Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Just How Good Was Ernie Banks?

A lot of ink has been spilled the last few days remembering and honoring the late, great Ernie Banks. Besides being, by all acounts, a wonderful person and ambassador for the game, he was also undoubtedly one of the best baseball players ever, as his many accolades attest. First Ballot Hall of Famer. 14X All Star. Two-Time National League MVP. Gold Glove Winner. His appearances on the major career leaderboards further illustrate his legacy. More than 40 years after he retired he is still 22nd in Home Runs, 29th in RBI, 35th in Extra Base Hits, 34th in Total Bases, 14th in Intentional Walks. More advanced metrics paint an even stronger picture: Banks is in the top 100 all time in Runs Created, Win Probability Added, and MVP Shares, and Baseball Reference has him ranked as the 119th best player in baseball history and the 82nd best position player in history by WAR.

What makes all of this even more impressive is that Banks really had two careers. The first was as an elite short stop. The second, following a knee injury, was as an above average first baseman. While he continued to put up impressive counting stats and had a few good seasons after the switch, the vast majority of his career value occurred prior to the move. To illustrate, Banks accumulated 54.8 WAR through 1961 (his age 30 season) and then only 12.3 WAR over his remaining 10 seasons. His early peak was so good, if he had simply retired following the 1961 season he would still rank as the 146th best position player of all time--just between Enos Slaughter and Billy Herman, two Hall of Famers.

To more deeply examine just how talented Banks was in his prime, I examined his peak WAR at short stop historically. I followed the Baseball Reference definition of "peak" as a player's 7 best seasons--but I restricted it to a player's seven best season at short stop (a season in which they played more games at SS than any other position). The 7 seasons did not have to be consecutive, though in Banks' case they were. From 1954-1960 Banks was primarily a short stop and he accumulated 49.7 WAR. You can see in the table below how he stacks up historically. If you had to select a short stop and could select any player in history in the prime or peak of his career, Banks would certainly be a top five pick, behind only Wagner, A-Rod, Ripken, and Vaughan.

Rank Player 7 Best Years at SS 7-Year War
1 Honus Wagner 1904-1909, 1912  65.4
2 Alex Rodriguez 1996-1998, 2000-2003 58.9
3 Cal Ripken Jr. 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988-1991 56.1
4 Arky Vaughan 1933-1936, 1938-1940 50.6
5 Ernie Banks 1954-1960 49.7
6 Lou Boudreau 1940-1944, 1947-1948 48.6
7 Alan Trammell 1980, 1983-1984, 1986-1988, 1990 44.7
8 Robin Yount 1977-1978, 1980-1984 43.9
9 Joe Cronin 1930-1933, 1938-1939, 1941 43.9
10 Luke Appling 1935-1937, 1940-1941, 1943, 1946 43.7
11 George Davis 1897, 1899, 1901-1902, 1904-1906 43.1
12 Barry Larkin 1988, 1990-1992, 1995-1996, 1998 43.1
13 Ozzie Smith 1984-1989, 1992 42.4
14 Derek Jeter 1997-2001, 2006, 2009  42.2
15 Bobby Wallace 1899, 1901, 1904-1908 41.8
16 Nomar Garciaparra 1997-2000, 2002-2004 41.8
17 Pee Wee Reese 1942, 1946-1947, 1949, 1952-1954 40.9
18 Jim Fregosi 1963-1967, 1969-1970 40.9
19 Jack Glasscock 1882-1883, 1885-1887, 1889-1890 40.6
20 Bill Dahlen 1892, 1896, 1898, 1903-1905, 1908 40.2
21 Hughie Jennings 1891-1892, 1894-1898 38.1
22 Dave Bancroft 1915, 1920-1923, 1925-1926 37.3
23 Bert Campaneris 1968, 1970, 1972-1974, 1976-1977 36.5
24 Miguel Tejada 2000-2006 36.5
25 Joe Sewell 1921, 1923-1928 36.4
26 Art Fletcher 1913-1919 36.2
27 Travis Jackson 1924, 1926-1931 35.1
28 Vern Stephens 1943-1945, 1947-1950 33.5
29 Joe Tinker 1905-1906, 1908-1911, 1913 33.2
30 Luis Aparicio 1958, 1960, 1964-1966 1969-1970 32.7
31 Al Dark 1948, 1950-1954, 1957 32.5
32 Jimmy Rollins* 2003-2008, 2014 32.2
33 Mark Belanger 1969, 1971, 1973-1976, 1978 31.9
34 Tony Fernandez 1985-1990, 1993 30
35 Roger Peckinpaugh 1914, 1916-1920, 1924 29
36 Rabbit Maranville 1914-1917, 1919-1921 28.8
37 Omar Vizquel 1992, 1996-1999, 2002, 2004 26.6

Comments

Great chart, thanks. Side note: why doesn't Trammell get more HOF love?

[ ]

In reply to by Sonicwind75

he played 3rd tier to cal ripken jr and robin yount (fair, or not)...and injury took him away too early from a stand-out, but unspectacular career (his last 6 seasons he put in the work of 3 seasons). the vet's committee will put him in eventually. larkin's in...tram's not...yount's in...tram's not...*shrug*

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In reply to by Sonicwind75

since we're trying to get passed-over SS's in the HOF...how about ex-cub bill dahlen? sure, he made a zillion errors a year, but in his playing time you had to field 1-handed using a oiled rag and the ball was made out of wet burlap stuffed with lead fishing weights.

Banks started playing first base full time in the 1962 season, when he was 31 years of age. During the eight full seasons he played shortstop, from 1954 through 1961 (ages 23 through 30), he hit 296 home runs (37 home runs per year) and had 852 rbi (106.5 per year), with a batting average of .290, an on base percentage of .353 and a slugging percentage of .552 (OPS .905). He won two MVP awards during this period (and finished in the top five MVP votes two other times) and a gold glove. He hit over 40 home runs in 5 seasons, four of them consecutive. He led the league in home runs and rbi twice; as someone told me this morning, he actually lost a third home run title to Eddie Mathews by one homer, after having been tied on the last day of the 154 game season, when Mathews had a playoff homer added to his total. Those are great numbers for a shortstop. From 1962 through 1970, nine full seasons when he played first base (ages 31 through 39), he hit 211 home runs (23.44 per year) and had 772 rbi (85.77 per year), with a batting average of .260, an on base percentage of .308 and a slugging percentage of .450 (OPS .758). Those are mediocre numbers for a first baseman. He never walked all that frequently, but he had 143 more walks in the 8 years during the shortstop period than he did during the 9 years in the first base period. This analysis does not include 1953 (when he played in 10 games) or 1971 (when he played in 39 games). http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bankser01.shtml This Wikipedia article cites an old knee injury as a reason for moving from shortstop to first base. It also states that he had mumps during the 1963 season. The article also has some interesting stuff regarding his time while Durocher was managing, from 1966 on. I seemed to remember that there was some issue there, but I did not realize that Durocher said this in his autobiography: “he was a great player in his time. Unfortunately, his time wasn't my time. Even more unfortunately, there was not a thing I could do about it. He couldn't run, he couldn't field; toward the end, he couldn't even hit. There are some players who instinctively do the right thing on the base paths. Ernie had an unfailing instinct for doing the wrong thing. But I had to play him. Had to play the man or there would have been a revolution in the street.” It seems unkind to bring up a quote like this now, but I was surprised at the bluntness of the statement. The quote rings a little bit false to me. Why would Durocher feel compelled to play Banks if he thought he was not a good player? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Banks He was a fine ambassador for the Cubs and a deserving hall of famer.

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In reply to by Old and Blue

Durocher died in 1991; he'd be 110 if he were alive today! As is too often typical with the Hall of Fame they inducted him in 1994 after he died. Durocher's character flaws are well known, but damn, the guy only had 4 seasons below .500 as a manager out of 24. He even led the Cubs to above .500 records from 1967-1971 and the team was 46-44 when he was fired in mid 1972. He obviously had talent on the field in his career, but hard to look at a managerial career that stretched from 1939-1973 for 4 very different teams and had that muh success and not believe he was doing something right.  

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

His OPS+ in 1969 was 92 and his OBP was .309. When he played first base, Banks became a player that contributed average results at a premium offensive position, where most teams look for more offensive contribution than that. The Cubs did not have much in the way of other options, but Jim Hickman was on the team in 1969, and might have taken more at bats from Banks. Hickman in fact did so in 1970. The Cubs also acquired Pepitone during the 1970 season, which suggests that they knew there was an issue that they needed to address. Banks fell off pretty dramatically after he was 30. He had a few decent years after he moved to first (1962 2.8WAR, 1964 3.1WAR, 1967 2.4WAR and 1968 3.5WAR), but this followed several years as a shortstop where his WAR was in MVP territory. In this period, the decent years were offset by some years where the WAR was less than 2. His WAR in 1969 was -0.7. At 1b, the other NL teams in the '60s had players like Cepeda, McCovey, Bill White, Joe Adcock and Felipe Alou. Banks did not have the offensive numbers of those guys head to head in the years he played first. Dick Allen got moved to first base later on. Deron Johnson, Ron Fairly, Nate Colbert and Donn Clendonon had better numbers in some years. Banks went from producing offesive numbers normally associated with a premium offensive position (like 1B or RF), and at an MVP level at that, while playing shortstop, to producing slightly above league average (or worse) after having been moved to a premium offensive position.

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In reply to by dcf

Banks was 3 months older than Willie Mays, who aged much better as ballplayer. From 1962 (his age 31 season) through the end of his career, Mays hit 341 homers, batted .288, won an MVP (and finished in the top 5 two other times) and won 6 gold gloves. As a 40-year old in 1971, Mays had an OPS+ of 158 over 537 PAs. That year he stole 23 bases and was only caught stealing 3 times.

ex-Cub minor league extraoirdinaire Jay Jackson signs minor league deal with Padres

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In reply to by Rob G.

Hendry wasn't into developing pitchers. A guy either had it or he didn't, and you could tell in the lowest minors. Thus Jay Jackson pitched at three levels the year he was drafted at age 20, and at AA Tennessee early the next season. He never really was able to get guys out at double-A. Trey McNutt, same thing. We'll never know--will we?--what would have happened with a different team, a different approach. The current regime has a quite different approach and seems to let pitchers marinate slowly. When a guy hits his head, they say, whoops!, and hurry him back down, sometimes all the way to Mesa. edit: If memory serves, they started McNutt in the Southern League playoff finals in his first full season, age 20. He never solved AA hitters.

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In reply to by Rob Richardson

pretty sure every team strives for that...we're talking about guys who make 25-50K a year. it's not the most competitive talent pool in the world. the biggest problem is finding out who's worth a damn in the AA-and-below crew because once you're deemed "good" you move up really quickly and often in positions that waste their talents (such as base coaches on MLB clubs which are practically minor league positions for potential future managers). AA-and-below is filled with recently failed ex-minor leaguers and bored ex-major leaguers. it takes risk and patience to find out who's the best fit...and if they're truly good they're not around very long in the important developmental stages of the system. it makes the minor league coordinator a bit more important than he should be.

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In reply to by Rob Richardson

most likely, but no one's system is set up like that (yet). my biggest pet peeve is when a guy who's awesome working with kids gets a "promotion" to the bigs to sit in the coach's box at 1st/3rd (usually 3rd) to learn how to deal with "big league issues" rather than the continuing the development of kids that got them the promotion to begin with. chances are pretty high that the dude who earned that trip to coach in the bigs will leave your system when the a better chance rolls around.

Random question for everyone: Is Yadier Molina a MLB Hall of Famer? Reading ESPN.com chat today David Schoenfeld opined that "although his statistics say he isn't close, he is most likely a lock due to his defensive prowess" Am I the only baseball fan that thinks being a great defender is great...but the offensive numbers come first?

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I don't think he's particularly close unless he lasts well into his late 30s and puts up at least two more 5+ WAR years. And that would just gt him consideration I think. The defense is great, but the degree of praise he receives for it is hyperbolic.

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I respect your opinion, but I could not disagree more on pretty much every aspect of your comment. Defense is a huge part of the game, and I would argue that it is almost MORE important than offense- yet emphasis is placed on offensive numbers. This is textbook availability bias. If you are saying that offensive numbers come first when it comes to HOF ballots, maybe so, I could see your argument- but still, I say if Yadier Molina finishes his career without a scandal, he will easily be voted in.

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In reply to by Ryno

I'm inclined to agree with you about defense, particularly at catcher, often referred to as captain of the defense, the only defender who faces all his teammates, and so on. It might be a hard sell to HOF voters, but I think a lot of people suspect that Molina has been "the guy" on the Cardinals the last decade. I'll just note that he went from MVP-21 to MVP-4 after Pujols left, while Albert went from MVP-5 to -17.

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In reply to by Ryno

In the last 40 years, I don't find one player whose defense is so great...that they are in the HOF strictly on that. Ozzie Smith was a light hitting, AMAZING fielder..but he did steal 580 bases...ended up with 2460 hits..scored 1257 runs. Molina's top 10 Comparables from baseball-reference are 1- Sandy Alomar 2- Don slaught 3-Terry Kennedy 4-Bengie Molina 5-Dan Wilson 6-Spud Davis 7-Jack Clements 8-Frankie Hayes 9-Darrin Fletcher 10-Jimmie Wilson all very good players, but no HOF'ers. He's 33 in July...and looks to need 5 good seasons to get his offensive numbers even close to HOF worthy. IMO of course.

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

wait until people's heads explode when omar vizquel makes the hall...especially the detractors that want to throw around comparative stats based on his performance vs his many roided up "peers." that one's gonna be ugly...especially since there's some advanced stats that define him as a rather average-at-best defensive SS (which is a wtf? discussion in itself). he's most likely not 1st ballot, but i imagine he'll make it...if not by vote, then by vet's committee.

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In reply to by crunch

Yeah, Vizquel is an interesting case. Compare him to Luis Aparicio:

Vizquel:  2877 Hits, 1445 Runs, 951 RBI, 456 2B, 77 3B, 80 HR, 404 SB, 272/336/352
Aparicio: 2677 Hits, 1335 Runs, 791 RBI, 394 2B, 92 3B, 83 HR, 506 SB, 262/311/343

Their careers stats are uncannily similar. Vizquel has an edge in some of the counting stats because he played a few years as a part time player at the end of this career. Vizquel played in 24 seasons, Aparicio in only 18. But Vizquel also has a 35 point edge in OPS, and that wad dragged down by those same years at the end.

Defensively they were both great. Aparicio's career dWAR is 31.6, Vizquel's is 28.4.

But the big difference is era. Vizquel's oWAR is only 32.3, while Aparicio's is 41.9. The result is that Aparicio has a career WAR of 55.8, which places him 20th all time for short stops. Vizquel, however, finishes with just 45.3 career WAR, placing him 30th all time, right around a lot of guys not in the Hall discussion (e.g. Tony Fernandez) or Hall of Famers most think shouldn't be there (e.g. Dave Bancroft). 

But if you feel that Vizquel is unfairly punished for playing in an era of offense, driven, in part, by steroided guys like A-Rods and Tejada, and you adjust your thinking and his value accordingly, then it is not reach to say that he was just as good as Aparicio and probably a top 20 short stop, and in the Hall debate, rather than a top 30 short stop on the outside looking in.

Given his lack of all star appearances and MVP votes, etc. I don't think Vizquel will get in right away. But you are right that he could make it later or by an era committee that reexamines this generation down the road. In particular, any committee looking at this generation will be comprised of Hall of Famers from this generation who are deemed to have been "clean" and they will be more likley to look favorably on someone like Vizquel who was also deemed to be playing clean.

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In reply to by WISCGRAD

82 OPS+ for both Aparicio and Vizquel, 87 OPS+ for O. Smith

A. Trammell can't get in, Vizquel shouldn't...at least not on the vote. Too many bigger named shortstops (possibly roided) in the same era where he was never even close to being considered best at his position.

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In reply to by Rob G.

Yeah, Aparicio won the ROY, was an All Star in 10 seasons, received MVP votes in 10 years (finishing 2nd in 1959), in addition to his 9 Gold Gloves, so he was clearly seen as one of the top short stops during his days. Honestly, he was probably the best short stop in the game from the end of Pee Wee Reese's career to the beginning of Robin Yount's. Jim Fregosi, Bert Campaneris, Mark Belanger, Rico Petrocelli, that's really about it besides him from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.

Vizquel was only a 3X All-Star and received exactly 3 votes in the 1999 MVP voting, and that's it. And he overlapped with Ozzie, Larkin, Ripken, A-Rod, Jeter, Garciaparra, Tejada, Rollins, Reyes, and Tulowitzki, all who were considered better in their primes than he was.

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

That's a good question. I would say he actually has a decent shot, depending on how the next few years go. The three recent catchers elected--Bench, Fisk, and Carter--all had an elite combination of offense and defense (Ivan Rodriguez is there too). Molina's offense lags behind those guys. His rate stats are good, particularly the last few years, but he blossomed offensively late and his cumulative stats are well behind those guys. He doesn't hit home runs or drive in or score a ton of runs.  But, at the same time, he is clearly much better offensively than other defensive specialists he is compared to, like Bob Boone and Jim Sundberg.

So I think there are two paths for him. So far, he has only really had 3 good offensive seasons (2011-2013). Path one would be he puts up a few more of those in the next 3-5 years. That will give him a nice jump in oWAR and WAR, show the rate stats are not a fluke, and pad his cumulative stats. Path two would be prolonged moderate success. Sundberg played until he was 38, Boone 42, Elston Howard 39. If Molina gets another 7-8 years of decent offensive success coupled with continued defensive prowess, then hsi final career totals will look better than the Boone/Sundbergs of the past. His cumulative stats will be at their level or higher and his rate stats should still be better. That might be enough to set him a part a bit from those guys and push him closer to the big guys who are in the Hall.

He also has the advantage of being on a consistently winning team and being loved by the media. We saw the difference this year in Smoltz was viewed differently than guys like Mussina and Schilling. Molina doens't have what it takes yet, so if he really slides or gets injured in the next few years he won't be considered, but if he does enough he could be that "shiny toy" voters fall in love with and might get in eventually.  

Y. Molina isn't anywhere close to the HOF right now barring about 2-3 more titles or some sort of crazy late career run.

He'll be age 32 next year and his numbers already took a huge decline last season from his peak years. He'll be lucky to finish with a 40 career WAR...which is dubious thing to compare catchers, but he's not better than Ivan Rodriguez, he's not better than Mike Piazza, he's not better than Jorge Posada. You can argue he's close to Piazza and Posada maybe.

And yeah, he's great defensively and all and throws guys out, but I mean he's a guy that controls the run game in an era where there weren't any real basestealers. His 45% career clip is nothing compared to Ivan Rodriguez's early career (finished at 46% but easily above 50% most of his first 10 years), and you have to  presume a normal decline in his later years. So I doubt his offensive numbers or defensive reputation will get him in.

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In reply to by Rob G.

The catching position is interesting for the Hall of Fame debate. Rick Ferrell and Ray Schalk shouldn't be near the Hall, but are in. Ernie Lombardi is closer, but probably shouldn't be in either. He had a nice batting average, but that's about it. The rest of the Hall is hard to argue with though. Buck Ewing and Roger Bresnahan are a bit low in all-time WAR, but there really isn't anyone close to them at the catching position during their times. Those are the only two guys even worth considering prior to Gabby Hartnett who debuted in 1922. They were clearly the early pioneers and stars behind the plate. Then you had a boon beginning in the 1920s with Hartnett, Mickey Cochrane, and Bill Dickey, and then Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella in the 1940s-1950s. Finally, you had Bench, Fisk, and Carter in the 1970s-1980s. I don't think anyone would argue against any of those guys being in. I would argue that there shouldn't be any debate about Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez either.

But the second tier guys are interesting. Joe Torre, Bill Freehan, Gene Tenace, Ted Simmons, Thurmon Munson, Darrel Porter, and Jim Sundberg. All have over 40 career WAR and all played roughly in the same era from the 1960s-1980s, which overlapped with several of the studs already mentioned above; so none ever got the due credit they deserved. If you look overall, the catching position is one of the shallowest in the Hall of Fame. As a comparison, there are 20 second basemen in the Hall of Fame, but just 13 catchers. So if you expanded it, those would be the next guys to include, but none really stands out above the rest, and most have something that holds them back and prevents them from being the complete package looked for in a Hall of Famer (e,g. Simmons and defense). And I think Posada is right there with Simmons, a solid offensive catcher but not great defensively. He was only a 5X All-Star and only received MVP votes in two years. It's hard to see a Hall of Famer there when he was playing with Piazza and Pudge. I would guess Molina will end up in this group in the end. 

Right now, the catchers playing with the best shot are Joe Mauer and Buster Posey. While Mauer isn't catching any more, he played his first 10 seasons there and will be considered a catcher in the Hall debate.  He is actually already 14th all time in WAR for catchers. If he plays 4 more years at a decent level, he'll be in. That will put him over 2000 hits, 1000 Runs, 1000 RBI, 400 2B, and his rate stats are phenomenal. Posey's most similar comp through age 25 was Mike Piazza and through ages 26 and 27 is Gabby Hartnett. So he is well on his way, but with only 6 seasons under his belt and at just age 27 he is too far out to project.  

 

My kingdom for some Cubs news that isn't death related...

So what happens with the pitching staff out of spring training?

Lester, Arrieta, Hammel, (2 of) Hendricks, Wood, Jackson, Doubront, Turner, Wada

Strop, Rondon, Grimm, Motte, Ramirez, (2 of Parker, Ortiz, Rosscup and the leftovers from above)

Was Wada's deal guaranteed? I still find that one an odd choice. I presume Hendricks will earn a spot, but since he has options he'll have to not suck in spring training.

If you go by the Steamer projections on fangraphs and go by FIP, Doubront, Wada, Turner, Jackson and Wood would be the order you'd lay odds in (Hendricks actually would be second to last just ahead of Wood).

Presume some lefties in the pen as well giving those who miss out on starting an upper hand. Could see Wada as a decent long man and Doubront could be a nasty lefty reliever if his mph goes up out of the pen.

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In reply to by jacos

you guys are slow :)

I imagine they can't wait to trade Wood or Jackson or even Wada, but still have about 9 pitchers for 4 spots

presuming no injuries, seems like

Hendricks, Wada maybe for 2 rotations spots?

maybe Doubront, Turner for pen?

Wood traded

Jackson released?

Ortiz, Rosscup, Parker to minors?

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In reply to by Rob G.

it's going to be an interesting spring even if they trade a pitcher or 2 before ST games begin. the biggest mysteries on the batting side are kinda boring unless j.baez breaking with the team is a pressing issue with someone.

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In reply to by Rob G.

SP Lester Arrietta Hammel Wood Hendricks RP Grimm Ramirez Rondon Motte Strop Schlitter Rosscup That's 12 pitchers, and they might go with 11 early. I'm not sure who gets dropped if they do that and if no one is hurt. That's also only one lefty in the BP (Rosscup). Wada to minors, as with Ortiz, Parker. That leaves Doubront and Turner. Doubront could make the team as another lefty out of the pen. I don't see Turner sticking unless he pitches lights out or there is an injury or trade. Turner either needs to beat out Hendricks for the #5 SP or one of the RHP in the pen (Grimm, Schlitter and Motte have options). I don't think either is likely. Trade/release Jackson

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In reply to by dcf

totally forgot about Schlitter, he does have an option though.

doubt Wada agrees to go to minors...

 from AZ Phil...

Any player who has minor league options left and who has accrued at least five years of MLB Service Time (Dexter Fowler, Jon Lester, Miguel Montero, Jason Motte, and Ryan Sweeney) and any international player exempt from ISBP restrictions (Tsuyoshi Wada) must give his consent (in advance) before he can be optioned to the minors. Also, Optional Assignment Waivers must be secured before Jake Arrieta, Starlin Castro, Chris Coghlan, Dexter Fowler, Jon Lester, Miguel Montero, Jason Motte, Blake Parker, Anthony Rizzo, Brian Schlitter, and Ryan Sweeney (plus Tsuyoshi Wada beginning on 4/4, Justin Grimm beginning on 6/16, Junior Lake beginning on 7/19, and Mike Olt beginning on 8/2) can be optioned to the minors.

NOTE: Optional Assignment Waivers are revocable and so therefore the waiver request can be withdrawn if the player is claimed, so players are almost never claimed off Optional Assignment Waivers.

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In reply to by dcf

don't think you can trust Motte to stay healthy and don't think Rondon will get you much yet.

firm believer that a good reliever is a good reliever regardless of the inning...this is what they pay Maddon to figure out and get everyone on board.

Also, out of all the good relievers the Cubs had last year...they won't all be good this year...nature of the beast. Some will be less effective, some more effective, some injured, someone unexpected will show up, etc, etc....

[ ]

In reply to by dcf

I see the same rotation in the same order. I think Turner & Jackson get released. Wada confuses me. Is he sticking around to provide some depth and backup in case of injury? Doesn't Theo know that this isn't how the Cubs operate- that if an injury arises, then you throw a AA pitcher out on the mound and hope for the best?

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In reply to by Rob G.

I assume Lester, Hammel, Arrieta, and Hendricks are safe. Wood probably has the inside track on the 5th spot unless he is traded. I think Wada goes to the pen as the Villanueva-esque swingman, and joins Rondon, Ramirez, Strop, Grimm, and Motte there. The 12th spot is then up for grabs. Doubrount could force his way in with Rosscup going to the minors. The others who can go to the minors go as well, with Jackson and Turner likely traded for pennies on the dollar  

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In reply to by Charlie

The difference between Turner and Doubront is that if Turner were to clear waivers without being claimed, he is not eligible to elect free-agency if outrighted, and if he were to be outrighted, he would not be eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league 6YFA until post-2017, although he would be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft in 2015-16 if he is not added back to an MLB 40-man roster prior to that year's draft. 

Conversely, Doubront can elect free-agency if he is outrighted, and even if he doesn't elect free-agency per Article XX-D, he would automatically be declared an MLB Rule 55 minor league 6YFA automatically after the World Series. 

So if they can secure waivers, the Cubs could park Turner in the minors for three seasons and there is nothing he (or Scott Boras) can do about it.   

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In reply to by WISCGRAD

I wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs send Justin Grimm to Iowa (he has one minor league option left) and convert him back to a starting pitcher (like they did with Jeff Samardzija). Grimm says he prefers starting to relieving, and he would have more trade value as a starter than as a middle-reliever. 

Neil Ramirez seems to thrive as a reliever (sort of like Wade Davis), and he hasn't had the shoulder and elbow problems working out of the bullpen that he had as a starter. Some guys need to throw more often but throw less pitches when they do pitrch to both stay healthy and be most effective, and Ramirez would seem to fit that profile. Same goes for Hector Rondon. 

Tsuyoshi Wada has much better numbers versus LH hitters than he does versus RH hitters and he has been most effective in his first 30 pitchers of a game and then starts to wear down in the middle innings, so although he hasn't been a reliever before, he would seem to fit the profile of a guy who could be a good lefty reliever. 

On the other hand, Doubront puts up better numbers as a starter than as a reliever, and would seem to fit the profile of a #5 starter more than a bullpen arm. 

Armando Rivero is not on the 40-man roster, but he is a closer or set-up man in-waiting. Rivero pitched for Team Cuba in international competition and was a closer for Industriales in Serie Nacional (the Cuban major league) 2010-11 prior to defecting and signing with the Cubs, and he could win a bullpen job in Spring Training, especially if the Cubs trade Pedro Strop, but maybe even if they don't. Rivero is 27 years old so he is not exactly a prospect. He should be MLB ready right now, combining a 93-95 MPH fastball with a hard splitter.

So if I were to predict the Cubs 2015 Opening Day pitchjing staff, I would say:

STARTERS: 
Lester 
Arrieta 
Hammel 
Hendricks 
Wood (or Doubront if Wood is traded)

RELIEVERS: 
Rondon 
Strop 
Ramirez
Wada  
Motte 
Rivero 
Jackson (or Turner if Jackson is traded)

If the Cubs go with a 13-man staff (and they apparently would prefer 12), they could carry Doubront or Turner as the 13th man just until Wood and/or Jackson can be moved, or if they absolutely feel they need a second lefty reliever, Rosscup, Bueno, or Ortiz could be the 8th man in the pen, 

I could also see Grimm, Jokisch, Beeler, Roach and Turner (if he clears waivers) the starters at Iowa, and Parker, Schlitter, Rosscup, Germen, Bueno, DeLeon, Ortiz, and Carter or Negrin the I-Cubs bullpen. 

I would expect C. J. Edwards, Pierce Johnson, Ivan Pineyro, and Corey Black to begin the 2015 season in the AA Tennessee rotation.  

Moncada just about cleared to sign...let the bidding begin.

Doubt Cubs get in on it, Moncada isn't going to want to wait that long to sign unless they blow everyone out of the water and doubt Cubs would do that.

Pirates trading OF Travis Snider to O's, looks like some minor league arms.

earlier Red Sox traded A. Ranuado to Rangers for Robbie Ross

Ross for W. Castillo was a trade idea someone floated on twitter that I thought made some sense once upon a time...

Wow....anyone else watch some Bulls last night? A good win...but D-Rose: 30 pts (the good) 13 for 33 shooting (the bad), and 1 assist to 11 TO's (the ugly)

Keith Law ranks Cubs as top farm system in baseball....this didn't go well last time it happened (2002 by Baseball America)

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Meanwhile, Juan Cruz turned into a useful bullpen pitcher after his time with the Cubs, Zambrano was a rotation starter for several years with Chicago, and Prior... well, the problem wasn't lack of talent. I'd say it was the draft misfortune that followed that was the bigger issue.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

brownlie, hagerty, blasco, and clanton...and not a single one sniffed the majors. ...neither did 2nd rounder justin jones who emerged in 03/04 as a prospect (traded as part of the nomar/murton-to-CHC deal). crazy awful draft that should have been one of the cubs best in years...and was considered so in the wrap-up following the draft. that was very quickly re-categorized as a disaster, though.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but Cubs took Brownlie as the 21st pick in the first round, and Matt Cain, Jeremy Guthrie, and Joe Blanton all came shortly after. Then they had the three failed supplemental picks in the first round and Brian Dopirak and Justin Jones in round 2, and Joey Votto, Jon Lester (we could have had him all this time!), and Brian McCann all went in round 2. Cubs actually took Dopriak one slot ahead of Lester. Curtis Granderson went in Round 3, Josh Johnson in Round 4.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

the pieces were there, bad luck and lack of SP depth was really the failing. Hendry actually didn't a pretty neat job of trading guys with prospect status that ended up not being all that great (Josh Donaldson being the exception, probably throw Nolasco in there as well).

I'd do that Harden trade 100x over though. Just got hurt in Sept unfortunately...

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

had they kept Josh Donaldson, imagine what 2013 and 2014 would have been alike around here...

right, exactly the same.

you have to give up something to get something and it was the right deal at the right time.

I did forget about Chris Archer(and probably some others) as a good prospect Hendry gave up, of course, it's a prospect he acquired as well outside of the draft system.

if you have a list of GM's that have never given up a good prospect and are in the playoffs every year, please post.

you should see the talent Theo gave up in trades in Boston.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

That was a weird and exciting summer. I caught Harden and "Nomah" in their first Wrigley starts - and without looking this up, Harden had 10 or 12 K's. At the time, I barely had even heard about Donaldson except he was a catcher in our lower minors. This was a time when the GM was trying to buy his way into a World Series and he sold his soul to the devil to try and do it. The ones that killed me were Milton Bradley, and - given the choice to send either Archer or McNutt to the Rays, he chose the former - calling them, (and I quote), "1 and 1A..." in the boatload-for-Garza trade. Either our scouts were stupid, overvalued our talent, or Hendry just was ill informed and made a terrible decision. There still is not one pitching prospect in the system that projects out the way Chris Archer did.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

they constantly refine through spring training

by FIP, Jackson is as good a bet as any of the 4th/5th starters in the mix

Hendricks 5.3 K/9 isn't a recipe for continued success unfortunately

K. Bryant not getting at least 400 PA would be surprising though.

Per the PECOTA...82 wins is good for 2nd place. woo. Division range is only 10 games difference between Cards and Brewers, fasten those seatbelts.

fun idea by tangotiger on a change in substition rules

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/substitution-rules/

DH idea isn't going to fly, but some fun stuff to mull, wonder what Theo thinks about it.

Speaking of Theo, he brought up in November meetings that they should force relievers to face at least 2 batters, possibly 3

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/rosenthal-speed-u…

I'm all for it just because I hate the endless pitching changes, but on par with Manfred getting rid of defensive shifts, no reason to squash creativity in the game. What they could do is force pitchers to pitch immediately instead of more warm-up pitches (1-2 warm-ups at most to get use to footing is more than enough).

Coming up with ideas to speed up or change the game just seems like the flavor of the off season this year, everyone is now writing about them. Personally, I think the most important, and easiest, changes would be just to speed up what is already happening without any other rule changes.

  • Make sure teams are ready to play immediately when commercial breaks end
  • Reduce the number of warmup pitches after pitching changes
  • Time and put a limit on manager visits to the mound. Now they walk out and talk until the ump takes the slow walk from home and then they either turn around when the ump gets there and head back or then make the pitching change, and all they are doing is buying time for a reliever to warm up more. Everyone hates that. I think the ump should meet the manager on the mound and listen to the conversation. If it is legimiately about a defensive shift or strategy he can let them talk a bit. If it is one of those "how you feelin' big fella" convos he can cut it early. That would have to be specified a bit of course, but the BSing and stalling should be eliminated. 
  • Relatedly, prevent managers from stalling on the field to figure out if they are going to challenge or not. They stand around and shoot the shit until they get a thumbs up or down from the dugout. It's terrible, give a few seconds to use it or lose it.
  • Speed up reviews of challenges. I wouldn't even have the umps on the field look at video. The replay ump in a main office somewhere can. And make sure there is one per game watching the game already, and so all the crew chief needs to do is walk over to a cell phone and by the time he gets there the replay ump can say "out or safe" and we'd be done with it. Even better, give the replay ump a live connection to the jumbo tron and he freeze the video where needed and then the screen will flash "safe" or "out" so managers, players, umps on the field, and fans all see it at the same time.

Honestly, if they did even HALF of that stuff, you would probably reduce game times by 20-30 minutes, and be getting rid of the worst down time that currently exists. Everyone would be happy and no major rule changes about substitutions or defensive shifts or number of batters faced would be necessary.

Keith Law top 100 prospects

Bryant #1, Russell #4, Soler #12 and I think Schwarber at #90

I don't have Insider, so someone can double check for me if they get a moment, just what I culled from Twitter.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Right, so how does that work? Are the construction workers bringing the rats in, according to residents? I remember many walks back to my parked car at night from Wrigley and I distinctly remember plenty of rats long before this construction. Has there been a marked INCREASE in rat population?

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I used to live in Wrigleyville and work in Wicker Park. I would drive between the two late at night often and see them scurrying across the street in every area. The four miles between the two neighborhoods probably have more rats than people on earth. Motherfuckers are difficult to run over, I know that much. I tried daily for almost a decade to run them over, never got one. I accidentally ran over a turtle in Naperville once, but never got a damn rat. I'm quite bitter about my 0fer rat killing decade.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Wow -- jacos and tbone made comments and I remember aaronb, carmenfanzone and Bleeding Blue but don't really remember most of the other commenters -- and I was a regular reader back then. Didn't realize we had that much of a commenter turnover.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Another wow! I remember hearing Pat Pieper announcing the lineups at Wrigley when I went to games in the early 70's. I didn't realized I was hearing from somebody who had been seeing Cubs games from all the way back to 1903 -- a good 13 years before they moved to Wrigley. What longevity!

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

More accurately he was a thing, then wasn't, and now is again. He missed all of 2010-2011 with various injuries. He finally returned in 2012 and pitched OK for the Rangers AAA team. Then in 2013 he went 8-3 with a 1.11 ERA and 65 Ks in 57 IP for the Rangers big league team out of the pen (2.6 WAR), one of the best relievers in the game that year. Last year he slid back a litte with a 4.46 ERA, but stil had 63 Ks in 66 IP.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

Bryant Russell Soler Schwarber Torres McKinney Almora Underwood Edwards Tseng Says Pierce Johnson (12) is falling doesn't like his mechanics, fastball command or durability, and Justin Steele (11) is the sleeper (insinuates he could break top 100 if I read his intro correctly). Corey Black (listed at 17 but think it's a typo and meant 19 since Stinnett is also 17) and CJ Edwards likely to end up bullpen, and Schwarber won't be a Catcher. Has Caratini (13) ahead of Jimenez (15). Bijan Rademacher (20) is a good 4th OF prospect despite any elite skills. Carson Sands (16), Dylan Cease (14), Cease blew out his elbow in the spring and won't pitch until mid- to late 2015. Says lefty Rob Zastryzny (18) and right-hander Jake Stinnett (17) could end up as fifth starters or solid relievers. SAys he's calling time of service shenanigans if Bryant isn't opening day 3b (duh. I told him he's forgetting about Olt, haven't heard back). He makes no prediction whatsoever about Baez.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

Find it interesting to see another McKinney over Almora ranking, any comments about that? Baez and Olt are no longer ROY eligible and therefore not part of a Keith Law prospect discussion.

[ ]

In reply to by Sonicwind75

Oh I know I was joking about Olt, and knew Baez wasn't eligible. BUT I found it interesting that he had nothing to say about Baez except that Russel may be ready at All Star break deoending on whether Baez gets 'comfortable at the plate'. I think Baez previous high rating and the fact that he only played for a month or two might have warranted an opinion in his commentary. But certainly also appropriate to not comment since Baez usnt eligible.

The Cubs have signed 30-year old OF Mike Baxter to a 2015 minor league contract, and he presumably will get an NRI to Spring Training. A left-handed hitter, Baxter has hit 225/331/342 in 198 MLB games with the Mets and Dodgeers, playing corner OF (mostly RF). Baxter will probably battle Adron Chambers for an OF slot at Iowa, and be available for a mid-season call-up if a left-handed hitting OF is needed.  

The Cubs have also re-signed 6YFA RHP Carlos Pimentel to a 2015 minor league contract, and he will also likely get an NRI to Spring Training. Pimentel signed a minor league contract with the Cubs post-2013 after spending seven seasons in the Rangers organization, and he pitched at Iowa in 2014, starting and relieving, with a 5.35 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. Pimentel was one of the top 6YFA post-2013, and he had an outstanding Spring Training with the Cubs and at Minor League Camp, and was in the Iowa Cubs starting rotation at the start of the 2014 season before being moved back & forth betwen the rotation and the bullpen in the second half. Pimentel is 25. 


The Cubs will be announcing their 2015 Spring Training NRI list sometime in the next few days.

Meanwhile....

PROJECTED CUBS 2015 MLB SPRING TRAINING NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI): 25

* bats or throws left
# bats both


PITCHERS:  11 
Daniel Bard
*  Francisley Bueno 
Anthony Carter
Blake Cooper
Jorge DeLeon 
Yoanner Negrin
Carlos Pimentel
Ivan Pineyro
Armando Rivero
Donn Roach
Andres Santiago 

CATCHERS
: 4    
Taylor Davis
Will Remillard
* Kyle Schwarber
Taylor Teagarden

INFIELDERS
: 6
Kris Bryant
# Jonathan Herrera 
Addison Russell
Chris Valaika
* Dan Vogelbach
* Logan Watkins 

OUTFIELDERS
: 4
Albert Almora
* Mike Baxter
* Adron Chambers
* Billy McKinney

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Without knowing how many pitchers and position players will begin the season on the DL (and unlike in recent previous seasons, there are no obvious candidates at this point), I would say of the likely NRI, 27-year old RHRP Armando Rivero (a former closer for Industriales in Serie Nacional - the Cuban major league) could very well pitch his way into the Cubs Opening Day buillpen, either Jonathan Herrera or Chris Valaika could make the team as the primary utility infielder, and Francisley Bueno could make it as a #2 lefty in the pen (and he is a true LOOGY, too, very tough on LH hitters, but he usually gets clobbered by RH hitters). Either Mike Baxter or Adron Chambers could conceivably out-hit and outplay Ryan Sweeney in Spring Teaining, and if so, the Cubs could release Sweeney and keep one of the two NRI LH hitting outfielders (Baxter or Chambers). 

If there is a roster crunch to start the season, Chris Coghlan could get optioned to the minors at least temporarily (he has one minor league option left and he has accrued 4+148 MLB Service Time through the 2014 season, and he does not have to give his permission to be optioned until he reaches five years of MLB Service Time). Tsuyoshi Wada has to give his permission in order to be optioned, but he has done that twice previously (once with Baltimore in 2013, and then again last year with the Cubs), so he might agree to go to Iowa again in 2015, especially if the Cubs guarantee his $2M performance bonus and promise to recall him ASAP. Neither Coghlan nor Wada are likely to get sent to Iowa, though.

Because Kyle Hendricks has minor league options left, he could get optioned to Iowa to begin the season even if he is cleary one on the top five rotation starters in Spring Training. And Junior Lake, Matt Szczur, Justin Grimm, Blake Parker, Brian Schlitter, Zac Rosscup, Joe Ortiz, Gonzalez Germen, Dallas Beeler, Eric Jokisch, C. J. Edwards, Rafael Lopez, Christian Villanueva, and Tommy LaStella all have minor league options left, making it easy to send them to the minors if necessary. If one or two players need to be dropped from the 40 to make room for an NRI or two coming out of Spring Training, Ortiz and Germen are the two most-likely to get the DFA.   

As I have mentioned before, the Cubs could try to get Jacob Turner through waivers, especially if he has a bad Spring Training. He is out of minor league options, but unlike Felix Doubront (for example), Turner cannot elect free-agency if outrighted, and if he is outrighted, he wouldn't be eligible to be a minor league 6YFA until post-2017. 

I do think Justin Grimm will be optioned to Iowa (he has one minor league option left) and will be converted back to a starting pitcher. The Cubs have a deep bullpen (especially with Rivero likely MLB ready), and Grimm would have more trade-value going forward as a starting pitcher than as a reliever. And Grimm has said that he prefers to be a starting pitcher.

A lot will depend on whether the Cubs trade Welington Castillo, Travis Wood, and/or Edwin Jackson prior to the start of the season, and if Javy Baez and/or Arismendy Alcantara start the season at AAA (which I suspect they will). The Cubs can gain an extra year of club control over Baez (through the 2021 season instead of through 2020) if he is optioned to the minors out of Spring Training and then is not recalled any earlier than June 11th, and they gain an extra year of club control over Alcantara (through 2021 instead of through 2020) if he is optioned to the minors out of Spring Training and then is not recalled any earlier than July 7th. (It's July 6th for Hendricks, BTW, if he is optioned to the minors out of Spring Training).

I don't think the Cubs will be as concerned about Jorge Soler's MLB Service Time, since he is signed to a multi-year contract. So Soler is more-likely to begin the season on the 25-man roster than Baez or Alcantara, although Soler could get optioned to Iowa if he struggles in Cactus League games. If Soler does get optioned to the minors out of Spring Training, the Cubs gain an extra year of club control if they wait to recall him until at least May 8th.

Also, if the Cubs wait until at least 4/17 to call-up Kris Bryant, he would be under club control through the 2021 season. If they call-him up prior to 4/17 (like if he makes the Opening Day 25-man roster), Bryant would be under club control only through the 2020 season. For Bryant to make the Cubs Opening Day 25-man roster out of Spring Training, he would probably have to agree to sign a seven or eight year contract that would buy-out his arbitration years and at least one (preferably two) free-agent years, and Scott Boras (Bryant's agent) usually advises his clients not to do that. 

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

O&B: Not likely, but if it happens, it probably would not be because he struggles at the plate, but rather maybe if he has too many brain farts, like if he runs into outs on the bases and consistently misses the cut-off man on throws from the outfield, that sort of thing, then the Cubs might opt to send him down for a while to work on those areas of his game. But again, I expect Soler to be the Cubs starting RF on Opening Day.

Of Soler, Bryant, Baez, and Alcantara, Soler is the one I would say is very likely to start the season in Chicago. And he would be a strong candidate to be N. L. Rookie of the Year, too (along with Kris Bryant, who should be up to stay by the end of April).

I've said this before about Javy Baez, but Baez is comparable to Starlin Castro as a shortstop defensively, the main difference between them being that while Castro can definitely play SS, his best defensive position is 2nd base (I saw him play SS, 2B, and 3B a lot when he was at EXST and AZL Cubs in 2008, and he is a very good defensive second-baseman, and both Franklin Font and Ryne Sandberg said the same thing), while Baez really, really, really wants to play SS. But Addison Russell is a better SS than either Castro or Baez,

So once Russell is ready, I would say that Castro will move to 2B, and Baez will shift to LF. But Baez's bat plays much better at SS than corner OF, because if he hits 30 HR but with a low BA, low OBP, and lots of whiffs, he would still have value as a power-hitting SS, but maybe not so much as a corner OF. So as things stand right now, Baez has more value (to the Cubs) as a trade chip, where he could get moved in a deal to a team where he could actually play SS. Which probably won't happen if he remains with the Cubs. In fact, he probably won't play anywhere in the infield if he remains with the Cubs long-term. 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Thanks AZ. That makes a lot of sense to me. I can see the Cubs doing their best to get Baez as many reps as possible in the infield to boost his trade value. I don't think it matters if he plays short or second - if he plays decently at second and his rep is as a SS then that just helps beef up his resume a bit. A battle ROYal between Bryant and Soler could sure be a lot of fun.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

it's that awkward time of year between the end of the NFL season and the beginning of the NCAA basketball conference playoffs. maybe the cubs can spend that time trading welly and one of their excess SP's. TOR is still busy trying to trade d.navarro mucking all of this up...plus, DET is allegedly trying to shift a.avila. meanwhile, ARZ is sitting back waiting for something to happen cheaply.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

gotta like Fangraphs sense of humor...regarding the Dbacks signing one of the remaining backup catchers:
The top remaining free agent catcher is probably 35-year-old Gerald Laird, which is to say, there’s no longer any remaining free agent catchers. Update: Of course they did.

well in case you thought Manfred was going to do anything about league blackouts, he's not.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2015/02/03/an-interview-with-mlb…

Manfred: Television territories that cause these blackouts are integral to the economics of the game. They’re a foundation of the very structure of the league. Blackouts are actually caused, not by our desire not to cover that area, but by the inability of the rights holder to get distribution in certain parts of the television territories. It’s not solely our issue to resolve. Having said that I am aware of these complaints and whenever we have an issue like this we are constantly evaluating how we do business to make sure we are as fan friendly as possible.

"FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reports that the Cubs are close to a minor league deal with Pedro Feliciano."

per Roto:
The contract will include an invitation to major league spring training, but the 38-year-old left-hander seems doubtful to win a spot on the Cubs' Opening Day roster. Feliciano posted a rough 5.57 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and 19/8 K/BB ratio in 21 innings of relief last season for the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate.
if he doesn't make the team, will they still ask him to sing the national anthem? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0&noredirect=1

I don't know if anybody caught the Super Bowl, but man, the precision of that team sometimes is something else. The pocket looks like this: \      /     | brady He was so often able to step forward into this perfectly cleared gap and do his thing. Of course, it's also amazing how quickly he can sort through the goings on on the field and find his receivers. He takes about two steps in that pocket and the play is over. The whole thing was really a thing of beauty, even though I was kinda rooting for the Seahawks.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

dunno if it's of interest to anyone...nonetheless... southern and central ARZ had a decent amount of timely rainfall this winter which should lead to a really nice wildflower season this year. even if you don't want to get up close and personal with the stuff, it makes for a nice backdrop on the desert. it's not every year the desert "lights up" in spring with a good display...nice when it happens.

I was about to solicit speculation on an Arrieta extension, but then I realized the Cubs still have control of him age 29-31. So now I'm just going to sigh in appreciation of how great that trade really was. Edit: Also, I can't wait for the animated GIFs 2015 will produce, for Arrieta as well as Soler, Bryant, etc.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

CHARLIE: Besides Scott Boras, the big obstacle for the Cubs signing Jake Arrieta to a contract extension is that he is under club control through the 2017 season (his age 31 season), and so he will hit free-agency for the first time when he is going into his age 32 season.

If Arrieta were to sign a five-year contract extension right now (making it a six year contract including his 2015 money) that buys out (let's say) his last two years of salary arbitration (2016-17) and three years of free-agency (2018-20), he would be a FA post-2020 going into his age 35 seaason, and he would be less-likely to score a five or six year deal at that point in his career than he could get going into his age 32 season post-2017. 

So I would think Scott Boras will advise Arrieta to not sign any contract extension that buys out his opportunity to hit free-agency post-2017, although an extension that buys out his last two arbitration years might be possible (but what's the point of the Cubs doing that, if the extension doesn't buy-out two or three years of free-agency?). 

I think the best bet would be for the Cubs to milk Arrieta for his three remaining years of club control, and then make a Qualifying Offer to him when he hits free-agency post 2017 (like the Royals did with James Shields post-2014), and then pick-up a compensation draft pick when Arrieta signs with somebody else. 


Drake Britton now a Cub, Get rid of the righty Germen to get the lefty Brit. How European of us.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.