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

Like Neifi, Only More Expensive

Buried in a Sun-Sentinel article, this gem:
"The Braves and Cubs are among the teams that have contacted Marlins free agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez."
Yes, by all means let's have the Cubs' fallback position be one of the few shortstops Neifi looks good against. Gonzalez, career: 896 G, 245/291/391 Neifi, career: 1,262 G, 270/301/380

Comments

I do not buy that, and if they did call him Gonzales is probably no more than to make Furcal's camp think they have a "backup plan".

It's weird how similar Florida Alex is to ex-cub Alex; good glove, some pop, not much contact, hardly ever walks. I would rather go with Cedeno-Walker-Neifi than bring A-Gon II into the mix.

A friend of mine just called me and said that he heard the Yankees don’t think that they’ll get anything done with Matsui and that the Cubs are negotiating a deal for him right now! He's going to call me right back with more details.

Too be fair to Gonzalez...many of Neifi's ab's came in Colorado. Not that I am justifying the Cubs even thinking about Gonzalez, but I am not convinced that he is worse than Neifi! :)

crunch, who's this "friend" with inside information? i would love to see hideki in the of at wrigley. the cubs could use some WA.

Crunch, How relible of a source is your friend. I just checked some NYY blogs and there quiet. I am guessing we would trade Cpat and Walker who would fill in NYY 1st base problem.

why would we have to trade anyone? Matsui is a free agent.

Godzilla or Beernutz? BANZAI!!!

Nate, Matsui is still under contract. Since he has fewer than 6 yrs of MLB service time he can't become a free agent. According to AZ Phil if he did not come to terms w/ the Yanks he would then become a FA because a guy w/ a "no trade" clause cannot be claimed off waivers. The contractual dealine for a deal was Today, however according to the NY papers they can push back the deadline. I think he will re-up W/ the Yanks. I was throwing out that trade idea if what Crunch said was true. If Matsui can not come to a deal and if the NYY traded him I think he would refuse to sign a contract W/ that team and go on the market. Unless Matsui and not Nomar was the reason for Hendry's and Tellem's meeting during the GM meetings.

I don't think that was really Crunch reporting that. I think it was someone trolling as Crunch to get us all worked up. Congrats! I've checked out Matsui three times at work and am already dreaming of him in pinstripe blue.

for what it's worth - yesterday's news said: Nov 14 The Associated Press reports the New York Yankees and OF Hideki Matsui are near agreement on a four-year, $50 million contract.

someone's using my name up there fraudulently. if you're gonna try to be me at least try to look like i type.

I was afraid that was the case, Crunch. Too bad...

Okay, so they have Ronny Cedeno, but given that Dusty is managing the team, that means that a mediocre veteran will beat out a potentially good younger player. But on the other hand, they already have a mediocre veteran in Neifi!, so why the deuce would they need another mediocre veteran? I like a good hot stove rumor as much as the next guy, but I think this one might be in the same category as the "Yankees want Furcal to play CF" rumor. In other words, I suspect this story is the work of an agent trying to goose the asking price.

I don't come here for high end discourse but I do expect a little more maturity than posting under some one else's name. Can't you grow up, Mr. Posts Under Crunch's Handle?

It was just for kicks, dudes. All in good fun. Settle down! It's not like I just told you I killed your dogs or something...though I might tell you that later...

Settle down Handleboy and act like a contributing member of a blog. Or go back under the bridge you came from and feast on the bones of wandering travelers who answer questions incorrectly.

Chad, Why do you take it so personally that someone floated a bogus rumor? Did it ruin your day? Your life? Will you be able to move forward after the atrocity that has taken place on this blog this afternoon?

hey, i think i know who posted under crunch's handle...

Who? Me? Just because I find it to be relatively sad that Chad take such offense to a bogus rumor? Therefore it must be me? Yeah, Ok!

And let me clarify: Post all the bullshit you want. Just be man enough to put your own name to it.

And if someone doesn't put their own name by it do you really need to get so upset? Did it really ruin your entire day like you make it seem like?

Rock, don't you find it interesting though, that you take such offense to Chad taking such offense in a bogus rumor? chad, nice troll imagery, by the way!

Good point, Nate. Not interesting, but rather stupid on my part I must admit.

Obviously you guys obvioulsy didnt obviously the obviously before you obviously said that. Obviously.

Once again: I don't care about a bogus rumor. I just don't like trolls. Are we clear?

On the real Matsui stuff I am surprised they have not offically annouced a deal yet. Tellem is supposed to be going to Rome to attend some Vatican event Thursday. If they do not get a deal done by tommrrow night they will have to wait about a week to get a deal done.

The latest AP story (5:29 PM ET) says the Yankees expect to sign Matsui this evening.

We currently don't have a system to register your username, thus we rely on old-fashioned honesty. Start abusing it, we start banning folks. And knock off the bogus rumor crap, there's no reason for it.

I don't believe there is any reason for either side to rush. It isn't true that they have to have him done by some November date, right? So if they take a few more weeks - no big deal. By all accounts, he wants to be a Yank. This will get done. Oh, and he has a huge porn collection - it appears he used to swap tapes with the Japanese media back home - no joke!!!!

X - i heard that about Matsui's porn collection too... and of course you know why he's really called Godzilla, right? (acne scars)

X that November date is today. But both sides can agree to extend the date, and it appears that they will if nothing is announced today. How could anyone tell that Godzilla had acne?

Why does this need to be gone over every time Matsui is mentioned. He HAS to be signed by midnight tonight or he is placed on waivers the next morning or whatever. He will not be a free agent. This is how his contract is written. He also has a complete NO-TRADE clause in his contract. I expect Matsui to be signed at the 11th hour or else the Yanks lose him forever.

MikeC is right. The following is from today's Trib on-line by Ron Blum of the AP @ 5:11pm: "Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman hoped to reach an agreement by the end of the night, meeting the Nov. 15 deadline contained in Matsui's first contract with the Yankees. That deal stated that if there is no agreement by then, New York must place the outfielder on unconditional release waivers, which would mean the Yankees could not re-sign him until May 15." May 15 would effectively equal forever as MikeC said above.

Brian Cashman hoped to reach an agreement by the end of the night, meeting the Nov. 15 deadline contained in Matsui's first contract with the Yankees. That deal stated that if there is no agreement by then, New York must place the outfielder on unconditional release waivers, which would mean the Yankees could not re-sign him until May 15. No extension of a few days to work out a deal. Must be completed tonight, and again he will not be a free agent.

Mike C, While your right that he has to be put on waivers if he can not agree to a deal w/ the Yanks. He will be a free agent because as AZ Phil said this the other day: "The Yankees must place Hideki Matsui on outright release waivers if he does not sign a new contract by November 15th, but because he has a "no trade," he CANNOT be claimed by another club off waivers. So if the Yankees can't sign him, he will be an absolute unrestricted free-agent once he clears waivers and the Cubs would have as good a chance as any other club to sign him, presuming (of course) that he would be interested in playing for the Cubs (which he might not be)."

Ahhh Ranch beat me to it, I should of refreshed the thread before I posted. Ahh well good job my man. You get a cookie.

No Chifan. He has a complete No-Trade clause when he is being paid his 3 year deal. His 3 year deal is up at midnight tonight. He could be traded tonight but it is unlikely he would grant the Yankees the right to do that. No deal in place by midnight he goes to waivers. That is what his contract says and this is exactly what will happen. That would be effectively be the last action of his orginal contract.

as the trib article points out and a number of others now, they all claim that nov. 15th is a hard deadline. Who do you believe?

RobG. I know I am not shocked to see a reporter get the basic facts wrong about something. But whoever wrote that for NY News Day never looked at Matsui's contract because he can't be a free agent. And it can not be extended. It is a pretty cut and dry issue. He is either signed or he goes to waivers. I don't know where alot of you are getting they can just ignore parts of his contract just for the hell of it. The MLB players union would raise holy hell if that happened. And it is not like the Yankees have had no time to talk with Matsui. They have had plenty of time.

all the reports state Matsui is a free agent if he doesn't sign, no way in hell Tellem negotiated a deal where Matsui could be claimed off waivers by any team.

Rob G, I am not a law expert but I do believe that if both parties of a contract want to change the terms of a contract that is their right just like a contract extension.

granted, so far I've only found one story that backs up that the deadline can be extended, so I'm not putting a lot of faith in that. anyway rotoworld is now claiming a 4/52 deal to be agreed upon tonight. Mute point. Tellem's going to Rome tomorrow as is, he wasn't going to let it linger. I'd prefer Brian Giles anyway.

Three questions: 1.) Is it possible that if both sides agree to change the contract such that the deadline is extended, what would they have to do to get that done? Get Gene Orza on the horn? Selig? Who/what? 2.) Is it possible that the extension is unofficial? Could it be that Matsui will grant the Yanks exclusive bargaining rights until the extension runs out? 3.) Since when did a complaint imply a ruined day? I've had lots of days where i called people out, told them they were doing something wrong, and asked them to stop doing it. Many of those days were fabulous... not because of the interactions described above, but in spite of them.

haha, I heard Keith Olbermann talking about Matsui's extensive porn collection on Dan Patrick's radio show and how the Japanese fans and media think that's the coolest thing in the world. I think that's the real reason Hendry/MacPhail want him so bad. They seem like the kind of guys that would need that sort of "entertainment". Plus Hendry and MacPhail just bought new BMWs from a friend of mine's dealership so they're going to need to save some money. I guess Hendry feels pretty confident that he's going to get extended here or will have offers floating in next season.

Shawngoldman, To anwser your 1st two questions. 1. The contract is between Matsui and the Yankees. If they agree to change the terms of that contract that is their right. The only way the MLBPA could get invloved is if the value of the contract went down. 2. If your asking if they can fake a contract agreement the answer would be no. The would have to file the contract w/ selig.

No, i mean just do it unofficially. It could just be that Matsui is going to tell Tellem not to pick up the phone unless its Brian Cashman calling, until the extension is over, at which point they would begin negotiating with other teams.

ShawnGoldman, No they can not do that. The reason is because Matsui does not have 6 years of service time so he has no right to free agency. The only way he can get FA status is by clearing waivers. Once you put him on waivers you can not get him back for awhile I do believe. On your point about taking other offers I am sure when Tellem has talked to GM's about his other clients (Nomar) he has asked how much would you pay for Matsui if he were a FA so he could have a sense of Matsui's worth would be on the open market.

matsui crap aside...he'll pull his 12+m from someone (paid for more reasons than just his baseball worth...its nice to be the premiere power guy standing alone as a face of MLB only peered by ichiro to a 1st world nation full of expendable loot).... matsui can pretty much only play LF...and not too well. as much as some people may want to believe murton could play RF...well...cliff floyd could technically play RF, too, but i doubt anyone would want that glove/arm in RF. so you got a guy who's gonna draw 12+m easy for 4-5 years who can only play LF, pretty much.

Doesn't matter folks, NY Times just reported that Matsui just signed a 4/$51 deal.

Alex Gonzalez?!?!?! Why do I waste my time cheering for this turd sandwich of a baseball team. Why did I have to be born a Cub fan?

I am surprised no one is suggesting Alex Gonzalez was a former steroid user. 2003 (18 HR) and 2004 (23 HR) he looked on his way to developing his power. 2005 when every man and his brother are looking for illegal substances and he goes back to hitting 5 HR a year. If there is a prime suspect for speculation, Alex Gonzalez would be exhibit #1.

today's chatter is the price of free agent outfielders...what are they worth? With Matsui getting $13M for 4yrs the bar is being set, or is it? This is making BGiles look like a bargain! My only hope is he's not a Cardinal when the smoke clears, but of course that's were he will land. Sigh. Matsui $13M Damon $12M (asking is one thing, getting another) Giles $10M from Newsday: The Yankees were discouraged by Scott Boras' asking price of $84 million over seven years for Johnny Damon, so they will look seriously at signing Brian Giles with the thought of using a rotation in centerfield. The Yankees are thinking about offering Giles, 34, close to $30 million for three years

Jayson Stark on ESPN (Mike & Mike) this am said the Cubs will offer Furcal a 5 yr deal and believes that Atlanta won't offer that long a contract. I doubt the Tribsters will offer 5 yrs. Remember, the Tribune motto is: "Avoid Risk" Alex Gonzalez? what's next Jeff Conine in RF? Ugh.

Bill Mueller is very quietly on the market. He took some 2B reps in Boston. Why isn't this being considered as a possibility so they can blow their cash wad pursuing a Damon or Giles?

Recent comments

  • 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. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!