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

Ben Sheets Work Comp Case

Free agent Ben Sheets is hurt and has a torn flexor tendon origin at the elbow. The injury happened last August, he tried to play thru the injury and his last Brewer appearance was 2.1 IP against the Cubs on Sept 27th. Missing the playoffs after 8 seasons as the Brewer ace plus being in a free agent year must have been nearly as painful as his elbow. Yet circumstances of impending free agency may have created some controversy as to who is responsible to pay for treatment of Sheets elbow malady. After all, if Sheets was still under contract with the Brewers and if they thought his injury needed surgery,  wouldn't he have already undergone the surgery that is now proposed for him? The Brewers did offer Sheets arbitration, which he declined and no surgical decision was made as his season ended nor at the time he declined arbitration. This implies that the Brewers medical staff didn't think his elbow needed surgery and would heal with rest. So in looking for a new employer, the Texas Rangers were readying a 2 year deal when Sheets physical exam (functionally a second opinion) set off alarms.

From the above article:

Talks between the Rangers and Sheets reached an impasse within the past several days, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. The two sides were close to agreement on a two-year deal, according to a major-league source, but they already had concerns regarding the right-handers' checkered health history. It is believed that the physical examination revealed the tear and caused the Rangers to scotch the deal.

The surgery, to repair Sheets' partially torn flexor tendon, is expected to be performed by noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. Sheets' agent, Casey Close, could not be reached for comment, but sources say that he maintains Milwaukee should pay for the surgery since the injury stems from his time with the Brewers. While that dispute is resolved, Sheets now hopes to have the surgery next week, sources say.

Brewers assistant GM, Gord Ash in an mlb.com article added:

We're working our way through all of the details and we don't know the answer yet," Ash said. "Major League Baseball has regulations related to workers' comp and there are procedures and protocols that have to be respected. We're working our way through those so I can't give you much insight other than that.

I always wondered if pro baseball players who get injured are covered under workman's compensation? 

Just from reading the sports pages, I always thought the teams had some form of high end medical insurance for their players. Teams often have contractural arrangements with university specialists to provide medical services. The Cubs have long used physicians affiliated with Northwestern University dating back to the 1950's and my first ortho recollections were of Dr. Clinton Compere (who was the Cubs team doctor in the 60's and 70's). The Astro's have an affiliation with Baylor University, the Cardinals with Washington University. The Brewers team orthopedic surgeon, who has treated Ben Sheets over the years is Dr. William Raasch and is affiliated witht the Medical College of Wisconsin.  Major leaguers receive premium treatment including first and second  opinions from very illustrious orthopedic surgeons, internists, and other medical/surgical specialists.  Any minor boo-boo usually gets an MRI (which can run $600-$3500). I understand that millions of dollars are on the line for these ballclubs if one of their players is injured enough to be "disabled". Two weeks just to rest. Six weeks to let a fracture heal. 4-6 months for a surgical procedure that if sucessful often needs an offseason to expect full recovery. When Alphonso Soriano missed about 6 weeks of a 26 week season with a fractured 4th metacarpal bone, that meant the Cubs lost $3 million dollars of value (Soriano got $13M last season). It's no wonder that they don't get generic treatment. No waiting weeks for HMO authorization for these guys.

But what happens if the ballplayer is no longer employed by any team (and their relationship is strained)?

In Sheets case, there is clear documentation that he did sustain this injury in August and he followed the Brewers medical advice. An injury so late in the season often gets nursed along until it's clear he could no longer pitch. If surgery is recommended, it's usually done soon,  so that recovery is possible hopefully into the next season. If surgery isn't recommended then the injury is rehabbed with intent the player will be ready by next season. Even if surgical treatment isn't decided upon for several months (until non-surgical treatment has supposedly failed), as long as he was injured under the Brewer's employment, I believe he should be covered by Work Comp. Just because nonsurgical treatment has failed doesn't mean he's on his own after the employee's contract expired, as long as the injury history is clearly documented as work related.

Are there other examples of injured players who have contracts that expired and were released or granted free agency?

One example that I recalled was former Cub Jon Lieber. He injured his ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow while with the Cubs during the 2002 season.  He underwent "Tommy John" ligament reconstruction that season, knowing he would be in postop rehab mode for 2003. By November he was granted free agency,  although Cubs GM Jim Hendry negotiated to re-sign Lieber, the Yankees offered a more creative contract. The Yankees gave Lieber a $500K signing bonus, $300K minimum for 2003 (and bonuses if he did get off the DL in 2003) then $2.45M salary for 2004 with up to $4.75 in bonuses based on starts and innings. There was also an $8M option for 2005 with a $250K buyout (the Yankees did exercise the buyout of the 2005 deal and Lieber then went to the Phils). Lieber didn't pitch in 2003 and in 2004 for NY went 14-8 with a 4.33 ERA  in 176 IP plus going 3-3 in the postseason. So he got a contract paying him  for his year of rehab and the promise of returning as a solid starter, even when his free agent year was following his surgery. 

Ryan Dempster's story is well chronicled here. He too had Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow in 2003, ending a short career as a Cincy Redleg when he was released in Nov 2003. Jim Hendry, possibly learning from his role on the other side of the Lieber experience signed Dempster in January 2004 for $300K, knowing he would be rehabbing at least half the season.  In 2004, Dempster only pitched 20 innings but showed enough promise at season end that Hendry re-upped Dempster as a reliever for 2005 at $2M. 33 saves later, Dempster parlayed the next 3 seasons into a 3/15 contract and we all know last season's return for him as a starter has led to an even more lucrative 4/52 deal.

This history shows that Ben Sheets, even if he misses all of 2009 just might get a new contract from someone who wants to roll the injury dice for 2010. Sheets is a bit different in that his history is littered with many other injury/illness issues including shoulder, low back strains, dizziness from inner ear infection, pitching finger blisters and a torn latissimus dorsi (posterior trunk) muscle. The allure of getting a potential ace is a strong one, especially if he goes the Dempster 2003-4 contract route. Baseball and America's economics will hopefully be improved by then. Maybe it's time Sheets has a heart to heart talk with Ryan Dempster. We all know Jim Hendry has a soft spot in his heart for rehabbing free agent pitchers. So maybe Big Ben will be looking at a Cub contract down the road.

To research what is going on regarding insurance for mlb ballplayers and the role of workman's comp,  I went to the MLBPA collective bargaining agreement dated 11-07 (and good thru 12-11-11):

Article IX (E): Injury.

If a Player’s Contract is terminated by a Club by reason of the Player’s failure to render his services due to a disability resulting directly from injury sustained in the course and within the scope of his employment under the Contract, and notice is received by the Club in accordance with Regulation 2 of the Uniform Player’s Contract, the Player shall be entitled to receive from the Club the unpaid balance of the full salary for the year in which the injury was sustained, less all workers’com- pensation payments received by the Player as compensation for loss of income for the specific period for which the Club is compensating him in full.

Also medical care guidelines are discussed in Article XIII: Safety and Health. This is longer but includes definitions of the disabled list, second medical opinions that the club is required to pay for including transportation and hotel costs. Ballclubs are required to provide a listing of at least two medical specialists per specialty in several different geographic regions that players can request for a second opinion. Clubs are required to employ two full time trainers and they get to travel with the club unless one is required to stay behind to tend to a disabled player who isn't traveling with the club.

Workman's compensation is usually a part of liability insurance that many/most companies purchase. It's legislated and differs state by state except for federal employees who get federal work comp. I've looked briefly at Wisconsin work comp regulations and they also have a Uninsured Employers Fund (UEF) that protects injured employees when the employer doesn't have coverage.

So workman's comp is a part of the major league player's association collective bargaining agreement. Still, I think it's not the same situation for Mr. Ike B. Ironworker, when he injures his elbow at work. I'm sure even in MLB workmans comp cases, the athlete still gets treated on the fast track. I don't recommend you test the system to find out how it differs. I'd be shocked if Mr. I. B. Ironworker is also sitting with Ben Sheets in Dr. Andrews waiting room.

 

 

Comments

all that medical crap and detailed multi-subject research...yawn. tell us more about I.B. Ironworker! nice one.

http://www.star-telegram.com/284/story/1188371.html The agreement that was reached in the middle of last week was for two years and reportedly would have guaranteed the 30-year-old pitcher more than $10 million. The Rangers had added incentive clauses that would have compensated Sheets handsomely for remaining healthy. According to Daniels, "Ben and his agent expressed a desire to wait until his medical situation is resolved, and once it is, there is the possibility that we can revisit things. They know our interest in him." Some baseball players prefer to rehab from injury as part of a team. A major league team has facilities and a support environment that a player is likely not to find at the local gym. Sheets owns a home in the Highland Park area of Dallas. Close and the pitcher, however, could also opt for Sheets to rehab from surgery on his own and wait until he’s ready to pitch in mid-August or September to sign a contract.

That picture of Ben Sheets looks like a combination of a poor man's Mark DeRosa and the bad guy from Men In Black that wore overalls and had bugs all over him.

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

That article was extremely hard to follow, but here's what I took from it: - Heilman was "disappointed" because he felt he was in a good position to be a starter in Seattle. Now, he doesn't know what to expect in Chicago. Being forced to change jobs from one you think will be a good fit to one where you aren't sure what to expect has to be difficult. Here's the quote, "He thought it would be a great opportunity to start, and didn't know what would happen in Chicago." So, maybe "disappointed" is a less accurate term than "apprehensive". - Nowhere does it remotely imply that Hendrey could have traded Olson straight up for Heilman. The M's wanted an MLB-quality backup infielder to push their starters, and out-of-options Cedeno fits that description. Their GM was quoted as saying the deal worked out great for them, and I'm sure Hendry would say the same thing from the Cubs' perspective.

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Just two years ago our man Hendry signed him to a performance contract that topped out at $17.5 million if all conditions were met. Not sure what your point is... he DIDN'T meet those conditions, so didn't get paid that kind of cash. If he HAD met those conditions, he would have been clearly worth the money.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

Exactly. That's the kind of contract Hendry should be applauded for. Basically no risk to the Cubs (unlike the exact opposite version where he gives out player's options like mini-Snickers on Halloween). I don't understand why teams aren't allowed to base performance incentives on actual statistics. Every other job that gives bonuses bases them on measurable performance, but GMs aren't allowed to do that in baseball. Games-played is obviously not nearly as good a performance measurement as something like OPS would be.

on a evil parallel universe note... Rangers re-sign pitcher Jason Jennings to a minor league deal. http://blogs.denverpost.com/rockies/2009/02/06/jason-jennings-signs-wit… The worst case scenerio unfolded for Jennings who had a nearly identical injury that Sheets has. Jennings is a former Rockie who the Astros got in trade and he was worthless/injured in Houston. Jennings has had two flexor repairs including 8-31-07 as an Astro. He signed a one year contract as a free agent to join Texas in Jan 08 for $4M but never recovered so a repeat (revision) procedure was done on 5-30-08. Here is the sad Jason Jennings chronology: http://www.kffl.com/player/4813/MLB There are others who've had better recovery from flexor origin repair surgery including Andy Pettitte and Billy Wagner. But Sheets return as an ace is certainly guarded.

I guess I read that article differently in that nowhere does it really imply that it could've been Olson for Heilman straight-up. The phrase "almost equivalent" pitching doesn't mean that's how the deal would've gone done.

CUBSTER: I know that Cubs minor leaguers receive worker's comp payments when they are on the DL, but then most of them make only about $1,000 - $2,000 a month. I don't know how much worker's comp covers when it involves an MLB player making $2M a month, though.

Stark talks a bit about Juan Cruz having difficulty finding a team because nobody wants to give up a 1st (or 2nd) round pick to sign him.

In my opinion, here is how the MLB Free-Agent compensation system should be tweaked come nexr CBA...

For any club losing a Type "A" FA after offering arbitration to the player, the club gets a supplemental 1st round pick (so-called "sandwich" pick) between the 1st and 2nd round just like they do now, but instead of getting the signing team's 1st or 2nd round pick, the club losing the Type "A" gets a pick in the middle of the 1st round. So clubs picking overall 1-15 make their selections, and then the draft order is interrupted in the middle of the 1st round, allowing clubs losing Type "A" Free-Agents to make their selections (starting with overall pick #16 and until all clubs losing a Type "A" make their selection). That way, the club that signs the Type "A" FA doesn't lose a pick, and the club that loses the Type "A" guy always gets an extra pick in the middle of the 1st round.

I would also change the Rule 5 Draft rules, so that a player selected in the Rule 5 Draft does not have to spend the season on the 25-man roster. Rather, the Rule 5 pick would have to be kept on the drafting club's 40-man roster for a full calendar year (can't be traded, outrighted to the minors, released, or non-tendered until after the next Rule 5 Draft), but the player can be optioned to the minors, just like any other player on the 40-man roster.

"His point is that he wants to bash Hendry at any opportunity." His other point is to bash Wilken at every opportunity. Oh yeah - the farm system sucks because of Wilken as well.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

since i've ventured into the territory...anyone know of a rare/overlooked (non documentary) baseball movie to recommend? to save a little time i'll go ahead and list what i have that some consider harder to find than the "usual" slew of baseball films we all know...keep in mind i'm not saying these are all great, but i find most good... Cobb, Rawhide(1938, Lou Gehrig co-stars...not much film of him out there), The Bingo Long Traveling Allstars, Mr. Baseball, Fear Strikes Out, It Happens Every Spring, and Battlefield Baseball...and those "other" Bad News Bears films, though I don't have them all yet.

Leigh Montville's Ted Williams biography is a must-adapt. Not sure who the hell could play him, though.

"After all, if Sheets was still under contract with the Brewers and if they thought his injury needed surgery, wouldn't he have already undergone the surgery that is now proposed for him?" I have two words to say about that: 3/44

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Rogers just makes this shit up. He says the Astros are going hoping to sneak up on the Cubs and that they "might improve its chances of success if it signs Adam Dunn to a one-year deal before camp starts." He says nothing about hearing anything about that actually happening.

A Lee-Pence-Dunn outfield? I say go for it. --- What is that? Phil Rogers issuing a death threat against Pence?

Hill says it's not the Yips. ------- from Roch Kubatko, MASN (http://masnsports.com/2009/02/hill-locating-home-plate-issue.html): Hill relates his inability to throw strikes with a lower-back injury suffered in the middle of spring training that caused him to alter his delivery while seeking a method that would ease the discomfort. Hill said the injury, to a "little joint" in his back, often occurs when attempting to lift something heavy. "I tried to compensate so I could compete," he said. "It kept building and building, and every start it would get worse and worse. "I blame myself for continuing on and trying to fight through it." Hill said he also had some tendinitis issues in his shoulder while pitching in Venezuela, "but that's long gone now."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/02/07/alex-rodriguez… ARod tested positive for steroids in 2003. Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything." Primobolan, which is also known by the chemical name methenolone, is an injected or orally administered drug that is more expensive than most steroids. According to a search of FDA records, Primobolan is not an approved prescription drug in the United States, nor was it in 2003. Rodriguez finished the 2003 season by winning his third straight league home run title (with 47) and the first of his three MVP awards. Because more than 5% of big leaguers had tested positive in 2003, baseball instituted a mandatory random-testing program, with penalties, in '04.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 02/06/2009 - 9:51pm.

ince i've ventured into the territory...anyone know of a rare/overlooked (non documentary) baseball movie to recommend?

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

CRUNCH:

AZ PHIL's FAVORITE CLASSIC BASEBALL GOLDEN OLDIES (B&W):

chronological

Alibi Ike (1935) - Starring Joe E. Brown & Olivia de Havilland, story by the great  sportswriter Ring Lardner of Black Sox fame... Egomaniac big-mouth Joe E. is hired to pitch the Cubs to the pennant... BTW, Joe E's son Joe L. was GM of the Pirates in the 1960's...

Pride of the Yankees (1942)  - Directed by Sam Wood and starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Walter Brennan, Babe Ruth, and a bunch of the real Yankees... Was released during WWII and it could just as easily have been a Frank Capra film... Nominated for ten friggin' Academy Awards including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Music, and Best Cinematograhy, this one is way more than a biopic of Lou Gehrig, it's just a great film... my two favorite lines are when Lou gets called up to the big leagues, and Ma & Pa Gehrig are sitting in the upper deck at Yankee Stadium and Ma Gehrig looks around perplexed and says (shaking her head) "So many people with nothing to do...", and the other is when rookie Gehrig gets hit in the head with a thrown ball in his first game after replacing Wally Pipp, and Yankees manager Miller Huggins runs out to see if he's OK, and says (laughing) "What do we have to do, kill you to get you out of the lineup?")

It Happens Every Spring (1949) - Starring Ray Milland as the nerdy college professor, Howard Hughes main squeeze Jean Peters as the love interest, and Paul Douglas as the St. Louis Browns veteran catcher...Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story & Screenplay,.. I have this back-to-back on an old video tape with Kerry Wood's 20 K performance...  

The Stratton Story (1949) - Like Pride of the Yankees, this one was directed by Sam Wood... Stars Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson, this is a biopic of White Sox pitcher Monty Stratton, who lost a leg in a hunting accident and then came back to pitch again. This film won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

Angels in the Outfield (1951) - This far more-subtle and charming original MGM version of Angels stars Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh, Bruce Bennett playing Jon Lieber, and the guy who later played Grizzly Adams when he was very young as one of the Pirates players, with cameos by Pirates owner Bing Crosby out on the golf course and a lovable old smilin' Ty Cobb... Nominated for Best Story & Screenplay Academy Award... I really like Paul Douglas's performance as manager Guffy McGovern.... Douglas was a genuine baseball fan (he also played the catcher in It Happens Every Spring), and he supposedly based his character Guffy McGovern on Leo Durocher, who was good friends with Douglas and most of the cast... It helps to know that when this film was made, the Pittsburgh Pirates were THE worst team in baseball.... The last scene at supposedly deserted Forbes Field always makes me cry...

BTW, all of these films can be watched with kids and/or females.

Az Phil...you're list nails the top 5 for me. I've gotta rent Alibi Ike this weekend. As a kid I always been fond of Paul Douglas because of Angels and It Happens every Spring still although it's been hollywood-ized from the original book, I still love watching The Natural. Particularly the scene when Hobbs is in the women's hospital with his stomach ulcer and says: "God I Love Baseball"

I have seen it both ways, workers comp. (which in my opinion it should be) and regular insurance. I'm pretty sure the players union wants to keep it regular insurance in most cases. For instance in the state of Illinois, if you are off of work from a WC claim, you receive 66% of your salary tax free. So if you are on the DL, do you only make 66% of your pay check? I guess though for most players that might be a deal, if it is tax free. What happens for treatment in the off-season? You're not off work, but the injury did appear at work.

[ ]

In reply to by MerigoldBowling

"So if you are on the DL, do you only make 66% of your pay check?" I think they make their whole salary. I would imagine that the club could go through workers comp and only pay 66% as you say, but that'd be in bad taste I think, and would limit the ability for that club to get players in the future. I think Sheets case is interesting because he's now a FA and not under anyones contract, so who would pay? I'd assume the Brew Crew because he was injured while under contract with them. But since he's no longer, and doesn't appear to be in the future, under contract with the Brewers, they're willing to burn that bridge and go through workers comp and pay him 66%.

[ ]

In reply to by CPH2133

"So if you are on the DL, do you only make 66% of your pay check?" In Illinois Worker's Comp, the 66% has a weekly maximum and the ceiling is pretty low -- less than $400 a week maximum back when I last was handling these cases in 1998. It only goes up s-l-o-w-l-y every year, so I'm pretty sure it's not much higher now. I can find out what the maximum TTD (Temporary Total Disability) rate is now, if anyone is interested. Needless to say, Worker's Comp. temporary disability payments are SO LOW it would not be at all attractive to a major league ballplayer. A joke, really.

Turner Classic Movie channel (TCM) on Feb 28th, starting around noon...they are showing the following (sequentially): The Stratton Story It Happens Every Spring Bang the Drum Slowly The Natural on April 9th, 7:45AM: Alibi Ike also some football/boxing classics on 2/28 http://www.tcm.com/index.jsp (then click on month schedule) don't see a march/april full schedule but it's worth checking out when the are posted (got Alibi Ike by seaching for it specifically)

There's Long Gone, an HBO film from maybe 1987 (?), with William Petersen and Virginia Madsen as the subtly named Dixie Lee Boxx...

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).