Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Wednesday Cubs Hot Stove Round-Up

Submitted by Rob G. on

I'll keep this brief...

- Jerry Crasnick says the Cubs will be in on Ben Sheets if they lose out on Dempster and Peavy. I suppose that could be an and/or since the Cubs were considering both.

- It seems someone in the mass media has finally gotten around to mentioning that Jake Peavy is a huge injury risk.

- Jeff Passan returns and I mostly ignore everything in it.

- Rosenthal says the Padres now want Single-A catcher Tyler Flowers from the Braves instead of center fielder Gorkys Hernandez. He says the Cubs have given from six to eight names for the Padres to choose from.

- Bruce Miles was apparently on the radio and says Felix Pie and Ronny Cedeno aren't of that much interest to the Padres and they're more interested in Josh Vitters, Welington Castillo, Sean Marshall and possibly some others.

Tags
Cubs rumors

Comments

Submitted by Chifan on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:34 pm

As long as it is a 1 year incentive laden deal for Sheets fine, if its anything that requires a big commitment in terms of dollars and years, no.

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:39 pm

Not to save the internet or anything, but I was intrigued by this line in your summary--"Bruce Miles was apparently on the radio and says Felix Pie and Ronny Cedeno aren't of that much interest to the Padres and they're more interested in Josh Vitters, Welington Castillo, Sean Marshall"--because Miles doesn't usually have first-hand information or insider knowledge. He's more of a paid blogger than a reporter. So I checked your link, and it says that Jim Memolo was on the radio saying these things about Pie and Cedeno. Miles threw around the other names on his blog of 11/7:
Young major-league pitcher Sean Marshall is likely in the offer as is Felix Pie, who has bounced up and down. Believe it or not, the Cubs do have several other minor-leaguers they can offer. Among them: --Catcher Welington Castillo, who played in the Futures Game this year. He hit .298 at Class AA Tennessee before getting a promotion to Class AAA Iowa. He was at big-league camp this past February, and if he's not traded, he'll be there again in '09. --Third baseman Josh Vitters, the Cubs' No. 1 pick in 2007. He played at Boise (A) and Peoria (A) this year, hitting .328 with a .365 OBP at Boise.
Just some players the Cubs "can offer," not "have offered," and nothing about who the Padres are interested in. In spite of all the gossip, I'm going to assume that Jim Hendry would not mention Josh Vitters in a conversation about Peavy.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:58 pm

way to cite a 5-day old story that's already been on here, suffice to say things can change.

I didn't hear the interview, but from that link it does seem that it is Memolo that was saying those things about Pie and Cedeno. Once again, apologies to the Internet.

As for offers, no one really knows as Hendry keeps things close to the vest. Cubs might not trade Vitters and I hope they don't, but saying the Padres are interested (as a few other reporters have) isn't much of a reach. They seem to like some Flowers kid in Atlanta which means catching is also on their mind, so Castillo makes sense too.

If Samardzija is out of the picture, I can't imagine a deal getting done with the Cubs that doesn't involve Vitters unless Towers is absolutely forced to dump Peavy and the Braves fall out of the picture.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:21 pm

If San Diego wanted Flowers, they want him more tonight: he hit three home runs this afternoon for our Mesa Solar Sox. The last one was his tenth. Tommy Hanson, another guy the Padres wanted but won't get, is 4-0 for the Solar Sox. Today he struck out nine in five innings. This is a strong Mesa squad, not much thanks to the Cubs. Colvin is on sick leave, and Clevenger and Spears seem to have retreated to the end of the bench. Darwin Barney usually plays short, though, and has raised his average to .375 after about 65 at bats.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 11:27 pm

Well, that's one list. Here are a couple others. In the AFL top ten in BA, 2005: Matt Kemp, Howie Kendrick, Brendan Harris, Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche. Also hitting .300 or above: Stephen Drew, Nick Markakis, Ryan Garko, Dan Uggla. AFL hitters with BA above .320, 2006: Yunel Escobar, Kevin Frandsen, Ben Zobrist, Hunter Pence, Troy Tulowitzki, Mark Reynolds, Ryan Braun. It's a little soon to look at 2007, but Longoria and DeWitt were in there. I sometimes wonder where you guys think ballplayers come from. Free agency? Or maybe the stork brings them? When Fuld was MVP in 2007, nobody had more than six home runs. Flowers has 10 in 62 at bats. And other than the fact that Lou will never play a guy in the outfield who has 3-home-run power, what's wrong with Sam Fuld? He says his hand was injured in the first half last season. Give him a break. He got it going in August: 325/424/445. I'm a Cub fan, he's a Cub, so I like him.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 11:43 pm

apparently you missed this...

a lot of good players do play in it, but success in the AFL, which is a very friendly hitting environment, doesn't mean a whole lot...

on the other hand, you did list a a virtual who's who of top prospects the last few years. I think Dan Uggla is the only one who really used the AFL as a springboard.

My point being, AFL numbers don't mean much, the good players that come out of there were already considered good players before they got there 99% of the time. Flowers is already a pretty high-end prospect, the Padres aren't going to see 3 HR's in an AFL game and suddenly decide he's the one they need to get a Peavy deal done.

Submitted by Chifan on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:21 pm

At this point, I think its up to Peavy. The Braves have and are willing it seems to give up more talent than the Cubs. Peavy is likely just torn between playing for the hometown team who might compete by 2010 or the 2nd best team in the NL right now. If this was a baseball move, then a Braves deal would be done by now.

Submitted by Dmac on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:44 pm

No Peavy, no Sheets, just sign Dempster and Wood. And I know this factor is overplayed, but what's the key stat to discern offensive differentials between the Padres' stadium and Wrigley?

[ ]

Submitted by The Real Neal on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:43 pm

Park Factors? Wrigley had about 7% more run scoring than the average ballpark in 2007. Petco had an amazing 20% less. I'm too lazy to try to calculate how that would affect Peavy's innings, but just straight calculation puts him at a about a 3.21 ERA had he pitched for the Cubs last year. I did round a .49 run up to a run, because he would have pitched fewer innings in Wrigley, than he had in Petco.

Submitted by spongebob on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:03 pm

Sheets bad - stay away from more injury prone people Dempster - offer arbitration and cut bait take the sandwich picks....he's over rated he had a great contract year and is going to cash in...stay away...seriously going to pay him over 10mil a year. Get Peavy and give up the prospects that you will be drafting from dumping dempster. Wood - would be nice to keep him but will ask a lot on the market and we have capable closers. Peavy - if you can convince peavy to demand a trade to the Cubs that would be ideal...if you can get him get him...we are in it to win it NOW...not in five years. Pie - put him in center and the 8th hole or 9th and let him play, let him work it out, if the organization thinks he's good then commit to it. If not trade him away and get some one you can put in CF that is a no doubt leadoff man that forces Soriano down in the order. Marquis - 10 mil a year what a terrible contract! Good luck getting rid of that to anyone unless we eat the money. Roberts- give up on it all ready...we have nothing to give up and they are trying to sign big name players this off season they need something.

Submitted by billybucks on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:18 pm

From the Yahoo Free Agent Tracker: 152) Corey Patterson, OF: He turned in one of the truly awful seasons in history for a full-time outfielder. Safe to say greatness isn’t in the stars.

Submitted by The E-Man on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:17 pm

Those of you who heard Andy Mazur (former Cubs 6th inning break guy, now with Padres) on WSCR 670 - Murph asked him in football terms to describe the chances of Peavy to Cubs or Braves. He said, "Cubs are 3rd and long. Braves, 3rd and short."

Submitted by Dmac on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 11:02 am

Thanks for the analysis, Real Neal; I have no idea how you compare the parks - how many games does the wind blow in vs. blow out? Do you take April/May/early June and balance that out with the rest of the year (until late Sept?). Only Fergie knows for sure.

Submitted by Jim Hickmans Bat on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 11:21 am

Why would the Cubs be very interested in Jeremy Hermida? Seems like a younger version of Jeromy Burnitz to me. Talk about your low expectations. Stick to Dunn or Abreu pursuit for RF, please.

Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 11:57 pm

Burnitz did hit 315 career HR's...not too shabby considering he got a bit of a late start. I'm not aaying he was great or anything, but he had a really good stretch from 1997-2001, averaging 32HR and 102 RBI. I'd love Dunn's bat, but can he play RF? He seems like a mediocre LF at best. Abreu I like too, but he'll be 35 before the start of the season. I'd hate to see a 4 year deal for Abreu or something like that.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    cubs getting crazy good at not having player moves leak.

    taillon we 100% know is pitching tonight.  who he's replacing and any additional moves are unknown as far as i can tell.

    p.wisdom was not in today's lineup in iowa (rained out) and he was removed from the game last night mid-game, but not for injury.  good bet he's with the team in the bigs, too.

  • Bill (view)

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

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

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