Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Who Needs Pitchers? A New Way to Speed-up the Game AND Cut Payroll

Danny Lockhart drilled three hits (two singles and a double) and drove-in a run, Mark Zagunis doubled and tripled and scored a run, and Jeimer Candelario and Wladimir Galindo clubbed solo home runs, in a 5-1/2 inning AZ Instructional League intrasquad "sim" game played this afternoon on Field #5 at the Under Armour Performance Center at Riverview Park in Mesa, AZ.

With Field Coordinator Tim Cossins and Infield Coach Jose Flores taking turns feeding him balls from behind a screen set-up in front of the pitcher's mound, "Iron Mike" threw a complete game for both squads. Mike is a relentless machine who throws at a constant speed and almost always throws strikes, so there were no walks or strikeouts, and no pitching changes to slow down the game. Just crisp, fast-paced, mechanical baseball.    

The defense was shaky for both squads (seven errors combined), but there was one stand-out defensive play, a diving double-saving stop by 17-year old Venezuelan third-baseman Wladimir Galindo, who then quickly got to his feet and threw-out the baserunner. (OK, the base-runner was slow-footed Mark Malave, but it was a nice play). Galindo is a load. He's built like a power forward. 

While the sim game was in progress on Field #5, the AFL prep group took BP and worked out on Field #4 in preparation for the start of the Arizona Fall League season next Tuesday. Addison Russell, Dan Vogelbach, Jake Hannemann and Bijan Rademacher were joined by 3B Christian Villanueva, who will be leaving for Mexico this weekend to play winter ball for Los Yaquis de Obregon in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), which begins play in about ten days.  

Here is the box score from the game:  

SQUAD "A" LINEUP
1. Rashad Crawford, CF: 0-3 (F-8, E-7, 4-3)
2. Mark Zagunis, DH #1: 2-3 (2B, F-9, 3B, R)
3. Jeimer Candelario, 3B: 2-3 (1B, HR, F-8, R, RBI)
4. Kyle Schwarber, DH-1B: 0-2 (F-9 SF, P-4, 4-3, RBI)
5. Chesny Young, 2B: 0-3 (L-8, L-7, F-8) 
6. Mark Malave, 1B-C: 1-3 (1B, P-4, 5-3, R) 
7. Kevin Encarnacion, RF: 1-2 (1B, F-8, R)
8. Tyler Alamo, C-DH: 1-2 (1B, E-4) 
9. Ho-Young Son, SS-DH: 0-2 (1-U DP, F-9) 
10. Frandy de la Rosa, DH-SS: 1-2 (1B+E9, L-7, R, 2 RBI) 
11. Charlie White, LF: 1-2 (2B, F-8, R) 


SQUAD "B" LINEUP: 
1. Charcer Burks, CF: 1-3 (F-8, F-8, 1B, R, RBI)
2. Danny Lockhart, DH #1: 3-3 (2B, 1B, 1B, RBI)
3. Gioskar Amaya, C-1B: 0-2 (6-3, F-9, F-9 SF, RBI)
4. Billy McKinney, DH #2: 0-3 (F-7, L-7, 4-3) 
5. Jordan Hankins, 1B-C: 1-3 (F-7, 1B, L-4) 
6. Eloy Jimenez, RF: 0-2 (5-3, E-9) 
7. Kevonte Mitchell, LF: 0-2 (L-8, F-8) 
8. Wladimir Galindo, 3B: 1-2 (HR, F-8, R, RBI)
9. Jason Vosler, SS: 2-2 (1B, 1B, R) 
10. Andrew Ely, 2B: 0-2 (F-9, E-6, R) 

SQUAD "A" ERRORS: 3 
1. RF Kevin Encarnacion - E-9 (dropped fly ball allowing batter to reach base safely)
2. SS Frandy de la Rosa - E-6 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely) 
3. 1B Kyle Schwarber - E-3 (throwing error at 2nd base allowed runner to advance to 3rd) 

SQUAD "B" ERRORS: 4 
1. RF Eloy Jimenez - E-9 (three-base fielding error on line-drive single allowed batter to circle bases & score)  
2. 3B Wladimir Galindo - E-5 (dropped pop fly in foul territory)
3. LF Kevonte Mitchell - E-7 (dropped pop fly in shallow LF allowing batter to reach 2nd base safely & run to score) 
4. 2B Andrew Ely - E-4 (dropped pop fly in shallow RF allowing batter reach base safely) 

ATTENDANCE: 4

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in the 80's 

Comments

AZ Phil: although Billy McKinney and Kyle Schwarber (Sac Fly is a good thing) didn't get hits, can you comment on what you see when watching them and maybe some updated projections on them. Also, would love to hear what you think of Chesny Young. Thanks.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

CUBSTER: Billy McKinney has that sweet lefty swing you see every now & then. It can't be taught. He hit a HR over the RF fence in a sim game last week, and he shows that same power in BP, but he didn't show it in games at Daytona. He doesn't appear to have the arm to stay in RF and I doubt that he will have the range to play CF, either, but he's more than a 4th OF. He can flat-out hit.  

Kyle Schwarber hit a 450-ft HR over the CF Batter's Eye in the sim game last week. He's just an outright masher. I've watched his reps at catcher (which they do a lot in the morning) over the past ten days, going through all the evolutions (catching pop flies, blocking pitches in the dirt, framing pitrches, selling pitches, making throws to 2nd base and 3rd base), and he can definitely handle the load. He's a legitimate catcher. 

Chesny Young is a line-drive gap hitter with a short, compact stroke, he runs OK but he's not fast, he has zero versatility, and he looks kind of stiff at 2nd base, although he usually makes routine plays. But he's no magician at 2nd base. He reminds me a lot of D. J. LeMahieu... lean & rangy and without HR power. 

 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

that sweet lefty swing you see every now & then. --- The only time I've heard the word "sweet" and lefty mentioned together regarding a Cub: Billy Williams. That's a pretty lofty comparison if I'm reading you correctly. Maybe it's just a comp for their OF skills (which sounds like a reasonable comp as far as your take on his OF skills).

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Billy McKinney has the type of swing you see from really good lefty hitters like Bill Buckner, Al Oliver, or George Brett. Of course McKinney just turned 20 last month, so we'll have to wait a few years to find out if he can develop HR power and/or win a big league batting championship. Whatever happens, he will only go as far as his bat can take him. because his defense-arm-speed are just OK-passable-average. 

old school baseball wet dream

sac bunts and stolen bases everywhere...(7 SB total off Soto and Norris and their pitchers)

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

The Royals use the same types of advanced metrics that the A's use. The moneyball vs. non-moneyball distinction is moot these days. And no one ever says that sac bunts and stolen bases can't help a team win a game. Those moves have proven pivotal in many games over the history of baseball. But those moves backfire or hurt the team far more often than they help teams win, and studies have demonstrated that there are only specific situations where those types of moves make sense. People win at slot machines, right? But you wouldn't tell your friends to start investing all of their money in them because you know that for most people they don't help and in the long term the house always wins.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

Interestingly, this year he gave up 13 stolen bases but caught 10, for a 43% CS rate. And only one of the stolen bases last night was off Soto, the other six were off Derek Norris--his CS% is only 17%, or 10% below league average. So the smart move was actually to wait until Soto was out of the game, then run like crazy. And Soto actually got credited with a CS on the stupid double steal attempt when the runner was thrown out at home, which was "small ball" at its worst.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

There are situations where you need one run to stay in the game, like the ninth inning of the Royals-A's game. I guess there are statistics for overall run production of running teams versus standard (power-oriented) teams. But we need statistics that answer the right question. The Royals got a soft leadoff single from Willingham, and then they needed a way to score that run without any subsequent walks or hits, if necessary, knowing that Lester and Gregerson weren't likely to help them. So they pinch-ran Dyson, and commenced to bunt and steal. Slot machines don't really capture the issue. Every pull is the same. There are no holders and closers and late-inning defensive subs. A pull is never do-or-die.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

They have plenty of statistics about every specific situation there is and what the probabilities and run/win expectancies are--its not just overall types of teams vs. types of teams. Think about slot machines with different odds, some pay out better than others (the ones by the door are usually looser to draw in customers) and perhaps in baseball there are even a few with odds in favor of the gambler not the house. In fact, I even said above: "and studies have demonstrated that there are only specific situations where those types of moves make sense." I don't know the statistics for that situation, and so those moves might have been just fine in the Royals game, but the point is that in many cases having a runner on first with 0 outs is actually MORE likely to lead to a run than having a runner on second with one out after a sacrifice bunt (not to mention the chance that the bunt could fail and the lead runner is thrown out, netting you nothing). And of course stealing a base is always good, because you move up a base and increase your chances of scoring without giving up anything (like in a bunt), but losing an out AND the runner if he is thrown out is typically a LOT worse for your chances to score than you gain by moving up, so you better make sure you are successful. When you need one run to tie or win and you bunt and steal successfully, it is great; but when you need just one run to win or tie and you finally get a base runner only to see him get thrown out trying to steal; it sucks. Everyone knows that, and in the past, some managers were aggressive and some were conservative. Now with statistics we can attempt to remove the influence of their personalities a bit and get good advice on which situations it makes more or less sense to try those moves. That's all.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

It never bothers me when a guy gets thrown out stealing. Most baserunners don't score anyway. It helps to be a little proactive. In this instance--and statistics tend to fail in individual instances, which are frequently not typical--Dyson was NOT going to be thrown out at second; nor would they have wasted an out bunting if they didn't plan on having him steal third. The play at third was close, but not that close, and you have to be a little proactive! I don't want to overthink, but by bunting they may have lulled the defense into thinking they weren't planning to steal. But no, they had to get Dyson to third so he could score when Aoki, a very good contact hitter, put the ball in play. You're saying that in the ninth inning against Lester and Gregerson, they should have counted on a double, or two more singles, or a walk and a single. Was that really more likely than that Dyson would steal a base safely and come home when Aoki put the bat on the ball?

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

As I said, I don't know the data on that specific instance, so you can stop asking me about it. As I said above, it may have been the correct move. But your line that "statistics tend to fail in individual instances" demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of statistics. They MAY fail in individual instances, but the TEND to succeed--that's what makes them statistics. We can look at situation X and the statistics for all past situations X (what tends to happen) and figure out what will be likely to happen in this situation X. Will this one for sure play out the same way? No, of course not. But I'll take the guy who plays the percentages any day of the week over the guy who takes his "gut".

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

The question is whether there are "statistics for all past situations X," which, to my mind, would have to include Dyson (or a very close facsimile) on first and Aoki--a high-percentage contact hitter including against lefties--scheduled to bat with one out and a man (a very fast man) on third. You might also want to factor in whether the late-inning, high-stakes situation might make it more or less difficult than usual to steal a run. Careful not to over-deduce from the statistics that happen to be at hand.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Yeah, they do have stats that capture most of that. And the key is to use statistics to help you make the best decisions with your personnel. You don't make every decision like a robot. But you can't think every situation is unique either and ignore stats. Thinking: "well, all of these stats are great, but I have Dyson and there are no stats on Dyson and they don't know Dyson like I do and he will steal this base, so screw the stats" will get you into trouble.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

The book is slightly dated now and some of the statistical calculations have evolved since then, but I really enjoyed: "Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong" And my favorite chapter was "What if Rickey Henderson had Pete Incaviglia's Legs?" The upshot from the last paragraph: "If Henderson hadn't stolen a single base in 1982, the A's would have lost about 2 runs on the season, or about one-fifth of a game. If he'd been only as good as Incaviglia on the basepaths over his career, he would have contributed about 5 fewer wins in 25 seasons. Henderson was fun to watch, and his excellent on-base skills rank him among the best players of all time. But the first rule of baserunning is 'don't get caught,' advice Henderson disobeyed more than 700 times. Taking the extra base is good, but getting on base, not getting thrown out, and eventually scoring is better."

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

I don't have your encyclopedic knowledge, and i've never really given any of this much thought, but I do notice myself cringing every time I see a Cubby try to steal a base. Now, this may partly be my natural "oh, God, here we go, more Cubbery" instinct taking hold, but I'm not sure Billy Hamilton, currently at least, is a big help with his ratio. Smart baserunning probably wins more games than stolen bases, but that's all hunch on my part. And, honestly, I do love me a good stolen base.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Stolen bases are awesome to watch, one of the most exciting plays in baseball, just a poor long-term strategy if you don't have the right personnel. But TheJedi get it, they did have Dave Roberts on their team in 2004 and Ellsbury for many years, 2 of the best and most effective basestealers of recent years(and Cherington got Victrorino for their run last year). It's a good asset to have on your team, just not the foundation.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Yeah, Royals only have Omar Infante, who was a Cub for three weeks in the 2007 off season. Casey Coleman is on their 40-man, but not active. I think that's it. I might be missing people, and the post-season rosters are not yet set, but: The Angels have Tony Campagna. Josh Hamilton was owned by the Cubs for a minute. Rich Hill and Ian Stewart played for them this season but Hill was released and Stewart optioned. The Tigers have Al Alburquerque who was a Cubs' farmhand (traded to acquire Jeff Baker), but that might be it. The Orioles have two: Ryan Flaherty and Steve Clevenger, so I would consider them a good candidate to choke and get ousted early. In the NL, I think the Giants are ex-Cub free. Angel Pagan is on the DL and Tyler Colvin was optioned in July. Do the Pirates have anyone else besides Josh Harrison? I think he might be it. The Nationals have Nate Schierholt and Jerry Blevins. I don't see any ex-Cubs who have played at all for the Cardinals this year. The Dodgers have Darwin Barney, and Paul Maholm is on the 60-day DL. Again, I might be missing people, but based on that quick look at the ex-Cub factor, I would predict the Royals beat the Angels because of Campagna's bad juju and the Tigers beat the Orioles with the 1 to 2 factor in their favor. It's then a tough call with the Tigers and Royals. Albuquerque was in the Cubs organization longer, but in the low minors and was he ever even on the 40-man? Infante was a Cub for only a few weeks, but on the big-league roster. But neither played in the majors. In the NL, the Giants should beat Harrison's Pirates tonight, then also beat the Nationals. Barney's juju leads to the downfall of the Dodgers. Then the Cardinals-Giants? The taint of Pagan and Colvin is probably still there in traces, and so the Cardinals win that one, but it will be a close series. Similarly, they should win the World Series over the Tigers or Royals

Adam Dunn, not WS MVP. Even better, he was a no-show in a 12 inning game. A's out. Shark sits out the All Star game and the playoff game. Hammel tosses the losing pitch. Soto sprains his thumb and has to leave mid game but still partakes in the defense side of a base stealing record playoff game. Cardinals next on my kiss of death prediction list.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Wow, just wow. I may have to read the local news pubs out in the Bay Area just to see the reaction. Baseball is just so crazy - here you had Beane going off his recipe quite a ways to go in for the kill in the playoffs and it absolutely, almost literally, explodes in his face. It almost makes being a Cubs fan bearable. Kansas City v Pirates maybe? A true ratings blockbuster.

is it national "Troll a Stats-Head" day or something? i've never seen so many 1000s-of-words articles written to combat a few simple non-thought-out "lol Moneyball didn't work again Oakland" statements in my life. all i've learned is... 1- royals are moneyball and here's why (front office, stats crew, etc) 2- royals aren't managed moneyball even though they're constructed moneyball and here's why (ned yost is an awful human being, etc) i think i've clicked on about a 1/2 dozen biblical epics explaining those 2 points today...and more are probably coming. i'm ready for this post-season to get deeper already.

23 Article XX-D minor league players have filed for free-agency since Monday. As far as the two Cubs Article XX-D players are concerned, Eli Whiteside has filed, but Marcos Mateo has not. This might mean that Mateo has agreed to a minor league successor contract with the Cubs for 2015.

An Article XX-D player is any player who has accrued at least three years of MLB Service Time and/or has been outrighted previously in his career,  who was outrighted to the minors after signing a 2014 major league contract, and who deferred the right to elect free-agency until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season.

Article XX-D players have until October 15th to file, but most file ASAP after the conclusion of the MLB regular season. Any unsigned minor league player who has spent all or part of at least seven separate seasons on a minor league active list or DL will automatically be declared an MLB Rule 55 six-year minor league free-agent (6YFA) after the World Series, and most Article XX-D free-agents are also eligible to be a 6YFA, but electing to be a free-agent now rather than waiting gives an Article XX-D minor league FA a leg up on the hundreds of others who will be declared Rule 55 minor league 6YFA at 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day following the conclusion of the World Series.   

Here are the 23 Article XX-D minor league players who have filed for free-agency so far:


* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 10
David Carpenter (LAA)
* Dane de la Rosa (LAA)
* Ryan Feierabend (TEX)
* Jeremy Horst (SD)
Bobby Korecky (TOR)
Wilton Lopez (COL)
* Brad Mills (TOR)  
* Raul Valdes (TOR)
Kevin Whelan (DET)
Blake Wood (KC)

CATCHERS: 1
Eli Whiteside, C (CUBS)

INFIELDERS: 8
* Mike Carp, 1B (TEX)
Pedro Ciriaco, 2B (KC)
Jonathan Diaz, SS (TOR)
Brandon Hicks, 2B (SF)
# Elliot Johnson, 3B (CLE)
Andy Marte, 3B (AZ)
Chris Nelson, 3B (SD)
Josh Wilson, 2B (TEX)

OUTFIELDERS: 4
Corey Brown (BOS)
* Tyler Colvin (SF)  
Jeff Francouer (SD)
Cole Gillespie (TOR)

Most these players will sign a 2015 minor league contract and get an NRI to Spring Training, buit occasionally an Article XX-D player wil score a major league contract. RHRP Kevin Whelan (closer for AAA Toledo) would probably be the #1 Article XX-D FA so far.

 

it's getting really hard to watch c.hurdle try to walk. he's put off hip surgery long enough...get it done, dude.

if postseason KC baseball is gonna be like this, they can go to game 7 of the WS for all i care.

[ ]

In reply to by Sonicwind75

at least the ump kept his head on. 1- the ump made contact first (though he was holding molina back) 2- it's the playoffs and no one wants to see a game possibly decided by the umps via player ejection 3- it worked out just fine once the dust cleared (at least for this game) molina may catch a fine...or not...but either way, the game got played as intended without umpire influence (even if a player may have earned that influence).

MORE LIKE WAINWRONG...HAHAHAHA...i wish he was a cub... 6 runs given up in 4.1ip

9th inning...dodgers down by 2...and most of the people are still at the park making noise. this is weird even if considered normal in the post-season.

if you're not watching this SF/WAS game then your life sucks...says the guy inside watching TV with his crossword-scratching wife on a saturday night. ...to the 16th 18th inning. longest official post-season game (hours) in history, and counting.

...and the Cardinals lose too! Mattingly takes Greinke out after 7 shutout innings and their bullpen gives up a 2 run HR to tie the game in the 8th (when they have only one shut down reliever). They got away with it though.

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).