Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
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 
Minor League Free-Agents

On Life Support

GAME 109 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] CHICAGO CUBS (54-54) @ NEW YORK METS (54-54) SHEA STADIUM, 6:10 pm CDT, TV: WGN, WPIX
Tom Glavine, LHP
7-9, 4.50 ERA
56/47 K/BB, 8 HR in 128.0 IP
Rich Hill, LHP
0-0, 3.78 ERA
18/7 K/BB, 2 HR in 16.2 IP
LF *Matt Lawton SS #Jose Reyes
2B *Todd Walker RF Mike Cameron
1B Derrek Lee CF #Carlos Beltran
3B Aramis Ramirez LF *Cliff Floyd
SS Nomar Garciaparra 3B David Wright
RF *Jeromy Burnitz C Mike Piazza
CF #Jose Macias 1B Chris Woodward
C Michael Barrett 2B Miguel Cairo
P *Rich Hill P *Tom Glavine
In an attempt to salvage the season, the Cubs are going to attempt a final, desperate treatment, both experimental and controversial. If successful, it could breathe life into a lifeless team, although the chances of success are remote. On offense, the Cubs will take an injection of Nomar-oxolin, something that certainly should improve run production but has the nasty side effect of allowing balls to travel safely into left and centerfield while the Cubs pitchers look upon in bewilderment. Of course with 2 backup shortstops now on the roster, Dusty can start making switches for defensive purposes as early as the 5th inning. Maybe we can petition the league to allow us to play a 10th man as a permanent short centerfield. For the bullpen, it will be alternating doses of Woodfil-citrate and Scott-exin. The pills are considered too volatile to be used on an everday basis and the side effects can be nasty. Woodfil-citrate was once considered a powerful drug to be used every 5th day and expected to provide positive results. The FDA has soured on it since and only considers it a last ditch attempt when all else has failed. It should now be used in only smaller, less potent doses until further modifications are made in the offseason. It could provide a boost, but it's more likely to result in chronic shoulder pain. Scott-exin has been effective in the past, but recent worries over it's stability and unstable structure have led it to be shelved for almost a year. Although there are hopes that it can be useful in the immediate future, chances are it won't reach it's full effectiveness until next season. The Cubs hopes now lie with the infusion of this merry band of three, can they resurrect our season? That's an awful lot of weight to put on a bad groin, an achey shoulder and a patchwork elbow. SBUC OG!! (Rally Cry)

Comments

I like the lineup, except for the glaring JOSE MACIAS in CF. Why oh why...

Rob, Already that pessimistic about the game that you put it in the "L" column. Also Mets fans will be glad that 11 of their losses were taken away.

Well I won't be around this weekend, so someone will hopefully save the TCR readers from my manical metaphors. SBUC OG!!!!

well that's annoying, isn't it? [Fixing....] Done. My apologies....

I blame Macias being the line-up on Hendry. He should know by now that you have to baby sit Baker so he does not do idotic things like start Macias. He should have re-called C-pat.

What's so agonizing about Macias in the lineup is that it coincides with the day we don't have to suffer through daily doses of post-Neifi! Neifi. Dusty's first chance to field 8 actual hitters, and he blows it.

I could live with Macias's black hole of offensive suck if he could actually play good defense. I mean Shea is rather spacious. But that's not the case is it....

I think dusty wishes misfortune on the regulars so that MaciASS can get in the game. It wouldn't be that much of a leap to put Burnitz in CF, Lawton in RF and Murton in LF. At least we'd have three natural outfielders instead of two outfielders and guy who's listed as a 3B. Ridiculous

Why can Lawton not play CF? Am I missing something? Is there some magic Macias can do in CF that Lawton can't?

oh, and I feel sorry for Hill. Cubs.com has just about the funkiest picture of him that they could probably find.

of course then macias has to go and make a helluva defensive play... We really need to keep up the Macias bashing, he seems to always do something good when we moan.

fear not - there's macias proving he's sucktastic

Our problems our many, but one that's been discussed at length was just shown. We hit a home run, then go down 1-2-3 four pitches.

That play had more to W/ Beltran not hustling, then Macias's D.

Good to see Hairston can still play air guitar with his hurt elbow.

another terrible mental error on defense....anyways...i've read on here before that Rich Hill has a third pitch, i don't think i have ever seen him use it. So hopefully someone could help me, if so, what else does he throw??

ugh...Macias...WHY OH WHY! It pains me to the core...why do we have so many outfielders if Dusty continues to play an infielder in CF

"another terrible mental error on defense....anyways...i've read on here before that Rich Hill has a third pitch, i don't think i have ever seen him use it. So hopefully someone could help me, if so, what else does he throw??" I thought he had fastball, change, curve

"I thought he had fastball, change, curve" I think we can all agree that he definitely does not have a good pick-off move. :(

Was this the guy that rumor has it held up the Manny Ramirez trade?

Was this the guy that rumor has it held up the Manny Ramirez trade? Cub blue, It was the Soriano trade he held up, but the Rangers wanted Pie to so it isn't costing us much.

This is unfuckinbelievable. This team is an absolute joke. It is so bad anymore, its become laughable. It is like watching a fkn comedy routine. Dusty isn't making the mental errors tonight..yet, but it has to start at the top. Can't dump every player, but you can dump 1 manager and a few players. If players were held accountable, they may play different and more with a purpose. I would have known to throw that ball to first and take the sure out with no real shot at home on a soft hit ball. This is the worst ever assembled $100 Million dollar team. They have MLB talent from top to bottom on paper, yet they play like a team of Minor Leaguers.

On WGN, Brenly said, "The Cubs were caught totally unprepared on that play." I agree with BB, but how can the Cubs be unprepared? They're clinging onto wild card hopes, playing wild card contenders in Philly and the Mets, and they come to the ballpark unprepared. Completely unacceptable. I coach high school ball, and I've seen my teams play like this. Sluggish, dumb, sloppy baseball. At all levels of baseball, physical errors will happen. And not to over simplify it, but the team that makes more mental errors won't win. Pitchers not covering first, bloop fly ball priorty calls blown (something that I watched the Cubs work on in Mesa this spring), hacking at everything the pitcher throws up there, throwing the ball around--trying to make THE (as in, rhymes with he) play instead of the smart play are all signs of a mentally weak team. This series, the Mets will bunt, steal, and hit and run against the Cubs because they know, the entire league knows, that the mental errors will kill the baby bears.

AMEN!!!!!

Wondering if batting for Rusch wouldn't have been a good idea with men on 2nd and 3rd. If you've lost your starter already, wouldn't you want to take a chance to get back some runs?

The cubs just had a 3 run fourth and I just wanted to put my thoughts about this game till now. The cubs defense for the first 3 innings has been way below par. They look dazed and confused. Boy looks like the Mets have done a lot of homework on Rich Hill's curve ball. This proves again that until Hill develops at least one more good pitch (a nasty slider, good change off)the major league is going to figure him out (if not by now) and is going to jump all over him. I liked what I saw from Macias till now. I really don't know why so many people over here hate him. Now some of us can throw stats at my face but lately I have seen consistent basehits from Macias. His running around the bases is 200 times better than burnitz's. As usual Glendon Rush the savior for the cubs. If we come back today and win its going to be a big boost for the confidence. Again as I have posted earlier if the cubs come back today then this will be a REAL comeback. Go cubs !!!

It hasn't been 10 minutes since my last post and the mets already added 2 runs. This is what you have to PAY if you walk batters. Rich Hill dug a hole for himself in that big inning and now Rusch. The cubs are getting bitch slapped tonight. Its like in movies when the guy falls down and everytime he tries to get up the bad guy beats the sh** out of him. The dream of a Wild Card seems to be a mirage to me and my only goal for the cubs this season is not to become a laughing stock. But right now they look like a bunch of clowns on the green. Can we have some thunder, lightining followed by that Miracle !!! That seems to be my only last hope. -C

This is like watching the Three Stooges, only there's more of them... The blasted Cubs are on their way to losing their THIRD game in a row, I believe. UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE! I have the over/under of Dusty Baker getting fired this year at nine CONSECUTIVE LOSSES... and I'll take the UNDER. There's no way we're as bad as we've shown in this game... or last series... or this year. 85-or-100 million dollar payroll this year, take your choice... there's absolutely NO EXCUSE FOR THIS ABOMINATION. Injuries are one thing, but this is friggin ridiculous. This team is simply not ready to play, in any facet of the game... just like they weren't ready to play the Phillies... the Diamondbacks.. or a number of other teams we should have been clobbering. This is a complete TEAM MELTDOWN, the wheels are falling off before our very eyes, and Hendry better do something... and soon... because his ass is on the line too. Nobody can tell me that Hendry's going to sit still for this. Its an damned embarrassment! Who should we hold RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS? Discuss. Hendry's not going to fire HIMSELF, so... when Hendry gets around to firing Dusty (and I think that day is closer than any of us might have guessed), I'll bet the press conference will sound something like this: "We're all sorry it didn't work out, but the team simply didn't respond. We looked lifeless, and you can only blame so much on injuries. We wish Dusty well, wherever he goes from here." Paging Chris Speier, paging Chris Speier...

Can someone on Cubs' team please work a count? Please!? Take a walk maybe!? Please.....oh gosh...

What about Hendry's comments about Dusty today - "I'm confident we have the right guy." I really want Dusty out but to my despair I am having the feeling that its not going to happen this season !!! -C

Hey gang, I still wouldn't trade Rich Hill, he just had a bad outing, it happens. Prior just had one yesterday, and he's supposed to be our ACE. Sandy Koufax lost a few every now and then. Yeah, that waiver wire is probably heating up right now with soon-to-be ex-Cubs. Hey, is Cito Gaston still around?

Cubby78, Have no fear, if the Cubs go on another prolonged losing streak, heads are gonna roll, and I don't mean lower-level coaches, either. I can't imagine the toll this is having on Dusty. He's not a quitter but...

Free Davey Johnson! Free Dick Pole! Free ...hell I'd take Larry Bowa! right now.

Hill has one plus pitch--curveball. His fastball is very average to below average. No movement on it at all. I've yet to see him throw a changeup, but read from some places that he needs to work on it which is usually an understatement. He needs to go to the bullpen. I just hope this puts to rest the "Rich Hill is going to be great" nonsense.

4thandinches..I really hope your comments come true. I just dont understand what the heck's wrong with this offense. Macias looks like a hank aaron award winner in the line up. Its barbaric that these loosers are earning what they are earning. -C

Scott Williamson looks fucking awesome!! That is the only great thing about tonight. He is a real relief pitcher... I am going to promise everyone here that we will win the next ten in a row. We will be the wild card winners. Dont let today bother you... We are going to be ok!!!

Scott Williamson used all this arsenal and his stuff looked really good up there tonight. If only cubs offense hasn't been dead for the last 2 weeks.... -C

With the Hill performance tonight, do the Cubs go to a 4-man rotation for the stretch run? With the bullpen getting deeper with Wood and Williamson, it looks like it might be an option.

I think you have to. Do you really want to put a one-pitch pitcher out on the mound every 5th day? Matt, you were joking, right?

Nice to see Nomar back hitting weak-ass tappers. I sure missed that.

Nice Call ROCK...Why he is trying to pull everything, when the only thing Glavine throws is outside? Isn't Nomar known for hitting the ball to right field?

The "Nomar of Old" was known for doing that, but the Nomar we had last year and this year has been a very average player. he was also helped by Fenway in his career, but Hendry doesn't care about those little things.

I could steal a base against the Cubs. And i'm not fast. In fact, I'm slow.

Free Dick Pole There's a 10.0 on the Unintentional Comedy Scale

You have to remember that over the last 3 years Nomar hit about .279/.326/.800 away from Fenway.

uh-oh the dreaded 'vote of confidence' by Hendry of Baker.. http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050805&co… ""I hired Dusty in my first year and I felt we had the right guy," Hendry said. "I'm confident we have the right guy." Fun quote by Remlinger: ""If this team doesn't do what it's supposed to do, then it's going to come down to him, and that's the nature of the game," Remlinger said. "I don't have any simple answers. I don't think you can criticize any aspect of Dusty's managing. But for whatever reason, things haven't clicked." TCR Readers disagree...

That was fun.

3 outs away from falling to 4th place in the division...

It's over guys....unless Houston, Washington, Philadelphia and New York totally collapse (and not likely as if one loses in some cases the other wins)...and the Cubs put one hell of a final 53 games together--we are going to miss out of the wild card by 10 games or so.

1 solution---trade lee, ramirez, hendry, and mcphail for jerry colangelo and rebuild from scratch

Thoughts on Tonight's game: 1. Hendry made a mistake on Hill. His value was the highest it will ever be last Sunday. He could have got anything he wanted for Hill. Send him down to AAA before his value dips too low. Let's see what Pinto could do. 2. Put Burny, Dempster,Holly, Lawton, Maddux, Perez, and Rusch on waivers and see what you can get for them. 3. How can any one support Baker after watching this team throw the ball around like a 7&8 year old league. Half the runs in the 2nd came from bad D. 4. Nomar needs to start taking pitches, if he does that he will be fine. 5. Wood was ok, and boy do we have something in Williamson. 6. How long will this losing streak be? My guess is Z will end it Sunday.

re: post 61 1. Hill is not the answer for this year...nor should he be. He is a valuable part of the future with the Cubs... Hendry was wise not trading him at the deadline to pick up something that is for this year only. Hill's value will be greatest when he is a number 2 or 3 starter on the team...maybe in 3 years. Hendry did good not selling off a lot of prospects to win this year--that simply isn't going to happen. 6. Losing streak? Well it isn't the L streak so much as the inability to take 3 steps forward without taking 2 steps back. They may not have a big losing streak but at this point they better hope for a HUGE losing streak out of Houston, Washington and Florida and hope they can play around .650 from hear on out....but that is asking for lightning to strike all 4 teams and that isn't going to happen either. The mathematics is against the Cubs...it simply isn't going to happen and now there are 6 teams ahead of the Cubs... That is like being in LAST place when there were only 2 divisions. This is our current division... Wild Card division Houston -- Washington 1.5 Florida 2.5 Philadelphia 3 New York Mets 4.5 Milwaukee 5 Chicago 5.5 We may only be 5.5 games out of 1st place...and that would be more optimistic IF the second place team was Chicago...BUT the SEVENTH place team is Chicago and there simply are a lot of teams they have to overcome....almost an impossible probability...and Arizona is breathing down our necks.

The Cubs could fire Dusty right now and I wouldn't complain. But other than the timless sports logic of "shake things up" and hope they improve, there's absolutely no reason to think the Cubs will be any better without him. The Cubs rotation is primarily composed of 2 good pitchers and 3 number 5 starters. The offense is composed of 2 very good hitters and bunch of average (or below) hitters. The bullpen is below average (unless WOod and Williamson can perform - immediately - as well as they have pitched in the past). The defense is below average. That's not a recipe for a playoff team - its simply an average team. Replacing Dusty with any manager isn't going to change this - mostly becuse managers have relatively little effect on a team. It ain't how Dusty sorts the lineup, how he uses the relief pitchers, or anything of that sort that really matters. WHile there have been a few examples in the past of a managerial change "lighting fire" - whatever the hell that is - under players and teams changing directions - the great majority of managerial changes fail to result in any real difference in team performance. We might all feel better if Dusty is fired - but it would be nearly pure wishful thinking to believe that it would make a real difference.

1. Hendry made a mistake on Hill. His value was the highest it will ever be last Sunday. He could have got anything he wanted for Hill. Send him down to AAA before his value dips too low. That is just ridiculous. A player does not lose value based off of one start. He had one poor outing. And there is a reason that he was not willing to trade Hill for "anyone" (and I guarantee he could not have had "anyone" straight up for Rich Hill). The reason is because Hill does have a lot of talent, and has the potential to be a very good pitcher. He is not there yet, but he is a very serviceable #5 pitcher.

"Hill is not the answer for this year...nor should he be. He is a valuable part of the future with the Cubs... Hendry was wise not trading him at the deadline to pick up something that is for this year only. Hill's value will be greatest when he is a number 2 or 3 starter on the team...maybe in 3 years. Hendry did good not selling off a lot of prospects to win this year--that simply isn't going to happen" Cubfan, I wasn't suggesting trading Hill away for anything. We might have been able to use Hill as the center piece for a deal for Dunn. As far as he stands in our pitching prosecpts I would rate our top 10 w/ under 1 year MLB service time like this. 1. Pinto 2. Gallagher 3. Marshall 4. Pawelek 5. Nolasco 6. Hill 7. Ryu 8. Johnson 9. Marmol 10. Guzman

"That is just ridiculous. A player does not lose value based off of one start. He had one poor outing" Dave, I agree with that but guys can lose value w/ several poor outings will lose value. The Mets just sat on that curve tonight the same thing that FLA did in his debut. All I was trying to say was he needs to go down to AAA and devlop the change or cutter because the league has figured out that curve.

The offense is composed of 2 very good hitters and bunch of average (or below) hitters This is just flat out wrong. Lee has been the best 1b in the NL this year, Ramirez has been the best 3b in the NL. Barrett is one of the top 2 or 3 hitting catchers in the NL, and Walker is one of the best hitting 2b in the NL. So that that is two great hitters, and two hitter significantly above average. Neifi has been average to slightly below average this year in terms of NL shortstops. LF and CF have been significantly below average, while Burny has been pretty average. So that would make 2 great players, two significantly above average, 2 average, and 2 below average. Most teams do not have a better breakdown than that.

The weirdest thing about the cubs is that their numbers are good. Lead the league in Ks (striking out the opponent), up there in hitting, slugging, etc. So why do we lose? I think that this cubs season is a clear demonstration that taking pitches, walking and OBP are the most underrated yet most important stats. Look at Oakland, granted they have had superb outings from their pitchers, but they stress the whole moneyball concept. Baker doesn't believe in that approach to hitting. He likes guys who are low walk/low strikeout players. It hurts the team. He needs to go and I think Hendry's vote of confidence today is the first indication that he will be gone. It might not be this season because it won't help much to get rid of him but it'll be at hendry's earliest convenience.

The weirdest thing about the cubs is that their numbers are good. Lead the league in Ks (striking out the opponent), up there in hitting, slugging, etc. So why do we lose? I think that this cubs season is a clear demonstration that taking pitches, walking and OBP are the most underrated yet most important stats. Look at Oakland, granted they have had superb outings from their pitchers, but they stress the whole moneyball concept. Baker doesn't believe in that approach to hitting. He likes guys who are low walk/low strikeout players. It hurts the team. He needs to go and I think Hendry's vote of confidence today is the first indication that he will be gone. It might not be this season because it won't help much to get rid of him but it'll be at hendry's earliest convenience.

Suddenly starting Rich Hill is a bad decision because of his start tonight? Talk about knee jerk reaction. He didn't have it tonight, and his defense certainly didnt back him up. S**T happens. Rookie pitchers are notoriously inconsistent. I remember watching Greg Maddux his first year in the league and Mark Mulder. They had some bad games but when you watched them pitch you knew they were better than what was being seen in the stats. I am Not say Hill will ever be that good, but he has shown that he has some skills on the mound like Maddux and Mulder.

MikeC- wake up! The TCR is all about knee jerk reactions!!!!

Prior had a bad start last game. I guess he isn't ready huh? There, that is my knee jerk reaction. Go about your business. ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN, ADAM DUNN. Sorry crunch, had to steal it.

that's not a "knee-jerk reaction" MikeC. That's just an ignorant comparison.

I was out of WGN range for most of the game, so I listened to much of it from the mets announcers via XM and you'll love this line. "Michael Barrett has a lot of experience behind the plate, and the Cubs love the way he calls a game." And USA Today thinks these guys are better than Pat and Ron? In other news, I do think today's game backs up what I've been saying about Rich Hill. He's too much of a 1 trick pony to be an effective starter. He can fool people with his Curve for a while, but people are going to quickly learn they can wait for other pitches. I still think he could be a very effective reliever where you can get away with having just one pitch. Put Glendon back in the rotation, where he's shown consistant success in a Cub uniform.

Dave - you're right - I was over-generalizing. You can quibble with the categorizations (Lee and Ramirez are indeed "great" and not merely "very god" and I am clearly "flat out wrong" there) but I don't see how it undercuts the main thrust of my subpoint: that the CUbs offense is average...do you? The team after all is precisely 8th out of the 16 NL teams in runs scored. I'll also quibble just to quibble though - under OPS 1.6, Todd Walker is indeed an average hitting NL second baseman this year (and that's for the season - he's been below average since he returned from his injury) - but it doesn't matter.

Anybody else pissed at Beltran and Wright for stealing those bases in the 8th? I don't remember if Lee was holding on or not, but Brenly casually mentioned that you usually don't see those things in that type of game. I thought it might be something to light a fire under them, until I saw Neifi laughing away with Beltran over at 3rd base. I'm sorry but I can't root for a player who's laughing with an opposing player after they just got their butts handed to them and exposed about every weakness that you had as a team. Seriously does the team have any fire in them? What happened with the Carlos Lee leg whip? I will be a physical therapist in 9 months and I know how devastating those types of injuries can be. But no retalitation, they played it off in the media, unfreakingbeleivable. I saw on Monday when Buerhle hit who ever on the Orioles. I thought it was kind of bush league when they were high-fiving him in the dugout, but at least they showed some team spirit or something. If I was a White Sox fan, at that moment I might be embarassed by that action, but at the same time very proud that this was the team I was supporting.

"Anybody else pissed at Beltran and Wright for stealing those bases in the 8th?" No,I think with a 4 run lead, it's completely ok. If they were winning 10-2 or something like that it's a different story. Think of it this way, if the Cubs were up 9-5, would you think the Cubs were a sure thing to win?

Merigold, you forget the 2005 Cubs are the team that complains because fans boo visiting players at Wrigley. Dusty's #1 Rule: The fans and the media are your enemy, not the opposing teams.

Here is the thing. Washington, Philly and Houston lost tonight so we are still only 5 games back. Of course the Marlins mets and Brewers won, so we have more to look up at. But a simple 4 game winning streak will really make us competitive again, leaving us 3-4 out and jumping past two teams. Of course, there is absolutely nothing that leads me to believe the Cubs are capable of winning 4 straight...but I'm sick of me ripping on this team, so I'll think optimistically for another day. Houston was 4 games below .500 on August 15th last year. If they can do it, why can't we? (Ignoring the fact that we suck, and they didn't)

You do understand what a joke is right Rock? Oh who am I kidding you don't.

Adam, I with you. We are not out of it. A quick winning streak would put us right near the top. 10 games against the Stros and we can bury them. BUT! What about this team makes you think that we can play like that? That's the problem. The optimist in me says, hey! lets get em tomorrow. But we need a 180.

Chad said: "BUT! What about this team makes you think that we can play like that?" I said: "Of course, there is absolutely nothing that leads me to believe the Cubs are capable of winning 4 straight" Yup, we are on the same page.

Maybe I was just high, but I swear after Nomar's first dribbler back to the pitcher I distinctly heard laughter from the Mets' crowd. I even replayed it a couple of times on Tivo.

I know I'm young, but I seriously think I have ruined my life by choosing to follow this team. I put my heart and soul into every baseball season. But I'm stuck. I can't root for another team and I can't stop loving baseball. Anyone have any advice? Suck it up? Yeah, I was afraid you were going to say that.

Sorry dude. Once a Cub, always a Cub. Look at me. I had a tremendous career on a winning Dodgers organization. Then I became a cub. '84. Nobody remembers the Dodger years that I had. Only the cubs. Stuck with them.

.500 teams have a lot of 4 game winning streaks....but they match it with a 3,4 or 5 game losing streak also...or they lose 2 win 1 and lose 3 etc....and that is what the Cubs have done. Not only are they a .500 team...they play .500 on the road and .500 at home....500 during the day and .500 at night....they are not a team who will overcome 6 teams some of which they won't play again. The Cardinals will bury them--the Astros will bury them and IF they are LUCKY they will be slightly better than .500 against the remaining teams... 4th place in the division is MUCH more likely than a wild card berth.

I put my heart and soul into every baseball season. But I'm stuck. I can't root for another team and I can't stop loving baseball.Anyone have any advice? Even the Cincinatti Bengals have fans....so to the Kansas City Royals....being a fan isn't about rooting for your team because they win the most. I'm not sure your age--but all of us can't remember a World Series champion in the Cubs. Be realistic about this team--know each season is likely to be a 5th to 3rd place finish...and the years they do make 2 or 1 is a really really really fun year. It would be really nice to see a Cub team play like St. Louis--to consistently go out with teams projected to be mediocre and win dominantly--closing out the division in mid August....but the Cubs will never do that. All you need to do is look at them sweat....they have body language that screams "I'M SCARED!" in key situations past the 6th inning. They have that element of CHOKE that is dying to come out. I don't know--I think maybe us fans put it in them. In St. Louis the fans respond to the players actions--I lived there several years and they react to the players...in Chicago the players react to the fans (see 2004 players reactions to the booing, Stone, Caray etc) and maybe our false expectations in them ("This is surely our year" mentality) puts pressure on the team unlike any other in professional sports. Who knows--just another whacky theory...for a situation no one else has figured out quite right yet.

From the Washington Times today: "Well, here's another Dusty rumor, only this one emanates from the Hollywood of the East -- Washington another place where Baker wouldn't mind managing. The Cubs manager has told associates he would like to come to Washington, professing his fondness for the city, and believes it would be a more friendly confine than Chicago." Didn't I say like a week ago he could end up in Washington. The piece goes on to say that Robinson is likely to stay, although he could take a front office job to make room for Baker. No wonder this team is playing like crap the manager seems more concerned where he is managing next season and not getting this team in the playoffs.

Does anybody else see what is going on here? Baker working behind the scenes and then two-face lying about it in public and to Hendry. Baker tells "friends" I'd like to manage in LA if Tracy is booted ("Hell he should be booted he hasn't even got his team playing .500 ball"...sarcasm from cubfan if you couldn't read it) That rumor gets printed in the LA times just the way Baker wanted it.... Baker has to deny the rumor to WGN and Hendry...and Hendry goes out in the Chicago papers yesterday and gives Baker a really big sign of approval in Baker saying he isn't going to replace him.... Okay this has to piss Baker off..."Dammit Hendry you fool you idiot DUDE!!! I don't want you to keep me...I want you to say it's okay that my contract be voided so I can go elsewhere where I am loved".... Okay so now Johnny B. goes into more behind the scenes actions...calling up more friends, "Damn Dude, I'd love to manage the Washington Nationals....it's gotta a be a friendlier confine than this low life piece of crap stadium falling apart fans who are pathetic low life Chicago...why don't you call someone from the Washington Times and you know...annonymously say I told you I'd love out of Chicago and like to go to Washington..." So now Dusty will intentionally be the Sammy Sosa of the 2005 Chicago Cubs...create so much off field rumor bullshit about being unhappy that Hendry will be forced to void his contract--or fire him and pay him the money left on the contract..... Watch Dusty's body language in the "denial"...he was as believable as Paleiro and Bill Clinton wagging that finger saying "I did not have sex/take steroids..No NADDA NEVER".....Come on Dude...this cubfan is on to you.

"I know I'm young, but I seriously think I have ruined my life by choosing to follow this team.' Your instinct is right. As a fan of over forty years I can honestly say - get out while you can and don't look back at the wounded you're leaving behind. You've entered into a bad marriage; you've bought the lemon of a car that was supposedly only driven on Sundays; you're happy for a second because you swirved to miss that mom and stroller but here comes a bus that's going to hit you head-on. Get out, get therapy and when your head is clear of thoughts like, "Well, if Nomar hits like he did five years ago I could see this team winning between 94 and 98 games," or, "I think this is the year Wood is finally become that 20 game winner we all envisioned." When your brain is free of all that inasane blather, then go out and find a major league team you can be proud of. One whose pitchers cover first. One whose catcher knows what every Little Leaguer knows - you run the runner back toward the base they already occupied before starting a rundown. One whose manager understands putting guys who get on base ahead of the guys who drive in runs. One whose general manager doesn't enter two straight seasons without a leadoff man after getting within 5 outs of the World Series largely because he had finally found a leadoff man. You won't be judged by me. You're jumping off the Titanic but instead of icy waters there are any number of luxuious well-run resorts waiting for you. Gods speed, AQC,

tbone. that was priceless. as one who has been with these idiots for over 30 years, i wish i could jump, but damnit, i just don't have it in me. there's gotta be 12 step program somewhere.

What keeps my sanity is NASCAR....I've become a pretty big fan over the past 4 years or so....so I find myself flipping between Cubs/NASCAR on Sundays and if Dusty has the Cubs sucking I flip to NASCAR and usually leave it there.

AQC- These are the salad days. Assuming that you say you are young, you didn't get to go throught the mid 70's and early 80's Cubs. That was some fun baseball with Mike Vail, Larry Bittner and Dickie Noles. Talk about depressing baseball. Then again my father reminds me I didn't go through the 50's and early 60's Cubs. It is one long tragic cosmic joke to be a Cub fan, but a 1000 times more addictive than any narcatic that any chemist could ever devise. Cub fans should start singing "All Ways Look on the Bright Side of Life" during the 7th inning stretch.

Thanks, Henry. Jacos, Do you remember when Mike Vail said he could carry a team on his back? Mike Vail said he could carry a major league team on his back and no one slapped him and said, "Don't ever say something that stupid again!!"

Today's lineup SS Cedeno 1B Lee C Barrett CF Burnitz LF Macias P Madduz 2B Perez RF Lawton 3B Ramirez Why? Cause the 8 ball and Miss Cleo told him so.

Matt Lawton, LF Todd Walker, 2B Derrek Lee, 1B Aramis Ramirez, 3B Jeromy Burnitz, RF Neifi Perez, SS Jose Macias, CF Henry Blanco, C oh yeah...and adam dunn is pitching

Given today's lineup, I have to wonder two things - Is Dusty *trying* to get fired? Are Todd Hollandsworth and Matt Murton dead?

Baby Maddog- I think Matt Murton might be dead. we know holly isn't dead because baker would risk his own son before giving up on holly or MaciASS. Holly is laying in wait for the time that the old dustbuster "accidentally" leaves a bat in front of Lawton's locker on which he trips and breaks an ankle. then dusty can say to hendry, no need to make a deal, I've got ready made ML outfielder right here. Great, hendry replies, put Murton in! good idea dusty. Wait, dusty then stumbles, I meant Holly.

Dusty said Murton and Holly don't do well against Japanese Pitchers of course the sampling error might not be statistically significant

Dusty's DREAM LINEUP: SS- Omar Vizquel (barely makes the team though because he can only play one position but he can switch hit). 2B- Neifi Perez (dude,he's saved us SO MANY TIMES!!!) RF- Hollandsworth (he can play first base too? Holy s**t, man, sign him up!!!!) 3B- Lenny Harris (can't go wrong with this guy, he's a great PH so he must be great as an everyday guy too) CF- MaciASS (switch hitter, natural third baseman with a weak arm, stick him in center. Good thought dusty) C- Paul Lo Duca (management convinced dusty that he'd be a great addition only after baker saw that he rarely walks or Ks) 1b- Derrek Lee and LF Barry bonds (basically to save his every game so he can win 54% of his games each year and tell everybody how great he is)

supposed to read "to save his a** every game"

is andy mcphail still selling the trib on the corner of state @ lake.....

is andy mcphail still selling the trib on the corner of state @ lake.....

Macias is really the least of our problems. He had one of the only hits in todays game. He has a hitting streak going on right now. You know what.... Macias at least hustles. Our problems are coming from todd walker, derek lee, burnitz, and whoever is playing shortstop. Those are the guys not producing right now.

todd who? lee who? woah..that's too much to keep track up...let's keep it simple and blame dusty. its a whole lot easier than looking at real issues of production.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022.