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

Cubs Trade Russell and Speedy Neifi to Braves

Yesteday, the Cubs acquired LHP Felix Doubront for a player to be named later from the Boston Red Sox. A trade that I like a whole lot presuming the PTBNL isn't much and considering Doubront's ability to strikeout many hitters. A move to the NL Central certainly won't hurt his numbers either.

Today, the deadline has been rocking and the Cubs big moves were out of the way earlier in the month, but they have just traded Bonifacio and James Russell to the Braves. In return, they got catcher Victor Caratini, the Braves second round pick from last year. Here's what Sickels had to say about him before the season:

10) Victor Caratini, 3B-C, Grade C+: Borderline B-. Solid line drive hitter with good strike zone judgment, hit just one homer in the Appy League but some scouts believe that the homers will come in time. Others aren’t sure, but at least he has a good eye. Will be interesting to see how he adapts defensively.

After the jump, a breakdown of some of the other trades from the last few days...

- Cardinals get RHP Justin Masterson for OF prospect James Ramsey

- Cardinals get RHP John Lackey and LHP Corey Littrell from Red Sox for OF/1B Allen Craig and RHP Joe Kelly

- Brewers get OF Geraldo Parra from DBacks for OF Mitch Haniger, LHP Anthony Banda

- A's get LHP Jon Lester, OF Johnny Gomes and cash for OF Yoenis Cespedes and a competitive balance pick

- A's get OF Sam Fuld for LHP Tommy Milone

- Yankees acquire INF/OF Martin Prado for 1B prospect Pete O'Brien (3rd in the minors behind Joey Gallo and Bryant for HR's) and cash.

- Yankees and Red Sox swap INF Stephen Drew for INF/OF Kelly Johnson

- Marlins acquire RHP Jared Cosart, INF Kiki Hernandez, OF Austin Wates from Astros for OF Jake Marisnick, INF Colin Moran, RHP Francis Martes and competitive balance pick

- Tigers acquire LHP David Price in a 3-team swap with Rays getting LHP Drew Smyly, INF Willy Adames and INF Nick Franklin from the Mariners, who get OF Austin Jackson (that seems like an awful trade for the Rays).

- Orioles get LHP Andrew Miller from Red Sox for LHP Eduardo Rodriguez

- Mariners get OF Chris Denorfia for OF Abraham Almonte and RHP Stephen Kohlscheen from the Padres

Huzzah, you step out for 2 hours and all hell breaks loose. Some fun deals, really love how the Red Sox got major leaguers in their deals. Cardinals look well poised for another late season run and the Rays seemed to whiff on a deal, unless Drew Smyly is a lot better than I think he is.

Comments

Len and JD on the air saying Doubrant is going on the DL and will be "considered a starter down the road" and that Baez will NOT be called up to replace Bonifacio.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

Because Doubront is out of minor league options, the only way the Cubs would be able to get him "stretched-out" as a starter would be to place him on the 15-day DL and then send him on a 30-day minor league rehab assignment. That should give him enough time to get stretched-out as a starter, and then he can be reinstated on September 1st (when rosters expand) and can be used as a starter the last month of the season.

The Cubs would then have to decide by 12/2 whether or not to tender him a 2015 contract (he will be first-time arbitration-eligible post-2014). If he struggles as a starter in September, the Cubs might non-tender him on 12/2 and then try and re-sign him to a 2015 non-guaranteed minor league contract with an NRI to ST. 

BTW, if Doubront is placed on the DL, Zac Rosscup would probably be recalled to be the #2 bullpen lefty.  

Jake Arrieta still being awesome, gets the win today; 7 IP, 7 K, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 H

I don't know anything about this guy. I just know the Braves have a knack for picking decent catchers.

Hi guys! Perhaps we have evolved past the only criteria I have recognized when doing an assessment on a catchin prospect.... 1st question: is his last name Molina? No other questions apply....

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

That's some exciting perspective. I was hoping a few other spare parts would be dealt, but I imagine another player or two could slip passed the deadline.

Olt 1 for 3 tonight so far with a STOLEN BASE! Ha! Still batting .343 Straily 3 hit 1 BB 0 ER so far through 5 ip with 4 K's.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

I'd say bring him up, but there's no point. He'll just straddle pine as long as Valbuena is around. I like Valbuena a lot, but as a supersub on a contending team, not as someone blocking Olt. That's ridiculous. I'd love to see what a September infield of Olt, Castro, Baez and Rizzo could do for about 30 days in a row. Maybe even Soler in right.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Agreed all around. Keep Olt at AAA as long as Captain Moran and Valbuena are in love. It's worth noting that. Luis' batting average is plummeting ... not that it matters. I think Soler will be up for sure. It makes sense in every way unless he is hurt or falls off the rails performance wise.

For what it's worth, MLB now has Caratini as the Cubs #13 prospect - in between Vogelbach and Candelabra.

Vizcaino with 2 innings of shutout pitching. Not quite gorgeous with 2 BB and 1 H but better than most of his recent appearances in Iowa.

With Valaika getting called up I guess they're still not happy with something they are seeing from Baez. Valaika is a 4A guy with a career minor league OPS of .644.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I think it's just a token gesture and they are holding onto Baez for service time and to avoid hype about the avalanche of prospects getting called up. Have to lose big this year again and I think next year they'll start the building part of the rebuilding. At the major league level . . .

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

Ok, here's my question: Cubs have Vitters, Watkins, BJax, Sczcur on option at Iowa which IMO is a pile of suck. Joe Stevenson of the NW Herald (HS sports) writes last night that former NW Herald POY 2007 - Elliot Soto, has been promoted to Iowa to take Watkins spot on moving up to Chicago. If Epstoyer would rather select Valaika and play Sweeney/Schierholtz over recalling any of these 4 guys, then why are they on the 40-man at all? I mean it's not like any of these guys are going to have any value, even as 'throw-ins' in a waiver trade. So why not outright them off the roster now? Certainly Hatley, Lopez & Baez offer more value now.

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

GEORGE A: A player MUST be added to a club's MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) during the season if the player is added to the club's MLB Active List (25-man roster), or during the off season if the player was a free-agent and signed a major league contract, or was selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft, or was claimed off waivers. A player MIGHT be added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) after the season to protect the player from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft and/or to keep the player from becoming a minor league free-agent. So slots on the 40 have a lot of value.

All things being equal, it's good to have 40-man roster slots open. And because players can be claimed off waivers in the process of being removed from the 40-man roster (like when a player is out of minor league options and the club needs to outright the player to the minors to open up a slot for another player), a club wouldn't want to add a player to the 40-man roster too soon in the player's career or if it isn't necessary. (It's sometimes better to not add a player to the 40 and risk losing him in the Rule 5 Draft but with the chance that you can get him back, than it is to add a player to the 40 too soon in his career and then have him run out of minor league options before he is ready to stick in the big leagues and then risk losing him off waivers--without a chance to get him back--when the club tries to outright him to the minors because his roster slot is needed for another player).

Also, if the 40-man roster is full a club might have to DFA (Designate for Assignment) a player it might prefer to keep (at least for a while longer) just to open up a 40-man roster slot, and once a player has been Designated for Assognmernt the club generally must either trade, release, or outright the player to the minors, effectively losing control of the player.   

In the cases of Brett Jackson, Matt Szczur, Josh Vitters, and Logan Watkins, the Cubs added Vitters to the 40 post-2011 because he was eligible for selection in the December 2011 Rule 5 and (as one of their top prospects at the time) the Cubs did not want to risk losing him. He has been optioned to the minors in 2012, 2013, and 2014, so he will be out of minor league options in 2015. He also would be a minor league 6YFA after the World Series if he were to be outrighted between now & then.  

Watkins was named Cubs Minor League Player of the Year in 2012 and was added to the 40-man roster in November of that year because he was eligible for selection in the December 2012 Rule 5 Draft. He has used two minor league options (2013 & 2014), so he will have one more left next season. He did spend a couple of months in the big leagues at the end of last season, he can play mulitple positions in the INF & OF, and he has had an OK (though not great) year at Iowa in 2014, so he probably will get recalled again at some point this season. Why the Cubs chose to call-up Valaika instead of Watkins right now is unknown, although it could be they want to see if Valaika (who is 28 years old and can play SS-3B-2B-1B) is worth keeping around as an extra man along with Valbuena-Coghlan-Ruggiano as the young future core arrives over the next year or so.    
 
Szczur was added to the 40-man roster at an odd time (prior to the 2012 season and long before he was eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft) because (just like with Jeff Samardzija) he was given a major league contract to keep him from going to the NFL Combine (Szczur was a football star at Villanove who continued ti play college football even after he signed with the Cubs, and he was considered a definite NFL prospect at the time), and once he was on the 40, the Cubs did not want to take the chance of losing him off waivers, so he remains on the 40 to this day even though he is still not considered ready to play in the big leagues. (BTW, because he was added to the 40 so early in his career, Szczur will get a 4th minor league option in 2015, presuming he remains on the 40-man roster). 

B. Jackson was added to the 40-man roster when he was called up from Iowa in August 2012, but he would have been added to the 40 post-2012 anyway to protect him from being selected in the December 2012 Rule 5 Draft (he was considered to be one of the Cubs top prospects at the time). 

So each of the the four remain on the 40 (at least for now), but it's also quite possible that one or more of them (especially B. Jackson and/or Vitters) could get dropped (outrighted or even released) at any time to make room for other players the Cubs wish to add to the 40, but probably not until their roster slots are actually needed.    

Except for the "26th man" who can be temporarily added to a club's MLB Active List for doubleheaders, all MLB clubs are required to have at least 24 players (but no more than 25 players) on their MLB Active Lists from Opening Day through August 31st (a temporary variance alllowing clubs to go below 24 players is permitted if a club trades multiple players at the same time). So while a club could choose to play with 24 players all the time (to save salary), it would be a competitive disadvantage to do that if all the other clubs play with 25. (There was one year back in the 1980's when all MLB club colluded to play with 24 players, but it didn't last because a couple of clubs "broke ranks" and added a 25th player).  

There is no such requirement for the MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), however. A club is not required to keep its 40-man roster full, and in fact there are times during the off-season when a club's 40-man roster might have as few as 31 or 32 players (this happened with the Cubs back in October-November 2004, after several Article XX-B players filed for free-agency but before other players were added to the 40 in preparation for the Rule 5 Draft). 

The common practice now is for clubs to take advantage of openings on its 40-man roster (especially at certain points during the off season) to make waiver claims, and then when the roster is full and a slot is needed for a free-agent signing or for a player acquired in a trade, the player claimed off waivers is put back on Outright Assignmemt Waivers as the club tries to outright the player to the minors. Some players are claimed two or three times in a given off season because of this practice. (The Cubs have done this several times over the past couple or three off-seasons).   

But duiring Spring Training and the MLB Regular Season, a club's MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) is usually full or nearly-full most all of the time, and sometimes it's so full (like at the end of Spring Training when NRI players who make an MLB 25-man Opening Day roster need to be added to the 40-man roster) that clubs have difficultty finding enough room for everybody. Because players on the 60-day Disabled List do not count against a club's 40-man roster, injured players expected to be out of action for a lengthy period of time are often placed on the 60-day DL (or transferred from the 15-day DLto the 60-day DL) to clear roster slots on the 40, most often right at the end of Spring Training, but also sometimes during the regular season, too. (A player can be placed on the 60-day DL no earlier than the start of Spring Training, and all players on a club's 60-day DL must be reinstated to the 40-man roster no later than the 5th day following the conclusion of the World Series).


Tommy Milone was traded for Sam Fuld. Can anyone compare and contrast the value of Travis Wood, Tommy Milone, Chris Rusin and Felix Dubront (outside of injuries). Projection including contract and years of control can be included If Oakland needed a 4th outfielder, clearly Beane thought Santo's little helper (Fuld) must have more value than Sure-outs, Coughlan, Ruggiano. I wonder if Theo/Jed was a at all interested in Milone, or was the Dubront acquisition enough for his near term lefty arsenal and Milone would have been like having Wood lite.

AZ Phil, can you give me an update on the injuries to Andreoli, Silva, Balanguert? Thanks.

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).