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

Cubs Week In Quotations

I Bet You Didn't Use the Term Base-Clogging Even Once
"We talk about it. On-base percentage. We've been doing a better job. What can I say? Two of our new additions, (Reed) Johnson and Fukudome, have done a nice job in that regard."
- Lou Piniella

"We're second in the league in runs scored to Arizona, and to me, you score runs, you win. On-base percentage, hitting with men in scoring position, left on base -- those are all byproducts of how many runs you score."
- Lou Piniella

Moneyball was So 2003
"That'd be a great thing if that was contagious, because then we'd be like the Oakland A's. The big thing there is on-base percentage. That means you have a lot of chances to score a lot of runs and put pressure on the other team consistently."
- Daryle Ward

Appreciating Our Moment In History
"I remember when we won 5,000. What an emotional day that was. We were so excited -- we realized we still had an uphill climb to 10,000."
- "Ninja" Ryan Dempster

"To be on the verge of that -- I've been here since the first one, and to get to 10,000, it's a long, hard struggle, and I'm looking forward to it."
- Ryan Dempster

"It's not about trophies. It's about wins."
- Ryan Dempster

"I stayed at home the other night and watched that "Cubs Forever" show," he said. "Every once in a while teams should be forced to watch stuff like that and realize how much it means to the city and to the ex-players that have been here, and how lucky we are to get a chance to put on the uniform and play in front of these people.
- Mark DeRosa

"It's cool to be a part of it and to get the win in the Cubs' 10,000th victory. There's a lot of history in Chicago. It's a lot of games without winning a championship."
- Kerry Wood

The Art of Winning Baseball
"What do I think?. My observation has been you've got a bunch of guys who are not talking about what they're doing individually. It's a pretty fun club to be a part of, obviously, because we're winning.
- Ted Lilly

"It's contagious. You get a couple runs on the board and everybody's pulling for each other. It's good to win like that, coming from behind. It's awesome. We were down, but we never give up. We keep fighting."
- Geovany Soto

"When you play the way we're playing, guys pick you up, and instead of everybody interviewing you about the blown save, they're interviewing the guy who got the game-winning hit,"
-Kerry Wood

"If chemistry did it, we'd go down to St. Anthony's and get 25 choirboys, and they'd all get along real well. You've got to play on the field."
- Lou Piniella

Getting Ahead of Ourselves
"We have a good team, and we're expected to win. It's going to be a big deal [to get 100 wins] but not as big as it would be for fans. I know Lou, and I know he expects us to play well. Who knows, we could possibly win 100 this year. That'd be nice."
- Daryle Ward

"Early in the year, you want to win games and win series. I don't look at the standings early in the year."
- Lou Piniella

"It always feels good to be in first place, but now the tough part is to stay there."
- Ryan Dempster

"We have everything this year, believe me. We can go all the way to … where we want."
- Carlos Zambrano

"This is a long season. Let's not get all crazy about this thing. Let's just stay cautionary and let's just keep playing good baseball, that's all."
- Lou Piniella

"We're thinking about the World Series. I think we'll be OK if we keep playing like that."
- Ronny Cedeno

"As long as he doesn't talk World Series, I'm happy."
- Lou Piniella responding to Cedeno's hot start

But Does He Have to Carry the Pink Backpack?
"I don't really consider Fukudome a rookie. I didn't consider Ichiro [Suzuki] a rookie when he was in Seattle either. [Fukudome and Suzuki] are good, seasoned, professional baseball players."
- Lou Piniella

"Technically, they are [rookies], but it'd be like sending Alex Rodriguez to play in Japan and having him win Rookie of the Year over there. That's the way I look at it. You enjoy these kids, because they come here and play well, but myself, I don't consider them rookies. I consider them good, professional baseball players."
- Lou Piniella

A .175 Batting Average Says Otherwise
"Hitting is not a problem. My problem is running and doing quick stops in the field."
- Alfonso Soriano

On the Job Training
"Felix is not a prospect anymore. He's got to find a way to survive and put it all together."
- Dave Keller, Cubs Minor League Hitting Coordinator

"I think it's been a week since I've got a hit. It's a good feeling, something in my life I'll never forget."
- Felix Pie after his HR versus the Mets earlier this week.

The Evolution of Z
"I played with one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball, Greg Maddux, and he told me one time he preferred to throw more sinkers, more (pitches with) movement, than velocity."
- Carlos Zambrano

That's Cute, Cover Up for Mr. Scrappy
" I don't know whether it would've been a double play or not. I think Theriot tried to really hurry the play. Tulowitzki can get down the line fairly good. But I just can't use my short people every [game]."
- Lou Piniella on Theriot's blunder on Thursday.

Trade Secrets
"I got the green light on both of them. The last one was a no-brainer. You've got to go right there. The first one, I saw changeup. I saw the grip, and I was going."
-Ryan Theriot on getting caught at third base on a steal attempt

"Mechanically, if you do everything well, the ball will have more accuracy to second base. It's just how you work with your legs. If you stay open, the upper half will stay open, and if you close up nicely the only way you have to go is straight to second. It's just a matter of having good mechanics so you can throw it right on the money."
- Geovany Soto

"A lot of good things are happening that are basically not noticed by the casual fan, and let me tell you a couple of them. One, the pitchers are slide-stepping against us a lot more. Two, infielders are holding runners, which are creating more holes. And catchers are calling more fastballs."
- Lou Piniella

"We expect Fontenot to put the ball in play. What are they (bench players) there for, to keep them for 14 innings? Try to get the game over in the eighth inning. We had every chance in the world to do it. We just didn't get it done."
- Lou Piniella

The Catch
"Unbelievable. It was the best play I've ever seen in person, maybe, the best play ever."
- Ryan Theriot on Johnson's catch

"What a great play," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "It's as nice a play as you want to see. The way he not only caught the ball and slid almost headfirst into the wall and when his cap came up -- you're not going to see a nicer catch than that."
-Lou Piniella

"At Wrigley, they might have had to call time out to find his head in the vines,"-
-Lou Piniella

"[DeRosa] and Kerry were standing there, staring at each other. [DeRosa] didn't say anything. I wish I would've hung out a little longer. I was getting up to see if everything was intact first. He said he saw a white streak coming out of nowhere."
-Reed Johnson

"I knew once I landed, I was going to have to kind of like curl up and turn away from the wall, and I had time to do that, too. … That's one of the nicer plays I've made."
-Reed Johnson

Let Me Suggest thecubreporter.com, for all your Cubs Information Needs
"Last winter I saw my name on the Internet, that they possibly would trade me. But I went through spring training relaxed, thinking, 'If they trade me, OK. If they don't, I'll just deal with the facts.' I'm happy to stay here because it's where I started my career."
- Ronny Cedeno

And the Rest...
"Whatever it is, I guarantee it's better than the old one. I'll probably enjoy it more on Saturday when I get a chance to go look at it and all. I always enjoy going to new parks, too, because they're always nice -- see the little nuances and neat things like that."
- Ryan Dempster on visiting the new Nationals Park

"Killed my average,"
- Bob Howry after a failed bunt attempt earlier this week

"I've never seen a guy strike out eight times in eight at-bats. This is a first."
-Lou Piniella on Geovany Soto's double golden sombrero

Comments

"The first one, I saw changeup. I saw the grip, and I was going." which is the key to his baserunning...the klesko style of stealing...cerebral. theriot is fast, but not THAT fast. he's a 20-30sb guy partially because of his speed, but i'd wager a chunk of that was his attention to the guy he's stealing off of.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I'd agree. Cedeno and Pie are both faster, but they don't seem to have any base stealing know-how yet. Theriot displayed some smarts on the paths last year as he stole bases fairly effectively, but he's not fast enough to be a 40-50 SB guy. Then again, he's been caught 5 times already this year, which is not so good.

[ ]

In reply to by Vince

that's where the "he's not THAT fast" thing comes in. he's not got a lot of give/take in his natural skills (speed) department to lose cuz while the cerebral running is nice, you need the legs as a precursor. honesly, im surprised he's even made 11 attempts...i really dont picture him as the type that can/should attempt 60+ attempts a season.

the Wall Street Journal reports Mars and Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) were close to a pact to acquire Wm. Wrigley Jr. (WWY) for more than $22 bln, according to people familiar with the matter. The transaction was expected to be announced as early as Monday, the people said. Both companies declined to comment. Terms of the deal weren't immediately clear, but Wrigley has a stock market value of about $17.3 bln and it appeared that the buyers were prepared to offer a rich premium. Under one scenario under discussion, Berkshire would likely provide financing to Mars for the deal and become a stakeholder in Wrigley, according to people close to the deal. ================ Naming rights for the Wrigley Building? Can the State of Illinios be interested in the Wrigley Building too? or will Sam Zell now squeeze Warren Buffet (a Cub Hug?) to pay for naming rights for WF?

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

Thank you for elaborating on my sarcasm. Anyone else care to extend my dry wit?

Recent comments

  • 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!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.