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 
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Cubs Sign Gaudin, Tender Rest of Arbitration Eligible Players

No suprise here, but the Cubs end up offering contracts to all of their arbitration eligible players that Arizona Phil went through this morning.

They even got Chad Gaudin to sign a one-year deal already, terms have yet be to be disclosed.

This seemed like a no-brainer to me once they dropped the Jake Peavy pursuit. None of these guys will be making much and all could provide some sort of usefulness next season.


6:10 PM CST: It looks like Neal Cotts signed as well. Sullivan says Gaudin will get $2 million, and Cotts will get $1.1 million.

1:20 AM CST: Add Reed Johnson as well for $3 milllion.

Comments

If the Cubs signed Chad Gaudin on contract tender day, that means they have been negotiating with him, didn't want to go to arbitration with him, and were probably planning to non-tender him today if they hadn't come to an agreement. The deal probably involves performance incentives that aren't possible to get into a contract if it goes to arbitration.

Same thing happened last year with Neal Cotts and Mark Prior on contract tender day. The Cubs re-signed Cotts ($800K with $75K in incentive bonuses), but could not come to terms with Prior, so Prior was non-tendered..

WMVP says Cubs agreed to terms with Cotts at $1.1 million. RE: RF - I suppose Hendry's decision between Abreu and Bradley would also come down to contract length. Reportedly Abreu wants at least a 3 year deal. If Bradley will take a 2 year deal Hendry might jump at that. Even though I really don't like him, I'd prefer Abreu as well.

In summary the off season is looking like... Hendry's bringing "the gang's all back" except for Kerry Wood who had to be sacrificed (at least salary-wise) because Fukudome was a bust and we needed another Left handed hitting outfielder who can supposedly bat 4-5th. It looks like the payroll increase is just due to relatively predictable contractual raises (which I suppose includes Dempster in a free agent kind of way). I guess they could have dumped other salary to make more changes (hear that Jason Marquis) but that was more difficult than just dumping KW. If Fukudome does reverse course (big if)...he just needs to have comps vs what Edmonds did last yr to break even now. I guess that's why the Peavy possibilities were exciting as it would have made the predictability of "the gangs all back" not the case.

that makes no sense. Either the Dbacks are really high on Yusmeiro Petit for a 5th starter, or they really want to be rid of the Unit. Maybe the Unit really is a tool in the clubhouse and they don't want him around the all of their young guys.

If nobody has already mentioned this, you can listen to Kevin Towers' interview yesterday on XX Sports Radio in which he, obliquely, blames the Cubs for blabbing everything about the Peavy deal to the media thus deleveraging his position. Absolute bullshit! By all reports Towers was the one leaking everything to the press and it pissed off Hendry and the Cubs. It's also pretty clear from the interview that he and the Padres put all their eggs in the Cubs/Peavy basket and now are in complete disarray with no clue what to do next. You can listen in here http://www.xxsportsradio.com/common/global_audio/40/3310.mp3

but Daniel Cabrera is an intriguing high-upside, long-shot non-tender guy. --------------- I agree that he's interesting. Control has been his downfall but I wonder if he could be reworked into a set up reliever, maybe scrapping a pitch. Probably not a fit with the Cubs but it will be interesting to see where he goes and if he rebounds. on another note, it's been awfully quiet on the Hank White front. I guess the death of his brother might be the reason and the Cubs (or other teams) are giving him some time to support his family. Still, the backup catcher position needs to be addressed unless it's Koyie Hill or Wellington Castillo they plan on going with. Blanco just might get a starting job somewhere though. If Arizona Phil sees this, I love to hear his thoughts on the Cubs backup catchers if Blanco moves on.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

I think you're right about Cabrera, that he's not really a fit with the Cubs. But I do see a few clubs that could be interested. If I were the Pirates I'd at least check out what the price might be, and the Padres will probably be rumored to be interested in just about every cheap, high-upside pitcher available because of their park. I would think the Cubs either re-sign Blanco or go with Hill as their backup catcher. If they go with Hill, they'll probably sign a minor league FA catcher to play in Iowa and to hang around in case Hill sucks or gets hurt. But I'm clearly not AZ Phil, and I'm sure he has plenty more info and better ideas on that one. Are there some teams that might look at Blanco as a full-time player, or at least as someone who deserves more playing time than the Cubs give him?

here is Kevin Goldstein's take on the Cubs acquistion from the Rule 5 draft (from a transaction with the Reds) David Patton (from Baseball Prospectus); Patton is another reliever with a solid chance to stick. More of an organizational player entering the season, Patton's stuff significantly improved with a move to the bullpen, as his fastball consistently sat in the low 90s in shorter stints, and he also uses a sharp slider that projects as at least average. If there's a word of warning, it's that he got torched in the Arizona Fall League and then struggled with his command in Hawaii. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=8362

What about offering John Bale a minor league contract? He may have Farnsworth's IQ, but he threw well in September after coming back from the DL. If Hendry can move Marquis, and Marshall covers the 5th spot in the rotation, then they could use another lefty in the pen.

Submitted by Cubster on Sat, 12/13/2008 - 10:19am.

If Arizona Phil sees this, I love to hear his thoughts on the Cubs backup catchers if Blanco moves on.

=====================================

CUBSTER: Having Henry Blanco around while the jury was still out on whether Geovany Soto could be a frontline catcher probably made sense to Hendry going into the 2008 season, but with Geo having won the N. L. Rookie of the Year Award and catching 125+ games, I suspect the back-up catcher roster slot is one area where the Cubs are going to want to cut costs in 2009.

As of right now (12/14), it looks like it's going to be a Spring Training battle between Zambrano-favorite Koyie Hill (who is on the Cubs 40-man roster) and veteran Mark Johnson (signed to a minor league contract by the Cubs last month). I sure wouldn't want to have to count on either of them if Soto were to suffer a season-ending injury, but as long as Geo catches 125+ games, I guess the back-up catcher isn't going to be much of a concern to Hendry. (Neither have much to offer offensively, but K. Hill is a switch-hitter who has the versatility to also play 3B and 1B in a pinch, while M. Johnson is a left-handed hitter with considerable MLB experience). 

There was talk somewhere recently that the Cubs were considering bringing back Paul Bako (like Mark Johnson, another below-average veteran MLB left-handed hitter) as their back-up catcher in 2009, and if that's true (and it definitely sounds plausible), it probably means the Cubs want to find a back-up who won't cost more than about $800K. (Of course, you get what you pay for!).

As for Welington Castillo, he is a very good prospect and he will play in the big leagues, but he's still raw (he won't turn 22 until April), and I would say he needs at least one more year in the minors (maybe two) before he's ready for The Show. He still makes too many mistakes (he had a ton of errors & passed balls in 2008), and I doubt that Uncle Lou will tolerate that on a contending team.

W. Castillo is eligible for the 2009 Rule 5 Draft, so he will certainly be added to the Cubs 40-man roster no later than 11-20-09, probably most-likely as the September 1st "3rd catcher" call-up. Castillo could get a shot earlier than that, though, if something bad happens to Soto and the Cubs need a right-handed hitting catcher to platoon with Bako (that's presuming the Cubs sign Bako) or M. Johnson. or K. Hill. Bottom line is, the Cubs better hope Soto stays healthy in 2009. Soto getting hurt (or having a "sophomore slump") would be difficult to overcome.

Thanks Az Phil...and Bako (as you mentioned) is a lefty bat plus he got the most playing time (299 AB's) he's had in awhile last year in Cincy. All that playing time didn't amount to much production though. .217 .299 .328 6 HR (including one off of Lieber) Ah, Dusty Dusty Dusty. That 'splains the near 300 at bats.

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.