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

Friday Fish Fry

GAME 128 IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT] FLORIDA MARLINS (66-59) @ CHICAGO CUBS (61-66) WRIGLEY FIELD, 1:20 pm CDT, TV: WGN, ESPN
Glendon Rusch, LHP
5-6, 4.21 ERA
87/43 K/BB, 10 HR in 107.0 IP
Jason Vargas, LHP
4-1, 2.43 ERA
33/16 K/BB, 0 HR in 37.0 IP
CF *Juan Pierre CF Jerry Hairston Jr.
LF Jeff Conine LF *Matt Lawton
3B Miguel Cabrera 1B Derrek Lee
1B *Carlos Delgado C Michael Barrett
RF Juan Encarnaciony 3B Nomar Garciaparra
2B Damon Easley RF *Jeromy Burnitz
SS Alex Gonzalez 2B #Neifi Perez
C Matt Treanor SS Ronny Cedeno
P *Jason Vargas P *Glendon Rusch
Sorry about the title.... Well at least Ronny will get to play, what an interesting lineup. Nomar at third is interesting as well and I have no doubt that he could thrive there. He's got the arm and won't have to worry about covering all that ground that he can't really cover anymore at short. Of course he has absolutely no use there as a Cub in the foreseeable future. As for the game itself, Jason Vargas and his wild locks look to shutdown the Cubs as well as auditioning for my fantasty team. (See I could use one more pitcher for the stretch run). The Marlins are my pick to take the Wild Card, I love their rotation (Beckett, Burnett, Willis, Vargas, whoever) and the lineup isn't too shabby. Although their missing a few guys today that makes it not look so hot (Castillo, Lowell). Plus the high comedy of more press conferences with Jack McKeon possibly mispronouncing his own players names should be played out for a nationwide audience. The good teams seem to bring out the best in the Cubs, sure we lost to the Braves, but the losses were close games. Let's hope for more of the same this weekend. (The close games and generally well-played basesball, not the losing) Go Cubs!

Comments

Let 'er rip Anti Dusty Fans! No Macias. A rookie at short over a 'proven veteran' and Michael Barrett batting 5th.

I mean 4th!

Barrett is batting cleanup (for only the second time this year). This is a goofy lineup, but I appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking that gets Nomar's bat, Neifi's glove, *and* Ronny Cedeno all in the lineup.

Also, Rob G. I was reading you blurb about Nomar and his move to third. You go on to talk about how nice of a fit it is. The whole time, I'm thinking "wait for it....wait for it..." then BAM! you come through with, "Of course he has absolutely no use there as a Cub in the foreseeable future." I was literally LOL. HOWEVER! he could be a great back up third baseman for IF Aram gets hurt. I think his will give Dusty a ton of flexibility in the infield and could let us run Macias (who has had a nice year) who would be expendable.

I know a lot of people are ready to give up on Nomar, but I still love the way the guy plays. I am probably one of the few who think we should resign him in the offseason (to a incentive laden deal.) Plus I don't want Cedeno to be my everyday SS in MVP baseball 2006 (playstaion). Nomar is carrying my team.

If he'll take an incentive-laden deal with a *really* low base (like $2M or so), then sure. Above that, I don't think it's a good risk.

I'm with you Travis. I think there is still a lot of tread left on those tires.

Nomar will not have nothing to do with keeping Macias. Macias is a switch-hitter who can supposedly fill in at any of the eight positions on the field and is currently Dusty's #1 pinch-hitter. Having Nomar play third in case of a Ramirez injury would be great, but it would affect resigning Neifi or Hairston more than Macias. Nomar supposedly volunteered for it, I'm thinking he did it to boost his FA value.

The Marlins have scored FIRST in 30 of their last 37 ball games...that's one reason why they are a top contender for the Wild Card spot and the Cubs are not.

Let Nomar go and get someone who can play... especially someone who can play real defense. People will be saying the same crap next year when he's injured. I think Nomar's got a few good years left...

I am probably skewed in my views of Nomar. I think something should be said for the way he plays the game. It seems like MLB, and the cubs in particular have lost that. Even though his hustle and dedication have brought on injury's. I just fear if we let him go via free agency that he will turn into the Nomar circa 2000. As you can see my "Man Crush" runs deep with him!

Rob, having neifi as a switch hitter and hairston who can play 2b and all the outfield positions really makes Macias redundant.

Count me in as a Nomar man-crush guy as well...just something about how he plays/hits when healthy. Obviously, the "when" has been replaced by "if," but I'd love to see him come back. You keep Cedeno on the roster, and if something happens to Nomar (and his low, incentive-laden contract), you've got your "SS of the future" ready to go.

I like Nomar (when he's healthy) BUT he just made a big mistake that allowed a runner to advance.

E-5

nomar + throwing ball sidearm = get ready for errors no one in boston made him quit that crap and he probally wont at this point in his career.

The Cubs are doing a good job of digging themselves into a hole early on in a game...Of course with Rusch as a starting pitcher that makes this even more likely.

Am I a bad fan if I close the Game Day window and ignore the Cubs for the rest of the day?

he just made a big mistake that allowed a runner to advance. What do you expect. he is playing a position that he is not used to. He has never played 3b in the major leagues. An error or two would be relatively expected. I still like the experiment with him there, though it as someone (Rob? Christian?) pointed out, Nomar is worthless to the Cubs as a 3B.

Rusch has NOT won a game as a starter since June 2nd...Ron Santo says he's not hitting the target zone often enough...I heard that good old Dusty has Wellemeyer warming up in the Bullpen -- we all know he may be our worst relief pitcher (I'm not even sure why he's not down in Iowa right now).

honestly, i'd expect him not to sidearm every throw he makes since he makes most of his errors on that kinda throw. nomar rushes his arm so much and does too many unneccessary things with it. boston let him get away with it for a decade, though...and he got paid big bucks with that already as an issue... *shrug* comes with the package... aram's D was tweaked by this club...he had a similar sidearm passion along with the annoying habbit of not getting in front of the ball on stuff hit to him...he was fond of taking stuff off the hip. luckily, he was receptive to coaching.

"Am I a bad fan if I close the Game Day window and ignore the Cubs for the rest of the day?" Rest of the day?...many have already closed it out for the rest of the year. Honestly, I find it nice to just have it in the background and not worry about every single pitch in every single game as I have for the last 2.8 seasons.

I'm not gonna watch down 4-0...hopefully that will trigger a 5 or more run rally. Anyone for strat-o-matic? maybe the Cubs can pull one out with dice and spinners.

"Jerry HairstonJr. out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Jason Vargas to first baseman Carlos Delgado. Glendon Rusch to 3rd." Please, please tell me he was bunting for a hit.

I wasn't paying attention... what the hell is the deal with bunting?

he was bunting for a hit...up the 1st base side and running like his life depended on it.

Now we have bases loaded and only one out...will the Cubs capitalize on this scoring opportunity...?

Isn't it sickening that teams walk the Cubs so they can load the bases? Scouting is getting around the league that the Cubs can't score with men on 3rd and less than 2 outs.

Point proven

Point proven (again)

With a man on 2nd, it just seems a little silly to be bunting, even for a hit...but I guess it's good practice if nothing else...and certainly better than a sec bunt down 4 runs. wow...we find every we can not to score runs don't we.

btw...walking the bases loaded to get to barrett/garciappara isnt exactly sound strategy...esp. with a lefty on the mound. it worked, though.

Standing in the upper deck, I lift my head and shout: "What will the Cubs do with loaded bases and a single out?" Echo answers: "...out...out..."

Off-season will be interesting one for Cubs By Bruce Miles Daily Herald Sports Writer Posted Friday, August 26, 2005 http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp {... Three. Count íem. Three. Thatís how many starting position players are sure bets to be back with the Cubs in 2006. Catcher Michael Barrett, first baseman Derrek Lee and third baseman Aramis Ramirez are signed to long-term deals, and the Cubs are happy with all three. The rest of the roster is up in the air. Part of the reason is that contracts will expire. And part is because of the terrible disappointment this season has been for the Cubs. General manager Jim Hendry refused to give up on winning the wild card. But sitting in his office earlier this week, Hendry echoed the sentiments of team president Andy MacPhail in voicing his disappointment with the Cubsí record (61-66). ìObviously, when things donít go well or donít go as planned, you have to take a good look at the whole picture of why they didnít,î Hendry said. ìWe havenít played consistently. Weíve shown spurts of being very good. Weíve shown spurts of being very bad. ìFor whatever reason, it just hasnít worked. A lot of things went wrong. Sure, we had some injuries, but a lot of clubs that are still in it had injuries, too. When things donít go well, itís a collective effort just like when things do. Weíre going to keep trying...} more at: http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp

Jack Brickhouse was known for his signature "Hey! Hey!" Harry Caray was known for his signature "Holy Cow!" Skip Caray was known for his signature "There's a drive, belted!" Len Kasper will be known for his signature "...has popped out to second."

hahahahah stan

If Rusch is going to give up so many walks and hits then I would rather give Rich Hill some more time as a starter...Actually Rusch and Hill would probably be better Bullpen pitchers for the Cubs...Hendry clearly needs to go out and acquire at least one more reliable starting pitcher in the off-season...Our Bullpen ALWAYS is in need of an upgrade...this last part of the season may make that very clear.

How many times on this site have we discussed a player that's come in that has supposedly made Macias redundant? Hairston in and of himself should make Macias redundant as there's no reason he couldn't play third or SS in an emergency. No matter who's brought in, until Macias is cut, he'll find a way on the team, whether that's up to Hendry or Baker I'm not arguing.

It's clear the Cubs are out of the Wild Card Race...It would be nice IF we could see more of their Rookies come up and start for the final few weeks of the year...Why not test drive the talent in the farm team system...? What do the Cubs have to lose -- besides a few more games...;-)

Did I read CBS Sportsline right? Vargas grounded out to center? Please explain.

Dusty uses Holli -- and of course he strikes out...Where is Murton when we really need him...? Dusty STOP USING TIRED OLD PLAYERS WHEN WE KNOW THEY CAN'T HIT WHEN WE NEED THEM TOO. Hendry should have put Hollandsworth out to pasture long ago...Way to go Hairston -- a 3 run double...the younger players are coming on strong now...Wake Up Dusty.

That's Hollandsworth's eighth PA in a little under three weeks. Good to see the roster's being used well.

Would Dusty ever go with Novoa, Wood and Dempster now that we are back in this game...? We can't afford to give up more runs but it seems like offense has really started to wake up...Whey not go with the best that we have in our Bullpen...;-)

I was going to complain about using Holly there against a lefty, since Dusty tends to look at the left-vs.-right matchup before any other factor, but then I realized, who else is on the bench? Macias, Blanco, Walker, and Patterson. Woof. Walker actually does fine against lefties (.392 OBP this year) but as Ron said, Holly hasn't gotten off the bench much lately.

I just want to go on record concerning Perez. He is an excellent utility infielder. He should not be playing every day. That being said, I would accept him as our everyday SS next year if we substanially upgrade the outfied with the likes of Giles, Damon, Dunn, etc. Two of them, not just one. Money has to be wisely allocated. THIS IS FOR DUSTY - IF PEREZ IS THE EVERYDAY SS NEXT YEAR (HOPFULLY DUSTY WON'T BE HERE) HE SHOULD BAT 8TH.

Williamson actually pitched well in that last inning...lets see IF our offense can build on the momentum they have.

I agree completely Tom, with possibly Burnitz filling the third slot. If Burnitz goes down hill big time, look to trade or play Murton/Pie.

...hopefully that will trigger a 5 or more run rally. Typical of this season. I ask for a 5 spot and get it but the friggin team bullpen sucked as much as the starter and we needed a 7 spot. It's my fault. Sorry folks. Don't blame Dusty, Holly, Wuertz or Hendry. Blame me. I must be doing something wrong.

Hairston is having a great day...Lets see if Lawton can come up with a big hit right behind him...;-)

Interesting time to use Novoa -- but I did want to see him and he pitched well for the Cubs...Now we'll see IF our team really wants to come back and score some runs against one of the best closers out there...;-)

I hate this team

Todd Jones. The fish are his 7th team since 2001. Why don't we get lucky when we get guys like this...well maybe we did, dare I say it, Kyle Farnsworth also come to mind. Sometimes guys "get it" later in their careers. It's tough to have patience with these players when their in the inconsistent stage. What happened to this guy that wasn't going on before? I remember him in Detroit. He would throw 100mph but sucked for them when I saw the Cubs playing in Comerica a few years back.

"Friday Fish Fry", you can tell you lived in Wisconsin for a bit of time.

Closer Todd Jones has consistently recorded saves all year. The Marlins veteran right-hander has 29 on the season.

Oh, now we're complaining that Holly isn't getting enough ABs? Wow...

Ah, Friday Fish Fry. Our family used to go up to Burlington, WI (a few miles from Lake Geneva)a few weeks each year. There was no choice but to have fish on Friday. Those were the days.... What a coincidence that the Cubs are playing like they did back then...

I'm trying to figure this out as I didn't witness much of the eight or ninth innings. In the bottom of the 7th, Nomar made the second out of the inning, Neifi the third. In the top of the 8th, they double-switched with one out and instead of taking the last guy out, they took out Nomar. Walker came in to play second, Neifi shifted to third. So that shoud mean Ohman was batting 5th, Walker 9th. (Which was the case because Walker batted the next inning) In the top of the 9th, another double switch involving Jose Macias and Roberto Novoa, which replaced Lawton. So now, Macias is batting 5th, Novoa 2nd with the 4,5,6 hitters due up in the 9th. Barrett singles and representing the tying run....JOSE MACIAS!!! So I ask, why in the first double switch did Dusty choose Nomar instead of Neifi???? I'm hoping Nomar hurt himself again, otherwise more double-switching buffonry by our fair manager. I know Neifi was 3 for 4 up to that point, but all the hits came from the right side. vs lefties: .301/.327/.534 vs. righties: .264/.288/.348 You know Todd Jones is coming in late in the game. Someone give me a good explanation for this? To that fact, why didn't Tood Walker pinch-hit for Neifi in the bottom of the 7th when he was representing the tying run? Even if McKeon goes to a lefty in the pen, Walker is no slouch versus the lefties: vs. lefties: .357/.392/.629 (70 AB's) vs. righties .287/.341/.422 (237 AB's) And don't pull the defense card, we're down 2 runs, we needed the offense? So there you go, tell me how either one was a good idea?

"Friday Fish Fry", you can tell you lived in Wisconsin for a bit of time. Busted.... I can't remember the names of any of the good haunts that I frequented though. Good times.

You know Todd Jones is coming in late in the game. Someone give me a good explanation for this? From a manager's perspective, all this double switching serves a purpose. And this is it: It's like a poodle peeing on every fire hydrant, without anything in the bladder. Just putting his gentle touch on the game. Busty Faker...a players manager. Every player removed from the game makes the guy replacing him "his kind of manager"

Rob G i was at the game (thanks bleeding blue, who i met at mcd's before the game), and as you know, it's always a little hard to keep track of double switches if you're not keeping score (which usually i do, but i'm done with this team so i didn't). i could sense that there was ridiculousness and that neifi should have been pulled instead of nomar. obviously became a big issue in the 9th. macias....yeah. also, when holly batted with the bases loaded, that was a clear walker PHing spot to me. duh. put your guy who a)sucks and is b) rusty in there with the bases loaded and one out....smart it's funny, dusty says they're in it. i wonder if he believes it. if he does, this makes his managing even worse than it already is. fire. his. ass. (i'm resigned to the fact that it won't happen, but we can all dream)

Rob...your lefty/righty stats are great. Too bad the entire cub organization think stats are worthless and it "baseball instincts" that are the sole worthwhile source of decisions. VORP, OBP, Pitches per at bat...all numerical info is crap. Unless Maciass hits the heck out of a pitcher (of course the sample size might only be 3 AB's) Baseball instincts I tell ya. Hank Aaron did it this way so it must be good. Dustbuster woulda double switched with uncle Hank too.

In the last hour on WSCR analyst Steve Stone claims he had a long talk with Dusty today...and Dusty says he wants to stay BEYOND the end of his contract since "he has a lot of unfinished business he wants to take care of."...Stone thinks Dusty will be around for a while as Hendry still believes in him. Andy McPhail (the Cubs President) seems to want to "stay the course" with the current management team. The Cubs will have to rebuild again after this season...it will be interesting to see how things play out.

What the hell is the matter with this team? A majority of them make MILLIONS of dollars a year and yet work like it's just another day on the beach, phoning it in. Meanwhile, there are people everywhere in the world who work their asses off at minimum wage or worse. This is the saddest group of Cubs I've seen in a long time.

More proof that Dusty's managerial philosophy is quite insane. A nice read put out my our own Ryne Sandberg: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=rs-youth082605 Ryno himself was only 23 in 1984 when he lead the Cubs to the NL East title. You have to let the youngsters play to see what they can actually do. Leave the vets who have proven themselves mediocre to bad for somebody else.

boy the way these writers are spinning the 2005 Cubs, its looking more like hendry's fault. sammy's contract, nomar, wood and cpat are the reasons we've failed. looking more and more like a dusty baker return. do you really think the free agents want to play in chicago now? i just listened to the reds vs. pirates game on the radio. brenaman was talking about how the reds are close to catching the cubs and his partner said "they lost again today and look to lose alot more". brenaman said: "it couldn't happen to a nicer club"...yes guys, we're the laughing stock again.

Like I said yesterday..."The Cubs are starting to resemble TBay and KC".... Oh but they look worse because they are actually blowing a huge amount of payroll on both team and manager to finally "catch" the Cincinatti Reds...but do they have a late season drive that will see them overtake the Pirates??

Zambrano has a higher OPS this season than any of our starting OF's (Lawton, Patterson, Burnitz) have this august.

"I like the way Nomar plays the game." Don't you have to actually play to "play the game"?

If the Cubs re-sign Nomar they deserve to lose next season. If they sign any free agent SS, they need to sign Furcal. He actually fills a hole whereas Nomar seemingly creates one.

I thinks we bring bring back Nomar(with Cedeno as back-up), then we have Lee, Walker(probably), Nomar and Ramires as infield. Bring in Wagner and Millwood with Murton, Pie and Burnitz(Patterson back-up). And then Add in Angel Guzman(yes a pipe dream but he is throwing 96 MPH again) in the rotation and the Cubs can contend. JMHO scooterÆ

Just got back from the game myself - glad you enjoyed yourself GL, BTW. I'll sum up the experience this way: I saw the lineup - with Nomar at 3rd, and Ronny C at SS, and thought, wow that's a smart move, very un-dusty like. And then by the 9th, we get a very Dusty moment. The "Trademark" back-ass double switch. Nomar - due to bat 2nd in the bottom of the 9th, and he's pulled, so Neifi can play 3rd and Todd Walker can be scheduled to bat 5th in the inning!!!! Seriously, 4 million freakin dollars can't buy the Cubs a manager who understands the double switch? I don't know anyone who can be so clueless as such a basic function of their job, and still maintain their employment. Fire Dusty, if Hendry won't do it, fire him too, and if McFail won't fire either of them, then I've got no problem seeing him walk either. The organization needs to figure out that winning championships matters, none of this being satisfied with a under .500 ballclub and celebrating "back to back winning seasons" crap.

I think the Cubs need to just keep telling themselves that they are so very close to the level they were in 2003 and it was only injuries that cost them the season last season and this season and the other teams are not better than they were two years ago. I think the Cubs should not look too deeply into the cause of the failures of the past two seasons. I think the Cubs should ignore talk that their manager has failed miserably with in-game and pre-game decisions. I think the Cubs should ignore the questions about their training and strength and condiditioning program...after-all the injuries happen to everyone. I think the Cubs should ignore questions that the GM may not have fielded the best team possible the past two years and not even give an ounce of consideration that maybe the GM and manager are largely to blame for the product and the execution of the product on the field. I think the Cubs should realize that the most important goal is to pack the tourist attraction known as Wrigley Field, to sell really cool Cubs merchandise...to continue marketing the club on WGN and comcast sports...and realize the bottom line profit is the most important issue and if winning isn't necessary to increase the bottom line then by all means don't worry about winning. I think any hard and honest look at why this team has failed for two years should be avoided at all costs...overlook this tendency to exam why we lost. After all, the most important lessons in history tells us that if we don't want to make the same mistakes of history's past...then we should not take a good hard honest look at why we failed....to do so would be damaging to the egos, the pride and the satisfaction of being an executive of the greatest sports franchise in the world.

Tonight I-Cubs ahead 6-1 in the 8th. Mitre started. No box score yet. Here's the good news from the last 2 days: Thursday, Iowa Cubs split a DH (win 4-2, lose 4-1) with New Orleans Zephyrs (Washington AAA) Rich Hill complete game win Iowa IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Hill (W, 6-1) 7.0 7 2 1 1 7 0 3.66 Murton HR, one walk, 2-3. Iowa BA .409 the night before he was 4-5 with a double in a 5-0 win vs Zephyrs so now Matt M has shown he can hit at AA, AAA and is the Chicago NL club's outfielder with the best BA and OBP. Why is Matt Murton even playing here?

Why is Matt Murton even playing here? To that I ask D.T. Farm: Why is Matt Lawton even playing here? (I'm having a conversation with myself, isn't this fun)

"Why is Matt Murton even playing here" The excuse Dusty used was that MM doesn't have the power necessary to be a starting corner outfielder with the big club.

The excuse Dusty used was that MM doesn't have the power necessary to be a starting corner outfielder with the big club. Good Lord...Tony Gwynn and Mark Grace would never have had a career in baseball if they played in the minors for a Dusty Baker team. Unbelieveable.

Cubs Win Cubs Win... of course it's the Iowa Cubs Iowa Cubs 7 Runs /9 Hits / 0 Errors New Orleans 1 Run / 3 Hits / 1 Error Looks like a 3 Hitter for Sergio Mitre but no official box score yet.

maybe if Dusty could bring his Balco pals into the Cub locker room Matt Murton could become a power hitter? Worked for Barry, right Dusty? It certainly worked for the single hitting LF the Cubs had in 1988. You know the guy Jim Frey traded for Mitch Williams.

Oh Amen, goodbye Matthew Lawton III. If Murton or Greenberg isn't back by Sunday, I might be ready to turn in my Hendry card. Let's see what we're up to now. Hopefully no more of this crazy "wait 'till this year" stuff that Ronnie was blabbering about today.

Lawton WAS traded to the Yankees last night, saving the Cubs the remainder of his salary this year. Cubs are supposed to get an A ball pitcher, 21 year old Staten Island righthander Justin Berg (6-2 3.53).

If Murton is called up, it will be to only hit against lefties and platoon with Holly. Dusty will maintain we are still in the wildcard race until mathematically eliminated. Brennaman's comment (he was a former Cubs announcer) reflects the nasty way McPhail and the Tribune have done business in recent years. Also, Dusty ball has not worn well on the other Central teams. LaRussa is not well liked, but the other teams regard the Cardinals as a professional team, which they have not regarded the whiney and unprofessional Cubs' team of the last two seasons. When you have fill five starter positions, a starting pitching, at least two bullpen positions, and you have a manager who cannot endure playing rookies, I don't know how you are going to have a good team in 2006.

CAREER THREATENING NUMBERS .159 BA/ .205 OBP/ .217 SLG in August Sammy Sosa

So know it looks like Murton will be the everyday LF starting Tuesday when he is eligible to be called up. Holly has seemed to lose "my boy" status with Dusty he has not even been used a top PH since we got Lawton. He has 3 AB's since August 15th. Why don't the Yankees just put Bernie Williams in LF. Williams in LF, Giambi at DH, and Tino at 1st is better than Lawton in LF, Giambi at 1st, and Bernie at DH is way better in terms of D and wouldn't kill the offense.

Unbelievable.... From today's SunTime's..... >>

"Cedeno has been projected as the team's shortstop of the future, but Baker said he still wants to use Neifi Perez as much as possible." Heres the quote from the SunTime's.... last post messed up for some reason

AARG, Just when you think Baker has turned he does this. Somebody sue him watching Neifi trot out their 100 + times violates the 9th amendment without having a stud outfield.

I know the TCR crew will come up with better stuff...but here is the kid's lines from Minorleagebaseball.com Justin Berg: Individual Stats (Pitching) W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO 6 2 3.53 15 9 0 0 0 58.2 48 26 23 3 20 52

cubfaningermany: it was Marty Brenaman, Thom's dad who made the comments. Being a father myself, he probably hates the Cubs more than Thom. I think I'd trade Walker, play Nomar at 2b, play Cedeno at SS and give Nefi his playing time at 3b. I can't imagine Rusch wants to come back to this mess next year either.

If they don't bring Mitre back up and into the rotation, they're complete idiots.

So we took a minor league 4A ball type player and spun him into a major league player, but a marginal one. So upgrade. Then we spun that into a legit everyday leadoff hitter. Big upgrade. Then we spun that into...... a pitching prospect? Maybe we should have just stuck with Dubois and left well enough alone.

Maybe the C-U-B on Dusty's jersey stand for "Can't Understand Baseball." 0r, "Crying Until Bedtime." or "Consistently Underperforming Ballplayers." Or, or, or...jeez. I give up. Fuggeddaboudit. It hurts to much to nurse disappointment. So I have tickets to Fri Sept2 Cubs game here in Pittsburgh. Will somebody please give me something of interest to look for, some reason to pay attention and report back to TCR? Otherwise I'll probably just snooze and wait for the fireworks, the real reason we're going anyway. Sorry.

Well, Dave, at least PNC is one of the nicest parks in baseball, so you've got that to look forward to. And by then, The Cubs might be locked in an epic battle with Pittsburgh to avoid last place...

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s a fantastic deal for SF

  • 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?