Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and eight players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-24-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Pete Crow-Armstrong 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 8 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2
* Cody Bellinger, OF  
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P   

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

DFA: 1 
Garrett Cooper, 1B 
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs @ Brewers: Hammel vs Peralta (Game 138)

Submitted by CTSteve on

Brewers 12, Cubs 5
W: Peralta (6-9); L: Hammel (14-8)

PREVIEW
CHC (89-48): RHP Jason Hammel (14-7, 3.14)
MIL (60-77): RHP Wily Peralta (5-9, 5.53)
First pitch: 7:10pmCST

Hammel beat the Pirates on Wednesday (6 IP, 1 ER, 6 K, 3 BB). He’s 2-1 with a 3.00 in his 3 starts against the Brewers this season. Overall, they are 26-108 (.241) against him. Braun is 9-27 with 3 HRs.

Peralta had a no-decision against the Cards his last time out (7 IP, 1 ER, 10 K, 1 BB). He went 1-2 with a 3.00 in August--his best month, by far. He’s somehow avoided the Cubs so far this year. Overall, they are 36-109 (.330) against him. Rizzo is 14-28 with 5 HR--dang! The only thing better than a day off is in-game BP.

Montgomery (4-5, 2.80) versus Garza (5-6, 4.57) to end the series tomorrow at 7:10pmCST.

Go Cubs!

Tags
2016 Season Game Thread

Comments

Submitted by Hagsag on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:06 am

Has there been an announcement on who will be recalled today?

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:22 pm

...because 1 might be catching lester next year...and it might be the guy who got called up. what? WHAT? sigh. no seriously, what? lulz...sigh. candy ended the season really strong, but given that he was tweeting this morning about catching a plane back home it seems he knew he wasn't getting a call-up.

[ ]

Submitted by billybucks on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:55 pm

Cubs already have at least 3 third basemen in the dugout, including one who needs AB to see if he makes the post-season roster and one who needs AB to win the MVP. I don't think Candy plays any other position. Yet. Great year at AAA for Candy: .333/.417/.959 in 264AB. 33BB/53K. And he's a switch-hitter, which Joe and Theo love. Next year's roster decisions are going to be really interesting.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:17 pm

By selecting the contract of Tim Federowicz today (Tuesday) instead waiting two more days to do it, the Cubs have almost certainly made Tim Federowicz eligible for salary arbitration as a "Super Two" post-2016.

It's not just that Federowicz will be at 2+151 MLB Service Time post-2016 (well beyond the threshhold to qualify for arbitration as a "Super Two"), but if the Cubs had waited just two more days, Federowicz would have fallen short of the 86 days of MLB Service Time a player needs to accrue in a season in order to qualify for arbitration as a "Super Two."

Presuming he remains on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster through the balance of the MLB regular season, Federowicz will accrue 87 days of MLB Service Time in 2016, and will qualify for salary arbitration as a "Super Two" (presuming he isn't outrighted back to the minors after the World Series).

So the Cubs did Federowicz a solid by calling him up today.

Take that, Tommy LaStella! 

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:49 pm

One other thing about Tim Federowicz:

When Federowicz was outrighted to the minors in June, he had the right to elect to be a free-agent immediately or accept the assignment and defer free-agency until the conclusion of the MLB regular season, because he had been outrighted previously in his career. (Same thing with Ryan Kalish, BTW).

Federowicz opted to accept the outright assignment and defer free-agency, possibly with assurances from the Cubs that he would be called back up to Chicago at the conclusion of the PCL season if he accepted the assignment.

So unlike minor leaguers who are eligible to be a minor league 6YFA after the conclusion of the World Series, Federowicz was eligible to elect to be an Article XX-D minor league free-agent beginning on the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season, and the Cubs probably wanted to make sure that Federowicz would be available as a potential injury replacement player during the post-season on the off-chance that two of their catchers go down with injuries during the playoffs.

This by no means guarantees Federowicz a 40-man roster slot post-2016, but because he was on a minor league roster and his contract was selected after August 15th, Federowicz is a "Draft-Excluded Player," meaning he cannot be outrighted to the minors during the off-season (up until 20 days prior to 2017 MLB Opening Day). So the Cubs will have a very short window after the World Series (less than five days) to decide their future with Federowicz going forward, although they could always non-tender him on 12/2 or release him if they absolutely need his roster slot at some point during the off-season.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:30 pm

RHP R. J. Alvarez has been Designated for Assignment by the Cubs to make room for Tim Federowiz on the MLB 40-man roster.

Alvarez was claimed off waivers from Oakland on June 12th. Although he was cleared to pitch when he was claimed off waivers, Alvarez had been on the A's 60-day DL after undergoing elbow surgery during Spring Training.

Interesting thing about Alvarez is that if the Cubs can get him through waivers and outright him to the minors, he is NOT eligible to elect free-agency (he hasn't accrued enough MLB Service Time, and he hasn't been outrighted to the minors previously in his career), AND, he will not be eligible to be a minor league 6YFA until post-2018, so he would remain under club control through the 2018 season (presuming he isn't selected in the Rule 5 Draft in 2016 or 2017).

[ ]

Submitted by chitownmvp01 on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:58 pm

Would it make sense to not call up Candelario to make sure he doesn't get injured? He's a good offseason trade candidate since he's blocked by KB. Also, where does Almora fit next season? Do the Cubs bring back Fowler?

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:15 pm

i imagine almora is the guy in CF next year. he's ready, the price is right, they have sczzrururuzrzrur and heyward as backups, schwarber or soler (or both) will playing the corner spots a lot and could benefit from a little coverage help... ...or they sign fowler for 3 years and trade almora or god knows what they'll do.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:39 am

CHITOWNMVP: Brian Matusz did not accept an Outright Assignment. He elected to be a free-agent after he was outrighted, then after a few days, he decided to sign a minor league contract with the Cubs. I doubt that the Cubs promised him a slot on the 40 in September, because the Cubs really don't need Matusz like they need Federowicz (as injury insurance). I would expect Matusz to spend September & October at the UAPC in Mesa and get reps at Instructs and stay available in case he is needed during the post-season. (Same goes for Joe Thatcher, Jack Leathersich, and Josh Collmenter).

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 09/08/2016 - 09:46 am

K-BANSAW: RHP Thomas Hatch (the Cubs 2016 3rd round draft pick and their first pick in the draft) was Signed for Future Service (he signed a 2017 contract), but it does not affect when he will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft (he will still be 1st time Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2019). There has been talk that MLB Rule 5 might be tweaked in the new CBA, so draft eligibility might change - TBD. Also, although signing a 2017 contract means he was not eligible to pitch in the minors in 2016, Hatch is eligible to pitch in AZ Instructs post-2016. (Instructs is considered part of the next season). What is affected by signing a player for future service is that he does not need to be added to a minor league reserve list until Opening Day of the following season (normally draft picks and NDFA must be added to a minor league active list or DL within 15 days after signing, but they do not have to be added to a minor league reserve list until 11/20), and it will delay by one year when he can be a minor league 6YFA (MLB Rule 55 minor league FA) in the event he is not added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) and spends seven seasons in the minors. BTW, RHP Dylan Cease was Signed for Future Service in 2014 (he underwent TJS prior to signing with the Cubs and was not going to pitch in 2014 anyway), and RHP Dillon Maples was Signed for Future Service in 2011 back when the signing deadline was August 15th. (Maples was a record-setting football place-kicker in HS and also pitched for the Team USA Junior National Team, and he was all set to play both football and baseball at the University of North Carolina before signing with the Cubs at the last minute). Any player who signs his first contract after July 1st (as Hatch did) is eligible to be Signed for Future Service, and players signed after the start of the International Signing Period on 7/2 who are 16 years old and ineligible to play the season they sign are ALWAYS Signed for Future Service, but otherwise most agents do not want players to be Signed for Future Service because it delays the start of the player's career and it can delay when the player can be a minor league 6YFA. I saw Jesus Camargo throw at Minor League Camp and EXST (one EXST game, a couple of sim games, and a few bullpen side-sessions), but then he got shut-down for the rest of the season once the AZL season started. I don't know what his injury is. Jose Albertos was throwing bullpen side-sessions in August (he was only shut-down for about a month) and he could have been reinstated from the 60-day DL the last week of the AZL season, but the Cubs decided to just let it ride and have him pitch in post-season instructs instead.

[ ]

Submitted by chitownmvp01 on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:27 pm

What I think the playoff roster will be: C: Ross, Contreras (2) IF: KB, Russell, Zobrist, Rizzo, Baez, LaStella (6) OF: Fowler, Heyward, Soler, Szczur, Soler (5) SP: Arrieta, Lester, Hendricks, Lackey (4) RP: Chapman, Rondon, Strop, Grimm, Edwards, Wood, Montgomery, Rob Z (8) Including Almora is tempting. If he's added, Montgomery or Rob Z would probably be subtracted. Cahill would be the only multi inning RHP though and it would be nice to have another LHP other than Wood for matchup purposes (Chapman gets the 9th no matter what). I would cut Montgomery if adding Almora. It also wouldn't surprise me if Hammel/Cahill is in the bullpen instead of Montgomery. Rotation if not vs Giants: Arrieta, Hendricks, Lester, Lackey, Arrieta Rotation vs Giants: Arrieta, Lester (if Bumgarner starts game 2, otherwise start Hendricks game 2), Hendricks (Lester if Hendricks pitches Game 2), Lackey, Arrieta Arrieta started the WC game and game 2 of the NLDS last season, so I would assume that Bumgarner/Kershaw would start game 2 if they are the WC winner. I would rather put Lester against them than Hendricks's home record. The fact that TLS hits velocity well suggests that he will be on the playoff roster.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:08 am

As things stand right now, I would say the Cubs LDS roster wil probably be:

STARTING PITCHERS: Lester, Hendricks, Arrieta, and Lackey (in that order)

BULLPEN: Chapman, Rondon, Strop, Wood, Edwards, Grimm, Montgomery, and Cahill

CATCHERS: Ross, Contreras, and Montero

INFIELDERS: Rizzo, Zobrist, Russell, Bryant, Baez, and LaStella

OUTFIELDERS: Soler, Fowler, Heyward, and Szczur

Meanwhile, most everybody else will be staying in playing shape in Mesa.

One thing to keep in mind is that unlike during the regular season, the bullpen doesn't usually get burned out during the playoffs because teams don't play that many games in a row. Basically every reliever is available every day.

Also, you do not want to get into a situation where it's the 15th inning in the LCS or the World Series and you're out of pitchers and so Ross or Montero has to pitch. You can get away with that during the regular season, but you do not want that to happen in the post-season. You need have at least two pitchers in the bullpen (probably Montgomery and Cahill) who are stretched-out and who can pitch multiple innings and throw 75-100 pitches in extra innings if necessary.

If Strop can't pitch in the LDS, Joe Smith or Rob Zastryzny (depending on the opponent) would probably get the slot, or Jason Hammel could be kept on the active list as the emergency extra innings reliever and Cahill could be used in a more traditional middle relief role.

There is also a possibility that (depending on the opponent) Chris Coghlan could get a slot, replacing LaStella, Szczur, or Soler. Or Albert Almora Jr could replace Szczur or Soler. And if the Cubs want a reserve who can pinch-run and steal a base (but not just that), Munenori Kawasaki would probably be that guy, replacing LaStella or Szczur.

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Submitted by videographer on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:28 pm

Kyle Hendricks is my favorite pitcher to watch. He pitches in an era when so many are foot-on-the-gas throwers for 6 innings. The Greg Maddux comparisons will always be there because of the movement of his pitches and his cerebral approach. That said, Maddux was not a big game playoff pitcher, even in his prime. He struggled because he didn't have a dominate out pitch. Winning playoff teams make pitchers work extra by waiting for their pitch. Control pitchers need balls hit into play and those good hitting teams, "hit 'em where they ain't". I want Kyle to succeed as a playoff pitcher, but I don't think he should be counted upon in the top 3. I see Lackey pitching before Kyle.

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Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:45 pm

I disagree. Hendricks is a 2-pitch guy whose best pitch is actually his changeup, and it is arguably the best changeup thrown by a starter in MLB. He has a clear out pitch, and the advanced stats play that out. You just better described Jon Lester, whose two best pitches by far are his fastball and his cutter. Lucky for him, those pitches are very effective.

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:26 pm

It's been kind of an off year for him in the one area, batting average, where he usually excels, but Chesny Young did win the Southern League batting crown with a BA of .303. Contreras hit .333 in the same league last year. Young hit .321 and won the Carolina League batting title last year, but hit his head (figuratively) when he moved up to AA, as I've noticed hitters (and pitchers) often do. He did finish strong this year just to get up around .300. Young is a long shot to play in the majors and a longer shot to wear a Cub uniform, but his manager Mark Johnson claims he has a rare hit tool, and he does now own two batting titles.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:58 pm

VA PHIL: Chesny Young did NOT win the Southern League batting crown. He finished 2nd.

link 

As for his future, a good comp (offensively) would be D. J. LeMahieu, and (like LeMahieu) Young's best defensive position is 2B, although the Cubs have been attempting to morph him into an IF-OF.

And defensive position is the main question with Young, because he doesn't really demonstrate much defensive versatility (so far) beyond playing a basic/pedestrian 2B, and that is despite athleticism that might lead one to believe that he should be able to play mulitiple positions.  

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:06 am

Blech. Foiled by rule 9.22(A). The other guy didn't have enough ABs to qualify. He was short by 7 ABs, so according to the rule, they gave him an 0 for 7 and dropped his BA to .315, still better than Young's. LeMahieu's a better athlete, running and catching. And LeMahieu at least looks like he has some power in that big frame. (His homers are finally up to double digits this year.) Young won't earn a shot by hitting a singles-heavy .303 in the minors.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:30 pm

Some notable performances by Cubs minor leaguers in 2016:

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE: Iowa OF John Andreoli led the league in SB and was 2nd in walks and 3rd in runs scored (but also 3rd in strikeouts), and ex-Cubs 1B Dan Vogelbach (traded to SEA in July) led the PCL in walks, was 2nd in OBP and RBI, tied for 6th in HR, and was 8th in runs scored.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE: Tennessee IF-OF Chesny Young was 2nd in the league in BA, hits, and OBP and was tied for 8th in walks, C Victor Caratini was 6th in BA, 8th in SLG, and 9th in doubles, and (on the negative side) RHSP Tyler Skulina led the league in HR allowed, was 3rd in walks, and 6th in most HBP.

CAROLINA LEAGUE: Myrtle Beach RHSP Trevor Clifton led the league in ERA and WHIP and was 3rd in strikeouts, 1B Yasiel Balaguert was 2nd in RBI and 4th in HR (but also 5th in strikeouts), LF Charcer Burks was 3rd in walks, tied for 7th in runs scored, and was 10th in OBP (but was also 8th in strikeouts), and RF Jeffrey Baez was 2nd in the league in SB.

MIDWEST LEAGUE: South Bend LF Eloy Jimenez led the league in doubles and SLG, was 2nd in RBI, 3rd in BA, 4th in hits, and tied for 6th in HR, C P. J. Higgins was 3rd in walks and OBP, RF Eddy Julio Martinez was 5th in runs scored and tied for 8th in RBI, and CF Donnie Dewees led the MWL in triples despite a mid-season promotion to Myrtle Beach.

NORTHWEST LEAGUE: Eugene 3B Wladimir Galindo tied for 2nd in the NWL in HR and doubles, was 3rd in SLG, 4th in runs scored, tied for 7th in triples, was 8th in RBI, and 10th in walks, LF Kevonte Mitchell was 7th in runs scored and tied for 9th in HR and SB, CF D. J. Wilson was 3rd in SB, and RHSP Dylan Cease was 4th in the league in strikeouts.

ARIZONA LEAGUE: AZL Cubs SS Isaac Paredes was tied for 4th in the league in doubles and was 8th in BA.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE: DSL Cubs #1 CF Jose Gutierrez led the DSL in triples and SS Rafael Narea was 4th in SB and tied for 8th in walks, and DSL Cubs #2 LHSP Faustino Carrera was 4th in the DSL in ERA and 8th in wins and IP.

[ ]

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:39 pm

I have no idea how hard he throws--I'm mostly a box-score scout, with a glimpse here and there of a Carolina League player--but I know he misses bats. I use the Kyle-Hendricks rule: if you strike out 7.7 batters every nine innings in the minors, you might succeed in the majors. When Paul Blackburn, a very high (supplemental-round) 2012 pick, went to Seattle in the Montgomery deal, I didn't care, even though he was getting people out in the minors, because his K/9 was in the 6.2-6.3 range. That's Casey Coleman territory. Clifton and Morrison are both around 9.1 so far.

[ ]

Submitted by videographer on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:10 pm

I am as skeptical as you about Preston Morrison; however, I have seen him pitch and he has a wicked sinker with a low 3/4 arm angle. The sinker moves late and tails into righties. Hitters continually swing over the pitch. He is very methodical and consistent at setting up hitters and getting outs. Whether he can continue to do that in the upper minors is a the big question as with all minor league pitchers. He is fun to watch when he's getting multiple 1-2-3 innings. He makes it look so easy.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:26 pm

i love guys like this because they pretty much have to put up a 0.01 ERA and/or throw left handed to get prospect love. it's nice when a hendricks or a j.collmenter (pre-control/command issues) shows up and deals some right handed slop out in an effective manner. shout out to livan hernandez, too.

Submitted by Charlie on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:33 pm

Bad Hammel is bad. :( And to think, not 2 hours ago I barely refrained from commenting on AZ Phil not listing him for the projected playoff roster.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:46 pm

ham gets a 2nd inning...because none of this matters. we're just cruising to the playoffs, no worries over here.

[ ]

Submitted by John Beasley on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:56 pm

As far as I'm concerned, Chip Hammel's job for the rest of the regular season is to throw 100 pitches per game every 6 games until the end of the regular season, then chill and be near in case something goes wrong with one of the guys starting playoff games.

Submitted by billybucks on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:43 pm

I can only think of 2 truly bad starts for the Cubs since the the AS break, and both were by Hammel (there may have been others, but I don't remember any). To be fair, one was in Colorado and the defense completely screwed him, but, still....Hendricks and Monty both had good starts in Colorado. Given that Joe seems to have very little confidence in Hammel, and it's probably between six innings of Lackey or Hammel for the playoff squad, Hammel probably doesn't make it.

Submitted by billybucks on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:34 pm

Wow -- the Cardinals do it again, and this may finish the Pirates. Down a run in the 9th, 2 outs nobody on -- Carpenter PH HR -- on an 0-2 pitch -- then Molina double, Grichuk HR, Peralta HR. Now 9-6 STL. Impressive.

Submitted by billybucks on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:58 pm

Looks like it's SF, STL and Mets for the 2 WC spots. Pirates and Marlins are toast. Mets have an easy schedule, including 6 with ATL, 3 with the Twins (!) and 7 with the Phils. Despite their injuries, they are looking pretty good for a WC spot. Cards still have 6 vs. Cubs. 4 vs. SF and 3 in Colorado, and get all 3 of those teams in a 10-game road trip. Ouch. In addition to 4 vs. STL, SF has 6 with LA. I think the best case for the Cubs is MadBum and SF beat either NYM or STL in the WC game. I like our odds against SF with MadBum only pitching once.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:57 pm

i would love to root for MIA, but hiring barry bonds doesn't do anything for me. i loved watching what bonds did. it was unreal. i mean, when the hell will we see a circus like that again...four .500-.600 ob% seasons, monster homers, being walked with the bases loaded, etc? ...but he's a shithead cheater and i could live without seeing that again unless someone can do it clean. mark mcgwire sucks too, and he tried to drag some reporters down with him...screw you cards/dodgers/padres for hiring him.

Submitted by The E-Man on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 09:58 pm

Said this several times since last year, but I do not want to see Hammel start any Playoff game save a dire emergency. It is interesting when I checked, but Career, in pitches 1-25 in a game he has given up 67 HR. 27 more than the next 25 pitches, and a .271 BA. Invariiably, he gets behind early in games when he's "off" a little and things can get unhinged quickly. If ya'll remember, this is what exactly happened to him in his Playoff starts last year. Fortunately, his single in the NLDS saved his ass, helped get the Cubs the run back he gave up early, and Maddon had the sense to get his ass out of there. But he was not so lucky in the Mets loss and he helped bury the Cubs before most people got in their seats.

Submitted by CubbyBlue on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:41 am

I was at game 4 last year when the Mets swept and Hammel couldn't go 2 innings.  Never want to see that again.

Submitted by Tito on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:28 am

I get the Hammell angst, but overall he's been really good this year (especially in August). His bad games just tend to be brutal. He's given up three runs or fewer in 22 of his starts. He won't get a playoff start unless there's an emergency, but I guess I just kind of feel for the guy. Thanks to his finish last year and his playoff performance, he's kind of hated. #baseballtalk

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Submitted by Rob G. on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:18 pm

$10M option next year for Hammel with a $2M buyout. Option becomes mutual if Hammel hits 200 innings this year but that's not going to happen.

I would think they'd bring him back, that's still pretty cheap unless they are pretty convinced on a reclamation project on the FA market they could get cheaper. Don't see them spending for Rich Hill. And they could trade him at that price, not for a big return mind you, but likely get the $$ off the books and get a little something in return if there's an overflow around spring training.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:12 pm

The contract Jason Hammel signed post-2015 was for two years $20M ($9M in 2015, $9M in 2016, and $2M buy-out post-2016) or three years $30M ($9M in 2015, $9M in 2016, and $12M option in 2017). The 2017 option vests automatically with 200 IP in 2016 (not going to happen) or if he is traded, otherwise it is a club option with a buy-out.

So there is a $12M club option for 2017 or else a $2M buy-out (so declining the club option and paying the buy-out would save the Cubs $10M in 2017 payroll), and the Cubs must decide whether or not to exercise the club option after the conclusion of the World Series.

Hammel would certainly have some value in a trade post-2016, and so the Cubs will probably exercise the club option even if it's done with the intention of trading him prior to 2017 MLB Opening Day. 

For example, the Cubs could trade Hammel to a club in search of an established MLB starter prior to Opening Day, eat $2M in salary (the buy-out they would have had to pay if they did not exercise the club option) which would allow the other club to get Hammel for one year for $10M with the opportunity to extend a Qualifying Offer post-2017 if Hammel has a really good year, and then the Cubs would maybe get a prospect or two back while also saving $10M in 2017 payroll. 

It wouldn't be much different than when the Cubs traded Scott Feldman to Baltimore in 2013. Hammel is comparable to Feldman, and so if the Cubs can get a young Arrieta and Strop back in the deal, that would be OK.

Submitted by The E-Man on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:02 pm

I am mostly concerned about the Cubs "manufacturing" runs against the K-heavy pitchers they have faced. Particularly in the colder weather.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 09:04 pm

If the Cubs can hurry up & trade Hammel to Arizona ASAP after the World Series and before LaRussa and Stewart get fired, maybe they can get Archie Bradley and Braden Shipley back in the deal.

Recent comments

  • videographer (view)

    An excellent Earl Weaver chain smoking reference.  

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I think it’s a bit of a chicken or egg scenario. Did they make these trades because they saw what was coming and weren’t impressed and knew to keep up with the demand for constant winning thru had to acquire impact players? Or did those additions cause a failure of resource allocation elsewhere.

    In addition, the whole they traded to acquire a star, that’s precisely what organizations should do if they feel they’re a piece away. Keep developing talent, but sometimes you need to supplement that talent. It’s what the best run organizations do. Atlanta does it. Houston in their prime run did it. Nationals during their prime run did it. Of course dodgers did it. Boston and Philadelphia too. Hell, the Cubs did it when they won. There’s no team that has had sustained success that has solely relied on their own internal development. It just doesn’t happen. I wouldn’t fault St Louis for that. What I suspect happened is in that 2020 season, in an effort to save money, they cut budget from developing and scouting. Or maybe the wrong guys got poached by other orgs. Regardless, blaming the acquisition of two of the best players of their generation for peanuts, seems off base to me.

    I do agree that we’ve more or less come to the same conclusion, but our paths to that conclusion contain almost no crossover. I think we can also agree that seeing the cardinals struggle brings a warmth to our hearts.

  • CubbyBlue (view)

    (LAUGH EMOJI)

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    azbobbop: Yes. 

  • Mike Wellman (view)

    I’ve got Tim’s The Last Out too, along with some other prints of his work.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Very well played game all around tonight.

  • crunch (view)

    best starter and 2 top hitters from the team gone...and they keep on winning.

    little ahead of myself here, but the RSox got 9 outs to find 6+ runs.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Richard Gallardo just left the Smokies game with an arm injury after going to the ground following a pitch. Doesn’t sound good at all.

  • azbobbop (view)

    Phil, do you think Wiggins will start out in ACL?

  • azbobbop (view)

    The level of conversation on this site is intelligent, reasoned and informative. Miles ahead of other Cub sites.

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