't spend it. 

Heyman tweets that Cubs trying to sign Garza long term. Sounds like posturing and something they've already certainly tried.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

I'm OK with either decision--as long as the Cubs come out of it with a major league ready player (either Garza or at least one of the prospects they get in return for him, hopefully a 3B, SP, or 2B). I'm not sure which would put them closer to competing, even though the common sense answer is that keeping Garza would.

/had to shelve Feldman one last week --- ever since Feldmania went away, JD hasn't had much to say on TV.

IFA signing bonus correction: @JesseSanchezMLB Moreno originally reported as $800,000. Not accurate?”~I had orig agreement at $800k. Done deal at $650K.

castro batting leadoff tonight...because why the hell not okay sure whatever.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

Only issues with US government. Hopefully this ends it. But they may give him trouble next spring too. Or if he ever needs to go to Canada. AZ Phil has pointed out that there may be an issue with him possibly being rule 5 draft eligible this offseason.

per Roto...Brooks Raley called up. Another lefty in the pen. Replaces Hairston's roster spot.

Can't watch Garza's last start because MLB.TV tells me there are no games today.

I hope Garza continues pitching well (Phegley solo HR notwithstanding) but, more importantly, pray he doesn't get hurt.

The MLB phone app was acting strangely earlier. It wasn't loading the scores, telling me it couldn't load the data. Everything else was loading fine, like the news and so on. Then I went back to the scores and all it gave me was the minor league scores for the Boston Red Sox affiliates.

Wow, could SOMEONE come out of the woodwork with some kind of offer for Soriano? He's back in the 10/10 club after 2 SBs tonight!! And can we survive long-term if both of our middle IFs put up an OPS under .600? Stinky!!

[ ]

In reply to by Jackstraw

Or carrying venison carcass up a flight of stairs. Or pinching his testicle between his cup and thigh. Baseball's had some weird injuries all right.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

Other than an injury, the worst thing that could happen to Matt Garza (from his POV) is for the Cubs to not trade him and then make him a Qualifying Offer after the World Series.

If he accepts it, he gets a one-year guaranteed contract (without a "no trade") worth about $14M, and then goes through the same thing next year that he's going through right now.

If he declines the Qualifying Offer, he goes into the post-2013 free-agent market with other teams knowing that signing him will cost them a 1st or 2nd round draft pick, thus depressing and restricting his value on the open market.

So the Cubs might indeed be able to sign Garza for a below market-value contract now, something another team would not be able to do because the Qualifying Offer is off the table once he gets traded.  

So deep down I would think that Garza would hope to get traded (if for no other reason than to remove the specter of the Qualifying Offer), while meanwhile the Cubs would constantly be reminding him (and his agent) that if he doesn't take their offer now that maybe they will just not trade him, and make him a Qualifying Offer post-World Series. 

The Cubs definitely have some leverage here.

since t.wood is looking like he's going to have to sacrifice his AS slot in order for the cubs to go on their quest to not lose 100 games (seriously cubbies, just let someone else start and let the kid go to the game) will t.wood's slot need to be filled with another cub because wood is the only cubbie representative?

A lot of people are gonna disagree, but I think if I was TheoCorp I'd can Sveum at the all star break. These kids - Castro and Rizzo, are supposed to form the core of this team in the future. Last night, as an example of the growth of these two, they left a total of approximately 297 men on base last night. Sveum doesn't seem like a terrible manager. He does a few wacky things but they all do. But in the area that matters most to the immediate future of this team, the development of its core young players, the needle is moving the wrong way.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

In addition to being a season-long disaster at the plate, Castro has 15 errors - the next highest NL SS has 10 (must be something about Chicago -- Alexi Ramirez leads the AL in errors with 14). Castro may be the worst full-time player in the NL this year. Rizzo played his 86h game last night; he played 87 last year. Last year was .285/.342/.463 (15 HR), this year .239/.324/.437 (12 HR). I assume Sveum was hired to develop the young hitters -- ugh.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

He can't be the only reason, but he's not helping. He's been trying to convert Castro into becoming a more patient hitter. All that has accomplished is that he now doesn't hit anything, whereas when he took the Vlad Guerrero approach to hitting, he was hitting stuff all over the place (and, yeah, looking bad when he wasn't). Castro is up there guessing half the time, and guessing wrong, looking completely out of his element. The team needs to tell him to forget the "be more selective" experiment and go back to what he was doing before, or have the guts to send him down to the minors for awhile. As for Rizzo, who knows? I don't sit in on conversations between Sveum and Rizzo, but he's not getting good advice, obviously. One of the reasons Sveum was hired was because he was supposed to be a decent hitting coach. I don't see the results, and these guys are in their formative years. There's a chance I'm wrong and he has had no impact at all on them. I don't care. Time to try someone else in there before their careers turn into 4A careers.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Agreed that he is not helping, but I don't think one coach is much different than another. As for changing Castro’s approach, I believe that was the organization’s decision (read Theo) not Sveum's alone. In the end, like coashes, I don't think who the manager is matters much so fire him if you like, just expect that that alone will change Castro or Rizzo's trajectory. It is up to the players to adjust to the league and improve.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

It may not even be coaching mechanics or approach -- it seems to me that Sveum has called out Castro a few times in the media, mostly due to his (understandable) frustration. Maybe Castro (and Rizzo?) needs somebody who understands that you can read a kid the riot act in your office, but you don't knock him in the media.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

Leave Rizzo alone. It's not really his fault. His BABIP is freakishly low for a guy who hits it as hard as he does. In fact, I just did the math, and if his BABIP was .300 this year, his average would also be .300 on the money. My only complaint is that his k% is slightly elevated this season, which I blame on not protecting well enough with two strikes. He's doing fine, dude. As for the other one - you want to fire a manager because one guy is playing like shit?

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

I've said a lot here that I'm nowhere near as worried about Rizzo. As long as they don't fuck him up, his break out year should be pretty amazing. As for firing the manager because one guy is playing like shit, no, if the record overall was better, I'd probably not say it. But with one of the league's worst RISP averages and the team consistently losing close games it's something they have to think about. Castro is NOT neifi perez. He has tons more hitting talent and, before this year, the track record to prove it. With the way the starting pitching pitched during the first half, this team should have been .500. I'm probably being a lot harsher in my judgement of Sveum than Theo and Company will be, so relax. He's not going anywhere just because some old crank on a forum is being bitchy.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Yes, the Cubs certainly underachieved in one-run games and should be a lot closer to .500. You can be harsh on Sveum if you want, but let's at least be accurate. This team should have been closer to .500, but little of that goes to the manager I think. His pinch-hitting and bullpen decisions were not excessively more questionable than those of other managers, IMO. As for Castro, there's nothing left to say. He is what he is - a lazy-looking baseball player with a fat contract, little short-term opportunity to develop the habit of winning, and little trade value. The ironic part is that after the Andrus contract, the Castro contract looked like an absolute heist, and in typical Cubbery, pretty much everything has gone to shit since.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

The front office is clearly trying to get Castro to take a more patient approach. So far, he's taking more pitches than league average until he gets to 2 strikes. Then he swings more than league average to try to protect the plate. The result has been less contact and poorer contact. Castro isn't a shitty hitter all of a sudden - he hasn't lost the ability to barrel up the ball - he's in the middle of an approach change at the big league level and the rest of the league is taking advantage of it. Had he not been a MLB player at 20, he would have been forced to make this change in the minors, where the results are not as critical to the organization and without the current media scrutiny. He will be fine.

[ ]

In reply to by Jumbo

About a month ago, somebody on here linked to an article on the oddity that is Castro's pitch selection this year. Their stats showed a lot of what you are saying here--Castro swings a below average % of the time at pitches either inside or outside the zone early in the count, but once he's got two strikes at him he swings an extremely high percentage of the time at pitches both in and out of the zone (and gets lots of pitches way out of the zone as a result). The author's conclusion was that we should expect Castro to get better as he may just be developing/polishing a more disciplined approach. They took the numbers as evidence that he is in the early stages of becoming a less hacktastic hitter. There's at least one other possible conclusion, which is that Castro might be trying his best to be a more patient hitter but that while he has control over swinging at fewer pitches he may not be able to improve his strike zone control and pitch recognition. I hope that's not the case, but it seems like a legit possibility.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Could be. That is the article, by the way - can't find a link right now. I think he just sort of panics a bit and protects the plate a little too aggressively. Once he can let these pitches go for ball 3 or ball 4 it will make a huge difference. The league won't be able to get him out with two strikes, which is essentially what's been happening to him.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

Well, I've never run an MLB team but they had to know his personality type when they hired him. I assume they like that part of him - an I hate to lose attitude. On the other hand, if I was hiring a guy to help mold kids, I'd get more of a rah rah, on the edge of the dugout type of guy.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

For what benefit though? Personally I want them to can Sveum at the end of the year and hopefully get a new start with more youngsters coming up and hopefully a more vibrant and energetic (or energizing to fans through a downturn, like Ryno) manager. But firing him mid-year in a lost season doesn't provide much...you aren't going to a get a good replacement right now.

[ ]

In reply to by springs

I'd be very surpirised if Sveum is fired mid-season, but not post-season. When a manager gets fired it's usually not because he's the main reason for a team's failure. It usually has to do with not meeting expectations, and in Sveum's case that would not be tied to wins & losses, but it probably is tied to the development and performance of the younger players. 

But I believe the guy who will be first to go (and that could be at the All-Star Break) is Hitting Coach James Rowson, who was hired originally as minor league hitting coordinator before being moved up to MLB Hitting Coach. Assistant Hitting Coach Rob Deer also might get canned.

Hitting coaches have limited influence, but when players struggle to hit, the hitting coach (rightly or wrongly) gets blamed.  

The guy who helped Starlin Castro the most as a hitter coming up through the system was current Daytona manager Dave Keller, who was Minor League Hitting Coordinator when Castro made his big move through the pipeline 2008-10. And then Keller was Cubs MLB Assistant Hitting Coach (in charge of Game Prep & Batting Practice) in 2011 when Castro was developing into a big-time big league hitter. And I don't think it's any coincidence that Keller was named Daytona manager (his first-ever manager gig) the same year that Javier Baez and Jorge Soler were there. (Keller was also Hitting Coach at Iowa last season when Anthony Rizzo turned things around).

Sometimes changing hitting coaches only helps one guy, but if that guy is Starlin Castro, it probably might be worth considering.

Also, sometimes it's best to let a player be himself and not change anything, even though he isn't the perfect player as is. That might be true with Castro, and bringing in a new voice (especially somebody he already knows & respects) might at least help him get back to where he was offensively.

Alan Trammell helped Castro the most defensively (and he is doing a fantastic job working withn Diamondbacks rookie SS Didi Gregorius now), but he left the Cubs and became Kirk Gibson's bench coach & infield instructor with Athe D'backs when Sveum was hired as Cubs manager. (Trammell supposely was pissed when he wasn't considered for the Cubs manager job).   

I'm not sure making Castro (and Rizzo) a "Face of the Franchise" is a good idea, either. That only puts added pressxure on a young player, pressure he probably does not need at this stage of his career. But the Cubs Marketing Dept. was probably reluctant to promote more well-established guys like Soriano and Garza as a Face of the Frachise because they could get traded at any time. 

I also will repeat what I have said here many times. I saw Castro, Junior Lake, Marwin Gonzalez, and Gian Guzman play together every day at Minor League Camp, Extended Spring Training,  AZL, and Instructs in 2008, and because they all needed playing time they were moved around to different positions on a daily basis. And while Castro can play shortstop, his best position is 2nd base. And I think that's where he will end up, and playing a position where he makes fewer errors might help to clear his head and allow him to be the best hitter he can be. 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

There is some merit to your discussion about Trammell helping Castro in the field. He certainly was starting to show progress in the field under the Hall of Famer's tutelege, whereas he has regressed to one of the worst two years after Trammell has gone. I am wondering if Theo just has completely miscalculated Castro's value, and now understands that he may never be the type of hitter he seeks for his teams, and therefore he could try to move him when he can come back to his previous bar once more.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

Yeah, I still have them(4). The wife said I might have to go down to 2 tickets next year. I have only recouped about 21% of the cost to date....she made a spreadsheet. We have yet to donate any, keep holding out for $$$$. The fact that stubhub cuts off sales 6 hours before game time has pretty much killed me. I'll gladly decrease to 2 tix if they keep the same stubhub policy. Anyone need tickets for tonight?

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

I thought Rowson was fairly involved in Rizzo's new stance (last year) and ultimately his transformation from spring training bummer, to AAA monster and Cubs' 2012 poster boy? Not saying they should keep him, but it probably complicates his situation if they want to fire him.

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Nice finish to the conversation. I love hearing everyone's differing opinions on this kind of thing. As for Keller: Bring him up!! I really do think that the Cubs need to scour the big leagues for the very best talent out there for working with young players. I'm not convinced at all Sveum is among the top tier in that field. I have no idea who is, but I bet there are some out there with a track record. We could potentially be looking at a Bryant/Baez/Castro/Rizzo infield, along with Soler in the outfield, very soon. So this team needs to be sure that they have the best coaching talent they can find to help them move forward.

I have been saying this since April, but I believe if he is not traded (and I agree his stock has plummeted), he will not be the shortstop when one of the other SS prospects make it to the Majors, imo.

Sveum was quoted in Muskat's game story last night saying Scott Baker is a few weeks away. Anyone heard anything else about that?

Suspension coming. Arod and Braun (et al)...I'm feeling a guilty bit of schadenfreude. Is that wrong?

TWood faced the minimum, allowed one hit thru 5. Not even a no-hitter, but it kind of feels like a perfecto (damn you Pujols). Also, slick glove work tonight at least once each by Borbon, Valbuena, Rizzo, Castro ... almost everyone so far.

He might not know where it's going, but Strop has great stuff...consistent upper 90's heat with some nice movement.

Are they really going to let this Soriano guy walk after 2014? Extend him while you can...

I need some stats in the twitter bar about the Cubs win-loss record when they hit 5 HR

Cubs now have a better record than last year's World Series winners. Thus completely blowing my fire Sveum thoughts out of the water. However, it's my right to be a fickle fan.

Big change from the Hendry era, and IMO the right way: [ ] Does manager Dale Sveum get involved in the negotiations? "It's always nice to have a guy like that around," Sveum said of Garza, "but unless I'm asked my opinion on it, that's Theo and Jed's territory, so I just leave that up to them and the ownership." That would be Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, and general manager Jed Hoyer. Have they asked Sveum for his opinion? "No," he said. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130709&content_id=53219608&no…

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Maybe it was my imagination, but I believe Lou was the primary reason the Cubs felt the need to be more left handed resulting in the trade of DeRosa and the signing of Bradly. Off the top of my head I can't remember a similar example for Dusty, but I believe Henry looked to his manager to let him know what they needed to win.

After Welington Castillo came up sick before Monday’s game on the South Side, Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum inserted Luis Valbuena into the DH slot.

“I was battling where I was going to put him,” Sveum said. “Then I’m like, ‘Ah, I don’t want to deal with the paperwork. I’m just going to leave him in the sixth spot.’”

how much does Sveum get paid?

Am I the only person who thinks the Bryant negotiations are done except for the final $$ amount? It might very well be that the Cubs said to Bryant/Boras . . . Look you'll get your slot money, but give us til the deadline to sign as many people as we can and whatever is left over we'll give you as well. Could actually be that simple . . . building good will in the new system.

AZ Phil: Assuming Bryant signs, do you think he's headed your way (AZL Cubs) or more likely to go straight to a higher level?

According to Peter Gammons tweet- "So Byrant got slot, and wasted a month" Guess he signed?

Ex-Cub update: "He's a pig, but pitching quite well this year" From espn.com: Authorities say Giants pitcher Chad Gaudin has been charged with lewdness after a woman told police he touched her breast at a Las Vegas hospital while she was on a gurney earlier this year. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports 30-year-old Chad Gaudin was arrested Jan. 27, although the case didn't attract attention at the time. Police say Gaudin was drunk when he approached a 23-year-old woman on a gurney in the emergency room lobby at Desert Springs Hospital, told her she was gorgeous and touched her face and breast. The newspaper reports a paramedic told Gaudin to leave the woman alone, but he refused, and security staff held him down until police arrived. Gaudin has pitched as a starter and in relief. He's 2-1 this year with a 2.44 ERA.

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).