Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

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

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Reds @ Cubs: DeSclafani vs. Haren (Game 131)

Pfffft. Well, that game happened.

The Reds were supposed to be an easy welcome home from the coast. The Cubs offense was a bit improved but should’ve done more damage to the rookie starter, and it would have needed to do a whole lot more to overcome our pitching and the defense of one Starlin Castro.

Castro is a like an abusive lover. He does just enough to woo you and think he’s changed, then he bites your head off. In the parlance of Dan Savage, the Cubs need to DTMFA.

Moving on...

CIN (54-76): RHP Anthony DeSclafani (7-10, 3.84)
CHC (74-56): RHP Dan Haren (8-9, 3.90)
First pitch: 7:05pm

Haren lost to the Giants (6.1 IP, 5 ER) on Thursday. He’s 1-2 with a 6.31 as a Cub. He’s 1-1 with a 2.19 in the two games he had with the Marlins against the Reds. The Reds are 34-133 (.256) against him. Frazier is 4-11 with a HR. Philips is 8-27 with 2 HR.

DeSclafani is coming off of three straight losses, including the last one, to the Dodgers (7 IP, 1 ER), which should been awarded to the Cinci bats. He’s 1-1 with a 0.98 ERA in his two starts against the Cubs this season. The Cubs are 15-64 (.234) against him. Coghlan is 3-4. Montero is 2-4 with a HR.

IF Javy Baez and LHP Tsuyoshi Wada are returning to the Cubs today. RHP Trevor Cahill and OF Quintin Berry (a lefty) are also being promoted, which will require two substractions from the 40-man roster. Mike Olt (and the Cult of Olt) was DFA'd yesterday to make room for Austin Jackson. When Ross returns, that will put the big club at 31. Update: Soriano, who was on the DL, and James Russell were DFA'd, and Ross is back. That puts the roster at 30.

Go Cubs!

 

Comments

Unless the news wires haven't gotten word yet, I guess the Cubs were not successful finding some pitching help. The back of this rotation, which seems to start with Hendricks, doesn't inspire confidence. Cult of Olt

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Signing Haren was very curious, at best. An over-the-hill fly ball pitcher can survive at Wrigley in April, May & June, when it's cold and the wind tends to blow in (i.e. the ballpark plays "big"). But, signing him to pitch at Wrigley in July, August & Sept., when it's warm and the wind tends to blow out...well, Theo, what did you expect? Gotta believe the Reds will be running up to the plate to get their swings against Haren tonight. Come on, offense -- we're gonna need another 6-7 runs tonight!

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

i think they were just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. they wanted to push for the post-season without giving up anything. thank gawd for the cubs winning tear and SF's failure tear...hopefully that holds up until the season ends. once we're into the post-season (if that happens) then it doesn't matter about the 4-5 slot pitchers. arguably, the pen is much more important at that point when it comes to anyone but the top-3 starters.

"This is the show. We have certain expectations here. That's why you don't play." from a Tweet from Arrieta. I who do you think he is talking about.

Jeff Russell and Rafael Soriano DFA's to make room for the callups (Berry and Cahill)

just a theoretical thought...if Dusty was manager (WWDD) or if Lou (WWLD) was manager... would Javy Baez be in tonight's lineup? my thought is: Dusty... Bonifacio would have been brought up and started at 2B Lou..."I like playing the kids, really I do, but but but Jonathan Herrera really needs to play to stay sharp."

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

obviously.... dusty would have to start baez because both lastella + castro would be pitching because all the other pitcher's arms would have fallen off months ago. it would piss dusty off because baez is a rookie and theo couldn't go out and get him a 39 year old DH to play 2nd. i imagine it would be a 2-box-of-toothpicks night. lou would have quit his job already, so that's irrelevant and a trick question.

Rays DFA Hak-Ju Lee. Olt for Lee and the circle of life is complete

It'll be interesting to see if Baez is still a whirling dervish at the plate. He's rocking it good in AAA, and I've read some good stuff, so fingers crossed.

ah, the fair weather fans are back at wrigley. long popout to CF, not even on the track, and 1/2 the place was popping and cheering like it was gonna end up out of the park.

The Mariners recalled RHP Tony Zych from Triple-A Tacoma. First big league action for the former Cub prospect.

Baez strikes out in his first at bat, but not whirling dervish style. Just missed it, didn't unwind like a uncoiling spring - just a clean miss. Call me optimistic, but I call that progress.

Be nice if someone other than the Ace was capable of a shutdown inning after the Cubs score. Can't even get the freaking pitcher out.

c.richard pitching in a game where the team is only down by 1? barf. ...2 batters, 0 outs, and 1 run later it's grimm's turn.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

JOHN B: Pierce Johnson and Rob Zastryzny were likely 2015 AFL candidates (I mentioned them as likely candidates to get assigned to the AFL in an article about the AFL last month) because they are starting pitchers who missed part of the season due to injuries and they need to accrue more innings. Guys who have been pitching regularly as starters have thrown too many innings to be considered, so it probably came down to Johnson, Zastryzny, and Duane Underwood Jr, with Underwood odd man out because he hasn't pitched above Hi-A. Corey Black and Jeimer Candelario (and Pierce Johnson) are first-time Rule 5 Draft eligible after this season and so getting reps in the AFL will help the Cubs decide whether to add them to the MLB 40-man roster in November (if there are even any doubts at this point). Black has a golden arm but he has had control issues forever and he needs more experience working out of the bullpen (he was moved to the bullpen during the 2015 season). He was a starter because he featured a 96 MPH fastball, a plus-change, a curve, and a hard slider, but his size (5'11 175), nervous energy, and max-effort delivery plays better in relief. Candelario will soon replace both Mike Olt and Christian Villanueva as the Cubs #1 3B prospect. (With the year he has had at Myrtle Beach and Tennessee, Candelario has played himself back into the Cubs Top 10 Prospect List). Willson Contreras is eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league free-agent (6YFA) post-2015, but the fact that he has been assigned to the AFL means at the very least he has agreed to a 2016 minor league successor contract (can't be officially signed until 9/15), but he is a lock to be added to the 40-man roster anyway. Playing in the AFL will get him more experience catching MLB pitching prospects than he got at Tennessee. Like Candelario, Contreras has played himself into the Cubs Top 10 Prospect list with his breakout 2015 season at AA, and he is certainly the Cubs #1 catching prospect right now. Mark Zagunis was drafted by the Cubs as a catcher out of the U. of Virginia in the 3rd round of the 2014 Draft and was tried in RF at AZL instructs post-2014 (and looked great out there) before moving to RF full-time at Minor League Camp last March, and while he has been overshadowed by other more well-known prospects (Schwarber, McKinney, Almora, et al), Zagunis is absolutely a legitimate MLB prospect. He is a line-drive hitter with an outstanding eye at the plate and excellent strike-zone judgment, and he has above-average speed, too (he was compared to Jason Kendall when he was a catcher). and he is an OBP machine. Zagunis is not Rule 5 Draft eligible, but the Cubs may expect him to move fast through the system and want to challenge him by assigning him to the AFL. It would really help his cause a lot if he could play CF adequately (he has played CF every now & then), but he is still learning to play RF. Cael Brockmeyer was given an NRI to Spring Training with the big club this past February, and so the Cubs must like his receiving skills and work-ethic. The Cubs moved him back & forth from one affiliate to another (wherever he was needed) during the course of the 2015 season, and they wouldn't do that unless they thought he was mature enough to handle it. Some people think that at 6'5 Brockmeyer is too tall to be a catcher, but I think he will probably end up as an MLB back-up C-1B type. He is on the Mesa Solar Sox "Taxi Squad," so he will only be allowed to play on Wednesdays and Saturdays, unless there is an injury to one of the other catchers and he gets elevated to the full-time status. Like Zagunis and Zastryzny, Brockmeyer is NOT Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2015. The only real surprise (to me) among the Cubs players assigned to the AFL was RHRP David Garner, because I thought a more-advanced reliever like P. J. Francescon, Matt Brazis, Michael Jensen, Tayler Scott, or James Pugliese would be the more-likely choice. Garner actually began the season at Extended Spring Training because of his struggles at Minor League Camp, but he got it together fairly quickly, and had a nice year out of the bullpen, first at South Bend and then (especially) later at Myrtle Beach. Garner is a two-pitch pitcher who features a mid-90's heater and a plus-curve. He is NOT Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2015.

Nice bounce back game for Grimm, and "well done" Dan Haren. We'll take that (almost) every time.

That pitch Schwarber hit is the kind he's been missing a lot of lately. When Schwarber struggles it reminds me of how hard it is to hit baseballs at that level. It doesn't seem like they've found a weakness, just that he isn't seeing the ball that great and just missing. Same with Rizzo the last few days. Regardless of what the other fellas said in the thread earlier, I was pretty encouraged with Baez. The violent swing seems to be much more under control, and he took more bad pitches than he swung at. There were two pitches in particular that I bet the other team thought he'd swing at. One game, and no hits, but I liked what I saw.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s a fantastic deal for SF

  • 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?