Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

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

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

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

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

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

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

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

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

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

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

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs @ Reds: Arrieta vs Straily (Game 75)

What, me worry?CHC (48-26): RHP Jake Arrieta (11-2, 1.74)
CIN (29-47): RHP Dan Straily (4-4, 3.83)
First pitch: 6:10pmCST

Arrieta lost to the Cards on Wednesday (5 IP, 1 ER, 6 K, 4 BB). He's 2-2 with a 2.35 in June. He beat in the Reds (in his second no-hitter). Another one would be great, but just a win is also acceptable. The Reds are 16-83 (.193) against him. Phillips is 4-14.

Straily lost to the Rangers his last time out (6 IP, 4 ER, 3 K, 2 BB). He’s 0-0 with a 6.43 in his two May starts against the Cubs this season. The team is 7-29 (.241) against him. Heyward is 2-5.

Lester (9-3, 2.10) versus Lamb (1-4, 4.78) tomorrow at 6:10pmCST.

Go Cubs!

Comments

I guess Joe and Jedstein did not much care for Concepcion's bases clearing double yesterday - he's on his way back to Iowa per twitterverse. No corresponding call up announced yet.

ERIC S: The way it was done (with no immediate corresponding roster move) makes it look disciplinary. 

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Unfortunately, Peralta is indeed an extreme flyball pitcher. Even when he was at his best (2011-14) he surrendered a lot of HR.

He has had significantly better success versus LH hitters than versus RH hitters, thanks to a plus-splitter. So he will probably be used like a LHRP (even though he is a RHP).  

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Across 6 different seasons (1128 PAs), Federowicz has demolished AAA pitching to the tune of a .910 OPS. Even though the eyeball test this year says he might be closer to the .542 OPS he's posted in only 298 MLB PAs, it's kind of surprising there isn't a single team out there willing to take a chance on him being an acceptable bat and plus defense catcher.

@thekapman Marty Brennaman on trading Schwarber for Aroldis Chapman: "I would carry Schwarber on my back to NYC if I was getting Aroldis Chapman back."

Brian Peters @thekapman that is one DUMB mfer you're talking to, Kap.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

RYNO: With one exception, a player on an MLB DL can be traded. The only exception is during the waiver period that begins at 5 PM (Eastern) on July 31st.

NOTE: Because July 31st falls on a Sunday in 2016, the "non-waiver" trade deadline will be extended one day (to 4 PM Eastern on August 1st) in 2016 (only). 

Beginning at 5 PM (Eastern) on July 31st (August 1st in 2016) and extending through the last day of the MLB regular season, a player on an MLB 40-man roster or MLB 60-day DL can be traded only after Trade Assignment Waivers have been secured, and a player on a DL cannot be placed on Trade Asignment Waivers until the player is eligible to be reinstated from the DL -AND- the player is healthy enough to play. 

However, an injured player on a DL who is not eligible to be traded after July 31st (August 1st in 2016) because he cannot be placed on Trade Assignment Waivers while he is still injured and unable to play CAN be a Player to Be Named Later (PTBNL) in a trade. 

For example, RHP Andury Acevedo is on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster, he was optioned to AA Tennessee at the end of Spring Training, and he subsequently suffered a season-ending knee injury and was placed on the Tennessee 7-day DL. So even though he is not on an MLB DL, he can't be traded after Juily 31st (August 1st in 2016) because he is on an MLB 40-man roster and Trade Assignment Waivers would need to be secured before he can be traded, and he cannot be placed on Trade Assignment Waivers until he is healthy enough to play (except he is done for the year). But he could be a PTBNL. 

Likewise, Kyle Schwarber can be traded right now without any restriction even though he is injured, but once the new waiver period begins at 5 PM (Eastern) on August 1st, Schwarber could still be traded, but he would have to be a PTBNL and remain a PTBNL until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season when securing Trade Assignment Waivers would no longer be required.  

FWIW, a minor league player not on an MLB 40-man roster can be traded at any time with no restriction (even if he is injured), because it is not necessary to secure Trade Assignment Waivers before a minor league player who is not an MLB 40-man roster or 60-day DL can be traded. 

Arietta has been playing with fire for 2 months, and the walks are finally catching up with him. Wonder if it is lingering fatigue from the long last season, or if it is all in his head at the moment.

[ ]

In reply to by blockhead25

He hasn't been able to consistently throw his off speed for strikes since the beginning of the season and batters are starting to wait him out. He said this week on the radio that he hasn't had a feel for the off speed stuff all season but he was the same way last season and was better the second part so...hopefully? I'm a bit worried. Also I seem to be a bad jinx lately where when I start watching the Cubs start losing and once I stop watching they score runs. So I am sorry everyone.

check out the head drop on the Reds catcher on that Bryant HR....

also, think you should run on Billy Hamilton's arm at all times.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

well duh...

fwiw, Arrieta is the 2nd easiest pitcher in baseball to steal off of behind Lester.

*edit* at least for this year, actually Syndergaard is by far the easiest to steal off of (23 SB allowed...now 28 after tonight's game). Lester just 10 so far (no one is getting on-base anyway and Ross has 6 CS for him...and I don't even know if that counts the pick-offs by Ross).  Arrieta with 10 allowed so far ...I think 12 now with tonight's game.

35sb, 2cs...3pb...playing in his 36th start (39th total)... miggy is not having a good time behind the plate this season.

Was that a wp or pb really? Unbelievable turn-around with this club. 8 runs will not be enough to win this game.

in other news, the site seems to be eating about 50% of my comments...which is probably a good thing in hindsight.

damn...totally missed that ruben quevedo died on june 7th. he was only 37...heart attack. he threw some really horrible games for the cubs in 2000 and followed it up by doing the same for 3 season for the brewers.

...still trying to process what I just saw. From both KB and Jake. Walking Billy Hamilton twice is a cry for help. I think the nudie photos are messing with Jake's head.

Ian Happ is hitting.733 after 5 games at Tennessee. He went into tonight's game hitting .667 -- and went 3-for-3 to raise his average. 2-for-3, including a bomb, for LaStella at Iowa. Pierce Johnson very bad -- 2IP, 5ER. Pitching prospects not looking so hot -- Underwood has been awful. Did Jiminez get hurt? I noticed he came out early yesterday.

Reds pitching meeting tomorrow: "Hey coach...maybe we should walk Bryant?" "No...keep challenging him with fastballs! What kind of man are you?! The Cubs walked Harper, and look what happened there! They got teased for it, by one of the Nat players! Is that what you want?"

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).