Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

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

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Is That Arrieta?

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Dylan Cease fired three innings of shutout ball, Vimael Machin lined a triple off the CF Batter's Eye and scored and Alex Bautista rifled an RBI double into the LF corner to highlight a two-run 7th, and then Bautista ripped an RBI single through the box into CF and Yohan Matos followed with an RBI triple high off the LF screen (near HR) to spark a two-run 9th, as the Cubs plated five runs over the final three innings and defeated the Brewers 6-1 in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning on Field #7 (AKA "Paul Molitor Field") at the Maryvale Baseball Park Complex in Phoenix, AZ.  

Cease threw a higher percentage of strikes (62%) today than in any previous outing (he usually struggles to throw strikes, typically throwing 50-55% strikes), breaking his curve for called strikes time & again, and humming his heater consistently knee-high at 98-99 MPH (per both the Brewers & Cubs guns -- for example, 99-99-99-98-99-99-98-98-99-99-99 in the bottom of the 2nd). He even got a swing & miss on a change-up (the pitch that is his "work-in-progress").

Cease allowed four hits (three singles and a double) over his three-inning stint, but three of the hits were opposite-field grounders, and the fourth was a broken-bat humpback liner looped over the shortstop's head and into short left. 

Cease was so dominating that one of the Brewer pitchers seated behind home plate asked "Is that Arrieta?" as Cease dropped his knee-bending hook to get ahead 0-2 and then blew unhittable gas past the last two Brew Crew hitters for strike-three in the bottom of the 2nd (stranding runners at 2nd & 3rd). It's unusual when the other team's pitchers are mesmerized by an EXST opponent who isn't a major league rehabber.  

Here is the abridged box score from the game (Cubs players only) 

CUBS LINEUP:
1. Yonathan Perlaza, 2B: 0-3 (F-8, 4-3 DP, 6-3, BB) 
2. Vimael Machin, SS: 1-3 (BB, F-8, 3B, F-7, R)
3. Wladimir Galindo, 3B: 0-2 (F-8 DP, E-9, F-9 SF, BB, 2 R, RBI, SB)
4a. Jose Paniagua, 1B: 1-2 (1B, 6-3) 
4b. Alberto Mineo, 1B: 0-1 (BB, K, R)
5. Alex Bautista, CF: 2-4 (L-5 DP, F-8, 2B, 1B, R, 2 RBI)
6a. Kwang-Min Kwon, RF: 0-2 (K, 5-3)
6b. Yohan Matos, RF: 1-2 (F-8, 3B, RBI)
7a. Ricardo Marcano, LF: 0-2 (6-3, K)
7b. Jonathan Sierra, LF: 1-2 (2B, 5-3, R) 
8. Rafael Mejia, DH #1: 0-2 (K, BB, K)
9a. Tyler Payne, C: 1-2 (L-8, 1B)
9b. Jhonny Pereda, C: 0-1 (K)
10. Abraham Rodriguez, DH #2: 1-3 (1B, 3-6-1 DP, E-1) 

CUBS PITCHERS: 
1. Dylan Cease: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 BALK, 1 PO, 1 GIDP, 3/0 GO/AO, 53 pitches (33 strikes) 
2. Aaron Crow: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1/1 GO/AO, 8 pitches (5 strikes) 
3. Jose Paulino: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 GIDP, 2/1 GO/AO, 31pitches (17 strikes) 
4. Pedro Araujo: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 2/0 GO/AO, 15 pitches (10 strikes)
5. Alexander Santana: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 3/0 GO/AO, 13 pitches (6 strikes)
6. Tyler Peitzmeier: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 GIDP, 1/0 GO/AO, 6 pitches (5 strikes) 

CUBS ERRORS: 1
3B Wladimir Galindo: E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely) 

CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE: 
Jhonny Pereda: 1-2 CS 

ATTENDANCE: 5 

WEATHER  Sunny with temperatures in the 90's 

Tags
Cubs Extended Spring Training
Dylan Cease
Vimael Machin
Alex Bautista
Yohan Matos

Comments

Submitted by billybucks on Tue, 05/03/2016 - 05:00 pm

Thanks Phil. Any idea of where/when Cease will head for the season?

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 05/03/2016 - 05:16 pm

BILLY BUCKS: As things stand right now, Dylan Cease will be in the Eugene starting rotation when the NWL season begins play in June, and if he peforms well there he could perhaps move up to South Bend toward the end of the minor league season or for the MWL playoffs (if South Bend qualifies). 

[ ]

Submitted by K Dub on Wed, 05/04/2016 - 05:03 am

Phil, historically this front office has been patient with their prep pitchers keeping their IP low and moving them one level at a time. I know I'm getting ahead of myself, and you may not be able to formulate an opinion on this, but you've seen a lot of pitchers over the years, so... Given Cease's timetable this season (which I agree with) Eugene to start and if he does well a late promotion to South Bend. What are the chances, given his special ability, that the Cubs have him start next season at South Bend and if he dominates, break with tradition, and promote him mid-season to Myrtle Beach with an eye on him starting in AA in 2018. There's a lot of "assuming he does well" in there. I guess what I'm asking is do you have a sense that Cubs brass will treat him differently because of his talent level? Thanks.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 05/04/2016 - 05:04 am

K-DUB: I think the Cubs might consider skipping Dylan Cease past South Bend and starting him at Myrtle Beach next season, especially if he gets some time at South Bend this season and pitches well there. As a southern kid with TJS history, pitching at Myrtle Beach in April is probably a lot more attractive than pitching in South Bend, but Cease can't go to Myrtle Beach if he isn't ready for Hi-A. 

The main problem with Cease is command & control, and yesterday was really the first time he threw strikes fairly consistently. Too often he struggles to command his fastball (it's like a teeenager driving a Porsche 918 Spyder) and/or can't get a feel for his curve, but if he can sustain yesterday's outing and make it typical (and also use the change-up more-regularly in games), he will move a lot faster.  

Cease will be Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2018, so if he moves at a normal pace he will be at South Bend in 2017, Myrtle Beach in 2018, then get added to the 40-man roster in November 2018, and then be optioned to AA in 2019. However, if he skips South Bend in 2017 or spends only half a season at South Bend in 2017, he could conceivably be ready for AA in 2018, and he could get a call-up later that season, since he has to go on the 40 post-2018 anyway. 

But I can't see him pitching in MLB any earlier than mid-2018 (and that's absolutely the best-case scenario). An MLB debut sometime in 2019 is more realistic (and even that's an optimistic ETA, since it presumes no setbacks along the way).  

I will also say that right now the top three pitching prospects in the organization are (in no particular order) Dylan Cease, Bryan Hudson, and Duane Underwood Jr, and only Underwood is anywhere close to being MLB-ready (he is Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2016, and so he could get a call-up later this season -IF- he dominates at AA). Cease and Hudson will both likely be in the starting rotation at Eugene in 2016, and then everything becomes TBD.

BTW, Hudson actually is more-advanced than Cease in terms of command. and if anyone skips South Bend next season, I would say Hudson would be the one more-likely to do so.  

Cease and Hudson are both legit TOR starting pitching prospects, but they are way down in the pipeline. 

Submitted by johann on Tue, 05/03/2016 - 05:17 pm

The best part of tonight's game was 6 different players with RBIs. Truly a lineup that doesn't give up top to bottom.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 05/03/2016 - 05:22 pm

tomorrow's game is a 12:35pm EST game for some ungodly stupid reason...then it's back to wrigley field for a night game on the 5th.

Submitted by bigsky33 on Tue, 05/03/2016 - 05:23 pm

Hi Phil, made it home tonight safely. Looks like Cease is getting better each outing. I see Crow did ok today too. I will be reading your write_ups everyday. Great seeing you while there!

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 05/04/2016 - 05:39 am

bored...looking at stats for the hell of it... felix pena (26yo) moving to the pen in AAA is looking like an insanely good fit so far in a smallish sample size 13ip 4h 3bb 20K remembering back to spring training he was regularly hitting mid-90s (though he didn't have a good spring stats-wise). as a starter in the minors he usually worked low-90s. this could be an arm worth keeping an eye on even if he's only a 1-inning guy who was "demoted" to the pen to start the year. ...it's also worth mentioning high(ish)-end AA rhsp prospect p.blackburn (22yo) is ripping AA a new one with a 0.29 ERA and 0.87 whip through 31 innings (5 starts), but the enthusiasm is paused by only racking up only 15Ks in 31ip. that said, the control/command he's displaying is impressive. he's mostly working with a very low 90s fastball and a very nice curve. hopefully it plays well at higher levels.

Submitted by KingKongvsGodzilla on Wed, 05/04/2016 - 05:15 am

Hey AZPhil, Love checking TCR for your writeups. Quick question - any of these 2015 positional IFAs stand out to you yet? I'm most specifically referring to Kwon, Sierra, Paredes, and Amaya, but I know there's a couple other guys from that class in EXST as well.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 05/04/2016 - 05:46 am

KKVG: Among the players at Extended Spring Training, Isaac Paredes is the most-impressive position-player from the Cubs 2015-16 IFA class (I'm not including OF Eddy Julio Martinez, because he skipped EXST and began the season at South Bend). Paredes has legit game power and handles himself well at SS, although I think he will likely eventually end-up at 2B or 3B (maybe not this year, but down-the-line). It is possible that Paredes will get assigned to Eugene (and skip AZL) next month, and I would say he's the only one of the Cubs 2015-16 IFA position players who could. To accommodate Paredes at SS, the Cubs have been moving Andruw Monasterio (who was the #1 SS at AZL Cubs in 2015 and the presumptive Eugene SS going into Minor League Camp) around the infield (SS-2B-3B) at EXST. 

It's interesting that the two of the three most-advanced position-players from the last two Cubs IFA classes are from Mexico (Carlos Sepulveda and Issac Paredes). Maybe the Cubs are on to something by placing a much-greater emphasis on scouting Mexico (the Cubs have signed as many players out of Mexico in the 2015-16 International Signing Period as they have out of Venezuela).  

As far as the other Cubs 2015-16 IFA at EXST are concerned, Yonathan Perlaza is a switch-hitting Dominican SS who loads up on his back leg (both RH and LH) and tries to pulls everything, and he does have good bat speed. Defensively he has throwing issues at SS that will almost certainly result in a permanent move to 2B if the problem is not corrected (he's already started playing 2B). He reminds me a lot of Frandy de la Rosa (traded to TEX for Spencer Patton this past off-season), who became a much better prospect once he was moved from SS to 2B.    

Both Aramis Ademan and Christopher Morel are injured, but they are the more-legit shortstops (moreso than Paredes or Perlaza. and more along the lines of Carlos Penalver).  

Kwang-Min Kwon is a LH-hitting corner OF and he has plus-power (he won the HR Derby at Instructs post-2015), but he also has a slow bat (what's sometimes called a "slider-speed bat") and he gets blown away by high velocity (94+). 

Jonathan Sierra is (like Kwon) a LH-hitting corner OF. Sierra is a good hitter (better than Kwon) with a line-drive stroke and HR-power potential (he shows it in BP but not yet in games). I like Sierra better than Kwon. 

Abraham Rodriguez is still another LH-hitting corner OF, and he has a really solid lefty swing, but doesn't display the same HR power in BP as Kwon or Sierra. A-Rod is more like a Bijan Rademacher-type.  

Ruben Reyes is still another LH-hitting corner OF, but he is more about speed & defense and eventually could see some time in CF. His hitting needs work.  

Miguel Amaya is a legit front-line catching prospect (he has a plus-arm and is very athletic and "cat-quick" behind the plate -- he has the body of an infielder). His bat is a bit behind his glove at this point, however, although he does show some promise as a hitter. It's not unusual for young catchers to be slow to develop as a hitter, because they have so much to learn about the pitchers they handle and defense (receiving, framing, throwing, blocking balls in the dirt, catching pop-ups, etc). 

Kevin Zamudio has more a classic catcher's body-type, but he is below-average defensively and plays as much 1B as he does C. But Zamudio has plus-HR power, and would probably project as a #2 catcher who can play 1B & DH. Zamudio is still another Mexican kid who could move fast, though probably not this year. 

[ ]

Submitted by KingKongvsGodzilla on Wed, 05/04/2016 - 05:04 pm

Thank you very much for such a robust response. So hard to get anything on these guys that it's nice to hear from someone who has actually seen them. Great to hear about Paredes, I have pretty high hopes for this group of IFAs. How impressed are you with these guys and size? I know they're pretty large prospects, especially for their ages. I consider size a plus at this stage - IIRC Amaya is the only one below 6'2"? IIRC Kwon had some baby fat on him it, Sierra's traditionally considered projectable as he's all arms and legs, Paredes has that Peralta build at SS....

Submitted by The E-Man on Wed, 05/04/2016 - 05:58 pm

PHIL: Thanks for your updates. One thing that we are seeing come to bear is that Theo's obvious strategy has been to stockpile young, power arms in the lower levels while owning bats that are much nearer to MLB ready - then, buying the arms the org needs in order to be highly competitive. This is in direct contrast to the White Sox who unfortunately got to draft exactly before the Cubs two years in a row and picked up Carlos Rodon 2014 (in the pick before Schwarber), Carson Fulmer last year (Cubs would have had him), and the Cubs in 2014 also passed on Aaron Nola in favor of Schwarber who I do not believe will be a catcher down the road, and of course while the Cubs drafter the great Haden Simpson, the Sox got Chris Sale a few slots before. Therefore, the Cubs have not had ONE pitcher in the last five years that is a TOR starter waiting in the wings unlike some of the typically perennial winning teams do. They had one by the name of Chris Archer, but there was this Jim Hendry guy, a former scout... So, as I see it, their stable of young bats will need to be used to get cost-controlled power-arms from other otganizations. However, I just don't know in today's "Pitching is Everything" climate, if they will be able to acquire the better prospects that they covet. Time will tell. It is a bit disappointing that our hope lies only in Duane Underwood at this time, and a couple guys that if everything breaks right won't be potentially pitching for the Cubs for 3-4 more years.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Thu, 05/05/2016 - 05:17 am

"Therefore, the Cubs have not had ONE pitcher in the last five years that is a TOR starter waiting in the wings ..." It's a little scary, especially when you look over at the Mets, the one team around the league that worries me, maybe because I have clear recollections of 1969. Actually, the only Cub draftee since 2012 when McLeod and the new FO took over the draft who has thrown a pitch in the majors is Zack Godley. So it's not just TOR starters that we're not seeing. I realize that the Cubs went for position players at the top of the draft, and so by the time they could draft a pitcher, the only good arms left were high schoolers, who take a while to mature. But I just don't see a starter at South Bend or above who misses bats. Stinnett has been great in 23 innings so far this year at Myrtle Beach. Maybe he'll be the guy.

Recent comments

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s just kinda how it works though, for every team. No team plays their best guys all the time. No team is comprising of their best 26 even removing injuries.

    When baseball became a business, like REALLY a business, it became important to keep some of the vets happy, which in turn keeps agents happy and keeps the team with a good reputation among players and agents. No one wants to play for a team that has a bad reputation in the same way no one wants to work for a company that has a bad rep.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate it too. But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

    On that topic, I find it silly the Cubs brought up Canario to sit as much as he has. He’s going to get Velazquez’d, and it’s a shame.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Of course, McKinstry runs circles around $25 million man Javier Baez on that Tigers team. Guess who gets more playing time?

    But I digress…

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Seems like Jed was trying to corner the market on mediocre infielders with last names starting with "M" in acquiring Madrigal, Mastroboney and Zach McKinstry.  

     

    At least he hasn't given any of them a Bote-esque extension.  

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil:
    Rookie ball (ACL) starts on May 4th. Do yo think Ramon and Rosario (maybe Delgado) stay in Mesa for the month of May, then go to MB if all goes "solid"?
     

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

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