Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Garrett Cooper
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Rule 5 Draft Update

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

The Toronto Blue Jays have designated RHP Randy Wells for assignment.

Wells was selected by the Jays from the Cubs AAA Iowa roster in the Major League phase of the MLB Rule 5 Draft last December, and although he pitched well enough in Spring Training to earn a slot on Toronto's Opening Day 25-man roster, he finally got caught in a numbers game

The Jays now have ten days to either trade or outright Wells, although they actually have to do something with him within eight days because it takes two days for a player to clear waivers.

If the Blue Jays trade Wells to another club, the new club assumes the Rule 5 obligations (player must remain on the club's 25-man roster for the entire 2008 season).

If the Jays can't find a trading partner, they will place him on Outright Assignment Waivers, and if he goes unclaimed, the Cubs will have the opportunity to reacquire Wells for $25,000 (half the Rule 5 Draft price). If the Cubs choose not to reclaim Wells, the Blue Jays get to keep him, and he is automatically outrighted to the minors.

But the Cubs historically always take back Rule 5 players if they get the chance (Dubois, Szuminski, Hagerty, Mateo, Holdzkom, and Campusano), so if they are given the opportunity to reacquire Wells, they almost certainly will.  

Also, RHP Tim Lahey was Designated for Assignment by the Phillies last Saturday, and the Phils will need to trade Lahey by this weekend or else place him on Outright Assignment Waivers.

Lahey was the #1 pick in the 2007 Rule 5 Draft, as the Tampa Bay Rays selected the big right-hander from the Minnesota Twins AAA Rochester club. Then immediately after the draft, the Rays sold the rights to Lahey to the Cubs for $100,000 (twice the Rule 5 Draft price).

The rubber-armed Lahey showed some flashes of upside in Spring Training, but he is still a bit raw (a converted catcher, he's only been pitching for two years), and the Cubs didn't have a spot for him on the 25-man roster. So he was placed on Outright Assignment Waivers two weeks ago, just before the start of the regular season.

Lahey was claimed off waivers by Philadelphia (with the Phillies assuming the Rule 5 obligations), but got into no games with the Phillies before being Designated for Assignment last Saturday to make room on the 25-man roster for Brad Lidge, who was reactivated from the DL at that time.

Just as with Wells and the Jays, the Phillies have 10 days to either trade or outright Lahey, but if they don't trade him, they have to place him on Outright Asignment Waivers within eight days, because it takes two days for a player to clear waivers. If Lahey does clear waivers this time, then he must be offered back to the Twins.

And if Lahey was in fact the tentative PTBNL in the Craig Monroe deal, then the Twins will certainly opt to reclaim Lahey, and if that happens, then he can be traded to the Cubs.

One thing to remember about MLB Rule 6 (the rule that governs the disposition of Rule 5 players who are not retained on a 25-man roster) is that if the player clears waivers and his original club takes him back, he is automatically outrighted back to the AAA club from which he was drafted. He is NOT placed on the club's 40-man roster.  

So if the Cubs do reclaim Wells from TOR and/or reacquire Lahey from MIN, both would initially be assigned outright to AAA Iowa, and would not have to be added to the Cubs 40-man roster. However, both Wells and Lahey (if they were to be reacquired by the Cubs) would be candidates for recall later this season, and both would likely be added to the Cubs 40-man roster by the end of the season.  

It would be nice to have arms like Wells and Lahey at Iowa to provide the Cubs some additional middle-relief depth for later in the season.

Tags
Rule 5 draft
Tim Lahey
Randy Wells

Comments

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:29 pm

Lahey and Wells should be welcome additions/re-acs to the organ-I-zation at this point. Wood Howry Eyre Lieber Dempster Are all free agents after this season. As the Sox's signings of the immortals Dotel/Linebrink show us. The cost of Relief pitching on the Free Agent market is beyond prohibitive at this point. I do imagine that Dempster and Howry will be Type A free agents at season's end. Wood will probably be a type B free agent. If enough of the Piggy,Ceda,Roquette,Mateo,Lahey,Wells,Petrick could make the jump next year. Then the cubs could theoretically get a HUGE boost of high level talent into the farm system next summer.

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Submitted by DC Tom on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:36 pm

Of that list, I only see Howry as leaving against our wishes, to a team that may promise him a closer job. I think Wood will resign, I would not miss Eyre and Lieber much. And lord knows what the valuation for Dempster will be. But you're right on the point--middle relievers are better made, not bought.

Submitted by DC Tom on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:30 pm

It would be good to have both. Both of them have potential. As a converted cacther, Lahey, it seems, is a victim of this rule. Too raw to be on a major league roster but too much minor league experience to be parked in AA or AAA. I hope his travels end soon, it cannot be good for his development to be shuttled around like this. Of the two, however, I think it's possibly Lahey could get claimed off waivers by yet another team.

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:33 pm

looking at the utter nonsense speculative CRAP that came outta both the santana and bedard trade rumors i'm not really surprised. the santana ones got so absurd and out-there that once he finally was traded people were screaming about how the twins got ripped off...then the whole "oh yeah, someone's gotta turn around and pay this guy 1/10th billion dollars to retain him after getting him" sunk in...

Submitted by navigator on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:34 pm

5th inning, Reds have just tied the game 1-1 on a Paul Bako double. Runners on 2nd and 3rd (Hatteburg) with one out. The pitcher (Harang) at the plate with hot hitting (4 HR) Corey Patterson due up next. Dusty Baker calls for a squeeze bunt/double steal. What was he thinking? 0-1, Harang misses the 83 mph slider down and away (0-2) and Hatteburg is a dead duck. Bako safe at third. Harang then strikes out to end the inning. duh

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:09 pm

Dusty's greatest managerial success came at the same time, in the same city as Billy Beane was rising to prominence. You know it had to really dig at Dusty personally that some "schmuck" that wasn’t half the ballplayer he was. Was all the sudden stealing his Bay Area limelight. I always suspected that this is why Dusty did/does try so hard to go against the modern baseball grain so vigorously. I imagine Dusty was probably a better manager in the late 90's before he had such an old school baseball way of doing, axe to grind.

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:15 pm

i still believe its players that make a team and the overpaid babysitter is just a guy. i dont think dusty tried hard to go against the grain, its just that the limelight in the media of the "new kinda baseball" goes against what dustbag's always done. for all the talk of pitchers he ruined...he sent 1 to surgery his tenure in SF, a reliever. for all the talk of kids he didnt play...you dont hear much about the ones he did play and the ones that didnt that went on to play regularly...well, you dont hear much about them either cuz most never did. for all the talk about elderly men in suits who dont even pick up a bat or ball...meh...

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Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:22 pm

In San Fran you may have a point. Sabean has never really gotten around to building a farm system. In Chicago though. It seemed like Hendry/McFail were always building teams around "Dusty guys". Fast,versitile,good bunting middling vets. Maybe if Dusty were a little more open to playing kids. We would have a better idea of what kind of future was in store for the Cedeno's, Theriot's,Murton's of the world.

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:27 pm

dusty's the guy who actually played murton. he got 1/2 the AB's last year and is in AAA this year. dusty's the guy who "let theriot in" at the end of his tenure and besides, its theriot...he hits singles, he occasionally walks, he plays average D...he's "good enough" and cedeno...dusty played him a full season. i just don't get all the piling on dustbag that don't hold up to history. his career is full of criticism that just don't add up looking at results. hell, i'm glad he's gone, but he don't deserve most of the hell he gets.

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:54 pm

hendry put those guys in the equation. hell, hairston was actually a bright spot on the club compared to the production of the rest aside from some baserunning. if todd "ow" walker could have managed to not miss 2 months a year that would helped. when you got a choice between neifi, bynum, and cedeno you're never gonna win as a manger. he played "the kid" and still "lost". he could play a vet and still lose the mental game of the fans, too. its flavors of suck...

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:17 pm

If Hairston was a bright spot then Walker was a star. Virtually same nubmer of at-bats in 2005 and Walker's OPS+ was 112, compared to Hairston's 82. And what I remember most about Hairston was that he thought he was fast but wasn't. 8 SB with 9 CS is atrocious.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:01 pm

Cubs fans still talkin' about Dusty, funny shit!!! Hey guys move on, you got the next greatest old school manager at the helm right now...:)

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Submitted by big_lowitzki on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:28 pm

I agree with you, at least on the Dusty part. Dusty was the Cubs' manage 2 years ago. I am not really sure how he is relevant to the Cubs now, unless the Cubs are actually playing the Reds. Getting updates of Dusty's boneheadedness is getting old.

Submitted by vorare on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:06 pm

God, I'm sick of hearing about Dusty f'ing Baker. I dislike him as much as the next Cubs fan, but I'm going to stab myself in the eye with a spork if I keep reading analysis of every move he makes. Can we at least save that for when we're actually playing his team?

Submitted by Dmac on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:04 pm

Maybe we can all agree that Dusty did the monster managerial suck of all time during the playoffs vs. the Marlins. My wife still remembers me screaming at the TV screen, pleading with Dusty to please go out to the farkin' mound and calm Prior down (not to mention telling Alou to keep his panties from twisting into a knot as well). You know, do something of value in that situation, which is what would usually be expected from a decent manager in a critical moment. But Dusty's ass stayed planted to the bench - unreal. His apologists came out in droves after that game, intimating that hey, you can only go with the players you have, and they're professionals and should be able to figure it out for themselves - but what the heck is a manager's job in the end?

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Submitted by billybucks on Thu, 04/10/2008 - 04:28 pm

I personally can never forgive batting Neifi 2nd becasue he was a "contact guy" --- a contact guy who had one of the worst OBPs in baseball.. However -- Dusty did manage a team that had Simon/Karros at first base (neither did anything afterwards), was mediocre at 2B, SS and catcher and had a nothing bullpen to within 5 outs of the WS. Best anyone has done in a long time.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s just kinda how it works though, for every team. No team plays their best guys all the time. No team is comprising of their best 26 even removing injuries.

    When baseball became a business, like REALLY a business, it became important to keep some of the vets happy, which in turn keeps agents happy and keeps the team with a good reputation among players and agents. No one wants to play for a team that has a bad reputation in the same way no one wants to work for a company that has a bad rep.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate it too. But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

    On that topic, I find it silly the Cubs brought up Canario to sit as much as he has. He’s going to get Velazquez’d, and it’s a shame.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Of course, McKinstry runs circles around $25 million man Javier Baez on that Tigers team. Guess who gets more playing time?

    But I digress…

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Seems like Jed was trying to corner the market on mediocre infielders with last names starting with "M" in acquiring Madrigal, Mastroboney and Zach McKinstry.  

     

    At least he hasn't given any of them a Bote-esque extension.  

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil:
    Rookie ball (ACL) starts on May 4th. Do yo think Ramon and Rosario (maybe Delgado) stay in Mesa for the month of May, then go to MB if all goes "solid"?
     

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I THINK I agree with that decision. They committed to Wicks as a starter and, while he hasn’t been stellar I don’t think he’s been bad enough to undo that commitment.

    That said, Wesneski’s performance last night dictates he be the next righty up.

    Quite the dilemma. They have many good options, particularly in relief, but not many great ones. And complicating the situation is that the pitchers being paid the most are by and large performing the worst - or in Taillon’s case, at least to this point, not at all.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Wesneski and Mastrobuoni to Iowa

    Taillon and Wisdom up

    Wesneski can't pitch for a couple of days after the 4 IP from last night. But Jed picked Wicks over Wesneski.

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