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

Earth-Shattering News

The World Series can't end soon enough so we can start concentrating on the Hot Stove. Anyway Alan Trammell got the bench coach gig as has been rumored. He'll also be an infield instructor. I believe the staff currently under Piniella is Rothschild as pitching coach, Trammell as bench coach/infield instructor and Mike Quade in an undetermined role (probably first or third base coach). We still need a hitting coach, bullpen coach and another base coach I believe, although originially someone mentioned that Chris Speier was coming back, but with Trammell in the mix taking over infield duties, this might make Speier's come back a little less likely. The only other bit of news is that Brandon Sing, Luis Montanez and Nic Jackson have opted to become minor league free agents. And cross Jamie Moyer off the available pitchers list as well. Hurry up with this World Series already!

Comments

Damn that is awesome to have Alan Trammell as the infield instructor. Very nice.

I'm a little sorry to see that Jamie Moyer has sign with the Phillies. I hesitated to say anything about it (for fear of being ridiculed), but I was hoping that Moyer was on the Cubs FA radar. Even at 43, Moyer is an effective pitcher who is almost a lock to pitch 200+ innings. Oh well, the Cubs will have to look elsewhere for a #4-5 starter.

2 years for Moyer? I am very glad that the Cubs did not give two years to Moyer. Then again, if Moyer is allowed to use pine tar like Rogers, he may have two more years in him.

So much for teams not allowed to make any managerial/player/coaching announcements during the WS. I guess with the whole Kenny Rogers so visabally cheating in the World Series, Selig would like any other news story to talk about but that, so he might even be encouraging other news now. I expect the great news of the signing of the Collective Bargaining Agreement to be front and center the rest of the week to deflect some of the Rogers embarassment.

Speaking of the World Series... I realized today that rooting against the Cardinals means rooting for Neifi Perez to get a World Series ring. ouch

Tramell and Lou Pa? That's going to be one surly clubhouse. That must take the shine off Girardi's day, with Trammell looking like heir apparent. Looking a bit ahead, I know. How about Maddux for pitching coach? What?

Tram basically has two years to see if he can position himself to succeed Piniella if Lou wants to retire after 2009. If Tram doesn't see himself succeeding Lou or if it looks like Lou wants to re-up here, Tram can go elsewhere after 2008. Hendry and Ram's agent to negotiate today. Hendry has a full wallet and absolutely no leverage, which is very bad for these kinds of discussions.

Seamhead: "Hendry and Ram's agent to negotiate today. Hendry has a full wallet and absolutely no leverage, which is very bad for these kinds of discussions." Yeah, ARam has Hendry over a barrel, no question, but it is good to see them talking. Hendry has to resign him, the only question is for how much. If the deal is signed at $15 million per year or less I will be thrilled!!!

I can see that. 15 million. Of course, we could have had Vlad for 15 million a few seasons ago. Talk about a bargain.

Is there a message board out there that doesn't mention the overrated pine tar issue?

"Damn that is awesome to have Alan Trammell as the infield instructor. Very nice." Why?

Is there a message board out there that doesn't mention the overrated pine tar issue? Goddamn he was a CHEATER Carlos, I want you to acknowledge it!!!!!!! He should have been tossed after the first, I think that's where the issue is....

Dusty and Tim: Made for Each other! "From 2002 ALCS: Yankees vs. Angels following a Jason Giambi walk: "Giambi walks too much. He's always clogging up the bases with all that walking." - Jeremy Lechan, Natick, MA"

>>>I can see that. 15 million. Of course, we could have had Vlad for 15 million a few seasons ago. Talk about a bargain. Of course...and we could have seen Tejada in a Cub uniform as well. But, of course, the geniuses running the team don't understand sunk costs...Can't afford Tejada when we're overpaying Alex Gonzalez for one more season...

Yeah, and I agree Rob, but the fact that he pitched even better after the first inning, after Marquez talked to him, etc and also that he hadn't been using pine tar in the previous 13 scoreless innings thrown -- makes it a little easier not to judge Rogers. Also, I recall an incident with Julian Tavarez last year, in which he wasn't ejected from the game after he was caught using pine tar located on his cap. He was given a small warning and they gave him a new cap. It's just that comments like "if Moyer is allowed to use pine tar like Rogers, he may have two more years in him" piss me off. I know it was a joke, and I did laugh, but it's not fair to judge Rogers after he was only caught with dirt (and I'm quoting the chief umpire) on his throwing hand. He's not stupid, he knows Fox has ten thousand different camera angles. Where's the sense in risking getting ejected during a World Series game you started? He might be senile, but he's definitely not stupid. Now, the way LaRussa, Van Slyke, Leyland and company reacted? That's fishy.

"Texas Rangers SP John Koronka allowed nine runs, eight of them earned, in five innings pitched in two games last week for Grand Canyon of the AFL." ow.

Carlos, You do know that there are pictures of him with "dirt" (sure) on his hand during those other 13 scoreless innings right?

well not sure if I'm ready to say Rogers isn't stupid, but he had the EXACT SAME CLUMP OF DIRT on his hand the other 2 playoff games and he wears a cap that no one else on the team wears, which happens to have a black underbill instead of the light grey that everyone else has. Things that make you go hmmmm..... I'm sure he's on the up and up though, he seems like a standup guy otherwise :) as for tavarez, if you're talking about this incident, he got ejected and suspended 10 games http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?p=190978 Rogers cheated, he should have been ejected, how much it affected what he did doesn't matter. Shall we start passing out cork bats to everyone and HGH-filled needles cause we're not sure of their effects? Yeah, I didn't think so....

VINCE: I didn't know. Can you post them, or give me a link? And if he was "caught" with dirt on his pitching hand during the OAK/NYY games, why didn't said teams protest? Why didn't anyone make a deal about it? Why didn't Brennemann... okay, I'll stop. But yeah, I didn't know. And I still don't know. NOTE: I'm not a Rogers apologist. I actually hate the guy. I just hate people (including myself) jumping into conclussions.

how is John Koronka in the AFL? thought they had rules against that...

ROB: In the game I watched, he wasn't ejected. It was probably one of the other two games in which Tavarez's cap was investigated and taken away. But thanks for clarifying.

He had pine tar on his hand, there is no jumping to conclusions. If it was dirt, then when he went and washed it off, didn't it come off? What kind of soap do they have up there in DET? he had the same spot on his hand the other starts in the postseason, ESPN showed it last night. They guy is a cheater, just add him to the LONG list in MLB history.

I sort of made this point in the other thread, and was (sadly) reaffirmed by John Kruk on last night's SportsCenter. If you're starting the second game of the World Series, you're going to know what is and what isn't on your pitching hand. That's no accident, whatever it is. Be it dirt, pine tar, or poo from a tragic accident in the clubhouse bathroom. I do think it's pine tar, but I can't be sure. It's feasible that what you are seeing is dirt that came off the rosin bag when he used it and it stuck to pine tar on his hand. At that point, you can't exactly wipe it off on your home white pants. Also, go outside and try to get dirt on just that part of your hand without any other part of your hand. Once you do that, then do it two more times on accident. Then you'll convince me that I haven't pulled out my Jump To Conclusions mat.

Rogers has been pitching great baseball for the last two months. Check out his ERA for August and Septemeber. This whole issue on Rogers is such a non-issue. Pitchers doctor baseballs and the sun rises everyday. Whoop de freakin do. Legend has it that when Don Sutton met Gaylord Perry, Perry handed him some vaseline, Sutton said thank-you and then handed Perry some sandpaper. Hell Sutton's nick namewas "Black and Decker." It is a long held, hard to prove tradition in major league baseball with tips and tricks passed down through 100 years of trying. It is one thing to be cute and try and slip some vaseline on a ball, an entirely other thing to inject your body with human growth hormone to cheat the system. An ump can go out at any time and check the pitcher. What can an ump do about steroids? Hold up the game while he is waiting for test to come back?

so if people just masked the steroids and HGH a little better, it would be okay? Gotcha... cheating is cheating, if you get caught, you should pay the consequences. It's not that hard to understand. If you don't get caught, more power to you for outsmarting the system.

cheating is cheating, if you get caught, you should pay the consequences. It's not that hard to understand. If you don't get caught, more power to you for outsmarting the system. Exactly Rob.....and he wasn't caught. It doesn't matter what Sportscenter picked up, he has to be caught in a game, and he hasn't. That is why this whole thing is meaning less.

There is absolutely no relation between the effects/consecuences of HGH/anabolic steroids and pine tar. Sure, both are considered cheating, but the best effect pine tar can cause is a better grip of the ball. HGH/AS transform your body and the way you physically play sports.

"Exactly Rob.....and he wasn't caught." No, actually he was caught and told to wash it off.

"No, actually he was caught and told to wash it off." Nope. He was not. And I quote again: "There was no formal request made as far as Kenny Rogers being inspected," Palermo said. "It was just detected that there was a noticeable dirt mark of some sort on his left hand, his pitching hand, and after the first inning, I believe it was, Alfonso Marquez ... just asked Kenny to remove the dirt, so there wouldn't be any question as far as any controversy."

well fair enough Mike, but i'm still confused on what the umps and Larussa were all talking about. I'm not saying they should retroactively go back and take the games away, I'm saying he should have been ejected yesterday.

http://tinyurl.com/yhw7r Trib is taking nonbinding bids for the company and trying to figure out what to do... someone with more business savy can explain all this, it still seems like they're just testing the market, but on the other hand, not a normal everyday occurrence to take bids on your company.

Rob G., More analysis on this can be found at Chuck's page, http://ivychat.blogspot.com/. He's followed this story pretty consistently for a while now, so i usually hit up his page when something like this surfaces. According to him, to close a sale by the end of the year would require an agreement on price very soon. Stay tuned, this could be the biggest offseason news for Cubs fans in a generation...

And this is why Tinyurl sucks. Rob it links to a picture of Oakland and Boston from the 2003 playoffs.

he probably was cheating, but carlos is right, y'all are still jumping to conclusions, or concussions even. Will Carroll speculated that "the gunk is the spray that trainers put under tape."

NATE: Haha, I just noticed my typo. Anyway, the local radio sports show (obviously, here in Mexico) speculated that the "dirt" might have been ink from the marker he uses to cover the "sandwich part" between the top and bottom parts of the cap. Silly radio guys.

More analysis on this can be found at Chuck's page, http://ivychat.blogspot.com/. He's followed this story pretty consistently for a while now, so i usually hit up his page when something like this surfaces. there are other Cubs blogs out there? I didn't notice.... j/k

TV ratings don't matter that much, MLB alreadys got their huge TV deal and no matter who the participants are, the longer the series goes, the higher the ratings. The 2000 NY series was one of the lower rated ones of the last few years. There's a lot of mediums that Nielsen isn't catching these days anyway (sports bars, apartment complexes, Internet, Tivo, etc). Weisman of Dodger Thoughts has a good piece on this over at SI.com

Maybe that's why they're throwing Rogers to the wolves with this pine-tar thing, to create some drama. Maybe Selig should see if both teams will paint their faces like clowns. They could also let a bull run loose in the outfield. That's sure to get an audience. I don't think the ratings mean a thing. Start the Series mid-week when many more people are home. That will help the ratings a good deal and it won't be setup for (potentially) two Saturday night games.

If ratings have been falling consistently for years now (except the 2004 WS), why was the latest MLB postseason/weekends package auction a true bidding war? Are they betting on a true marquee series, a la SF Giants vs Yankees in the near future? Maybe Cubs - A's? Otherwise, paying the money TBS and Fox paid for a package that is ultimately a crapshoot, seems a little bit silly to me.

it still guarantees a great demo in young male viewers and gives a huge boost to your other programming. Primetime TV as a whole has massively dropped. From what I've read, baseball as a whole is making a lot more money these days. And Fox has in the new deal that the World Series must start on a Tuesday from now on, fwiw. here's the weisman article btw http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/jon_weisman/10/23/ws.rati…

So Rogers is a pine tar user and Pujols is on hgh so it all evens out in the end. If you didn't catch LaRussa's PC today he acknowledged that many pitchers use a little pine tar when it's cold or raining out, so that's why he didn't make a big stink about it, that and he knows his slugger is a juicer. Unless you're jamming the stuff in the seams it's not going to make very much difference as seen by his performance after he washed the crap off his hands.

He was officially ask to clean off his hand. that is getting caught and having something happen to him. He was not thrown out or suspended but when the home plate umpire asks you to clean the shit off your hand you got busted.

post #48 is the worst, most wrong post I have ever read. Even worse than Cubfan. OK maybe not that bad.

With all due respect, JOEC, your Pujols assumption is one of the most baseless, stupid remarks made about him that I've ever read.

that's fine, Chad you've proven your word means little by blindly backing Sosa and I know Pujols is a fan favorite, but just look at some of the stuff that's come out about him over the last year, first his trainer having steroid ties, lately his strange mood swings that even his teammates have questioned (noticed that he's now doing bat flips and his insulting a future 300 game winner and HOFer)and now apparently he's in the midst of some personal confrontation with a writer from the STLPD on these matters where he's simply reporting what Pujols or his teammates have said. Mark my words, when MLB gets an hgh test within the next 2 years or so you'll see his numbers take a nosedive. Also note that the 3 stories that have been published in regard to an individual's eyesight that have tested off the charts are Bonds, Giambi, Brian Roberts and Pujols. Notice a trend? hgh's most powerful upside is improved eyesight over even muscular strength or rehabilitation timetables. If you disagree with me that's fine, it's just my opinion, get over yourselves.

The problem Joe is not you allegations of Pujols' alleged steroid use. The problem is your supposition that LaRussa said nothing about it since his guys cheat too, he doesn't want to call the pot black. That is totally made up and just stupid.

Re: 48: Well if that is Larussa's explanation, it pretty much sounds like.. "yeah he was using pine tar but Jeff Weaver's been stuffing sandpaper down his pants this whole playoffs and I'd prefer they not check him"

Oh come now with the "hurry the Series up" order. I'm sure last year you (and I) soaked in every moment, even tho it went the minimum.

"Hendry professes to believe the team is a contender. Piniella seems to think so also. Theyíre all dreaming. Itís a bad team, getting worse." what a whiner. yes, there were some good points, and some speculative points, and some points that point to abosolutely nothing in the article, but c'mon...who is this guy? he'd have no problem getting a job with Da' Score.

Maybe Kenny Rodgers just doesn't know how to wipe his ass...thus, the reoccuring 'dirt' on his hands.

does anyone really care if Rogers is cheating against STL? I hope he is and agree with Rob... If LaRussa isn't making a stink, there's probably a good reason why.

I just want to know when we're gonna start focusing on pitching. I think that needs to be our top priority.

Pine tar, blah blah, let's move on with life. JoeC: ...Pujols is on hgh... Really? Can we get Freddie Bynum high on hgh, then?

Seamhead: Hendry and Ram's agent to negotiate today. Hendry has a full wallet and absolutely no leverage, which is very bad for these kinds of discussions. It's times like this I am glad it's not my money. Pay the man. Then get Schmidt and pitcher x. If you have money left for Soriano, by all means...

*does anyone really care if Rogers is cheating against STL? I hope he is and agree with Rob... If LaRussa isn't making a stink, there's probably a good reason why.* Finally, someone talking sense. LaRussa has captained some of the dirtiest ships in the history of the fucking game. Juicers like Canseco, McGwire--and obviously, Poo-holes. [Come on, the guy is an undrafted nobody and suddenly a couple years later he's slicing opposite field home runs every 3.4 at bats? Give me a break]. Drug addicts like Dave Parker. Junkballers like Tavarez & Rick Honeycutt. Carpenter's lid even looked pretty god-damned dirty in the NLCS. LaRussa didn't make a stink out of it because he doesn't want the same scrutiny on his team. And quite frankly, so long as the Tigers beat the Cardinals, we shouldn't care how many rules they break. We're talking about the Cardinals, here, for pete's sake.

*Tram basically has two years to see if he can position himself to succeed Piniella if Lou wants to retire after 2009. If Tram doesn't see himself succeeding Lou or if it looks like Lou wants to re-up here, Tram can go elsewhere after 2008.* Come on, now, you know they'll just *both* end up getting fired after a 95 loss season and go home in disgrace.

Brilliant title... Earth-Shattering News, lol. Gosh, I hate the off-season.

From Wikipedia- The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Pujols in the 13th round of the 1999 draft

Pujols went undrafted? Because there's no draft for players outside the US. Duh. Second, the links from Pujols to Grimsley's affadavit are pretty tenuous even if it's true and supposedly it wasn't even stuff he said, just stuff the prosecutor wanted him to say. Third, HGH doesn't alter moods the way steroids do.

In that same article Rob... Former Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker said yesterday that he hadn't heard from Bowden in a week, and it appears his candidacy is, at best, dormant. "It's the same situation," Baker said by phone. What? Another team not stumbling over themselves to hire this great manager? Shocking.

Slacker you're right, but I think Pujols went undrafted out of high school and weighed close to 275 lbs. Which takes us back to the David Wells statement, " I'm fat and your ugly but I can diet" !

The McFail article referenced in post 53 is interesting, however, the author's conclusion that he never found his own "andy mcfail" seems to leave out that he had plenty of opportunity to do so. I agree that the big diffence between the Twins and Cubs is that while the Twins have maintained a consistant philosophy over the past 2 decades, the Cubs are always looking short term and never put together a real long term strategy. But you've got to look at McFail for the failure to develope that long term strategy. McFail had a dozen years to implement one, and he had multiple GMs working for him. If he wasn't happy with their performance, he certainly could have made changes, but he didn't. McFail afterall is the same person who gave us Hendry's 2 year extension. Yes Hendry is a part of the problem, and he clearly is planning to keep going down the same road of trying to patch holes year to year instead of building a solid foundation to begin with. But we shouldn't forget that Hendry is McFail's boy, and McFail is the reason that we get to "look forward" to 2 more years of Hendry leading the Cubs.

Pujols' family emigrated to the United States in the 1990's, first to New York then to the midwest.

Actually Mr Dombrowksi gave us Jim Hendry in a roundabout way!!!

Actually Mr Dombrowksi gave us Jim Hendry in a roundabout way!!!

Rob G.: "Girardi is saving himself for the Yanks job apparently. He's taken himself out of the running for the Nats job." I brought up the idea of either Girardi/Piniella waiting for the NYY job a couple weeks ago, didn't get a good reception with it, but sounded very logical to me. The loser for the Cubs job would have a good shot at the NYY job next year. I think it would be a smart move by Girardi.

BLEEDING BLUE: "But we shouldn't forget that Hendry is McFail's boy, and McFail is the reason that we get to "look forward" to 2 more years of Hendry leading the Cubs." The irony of this of course, is that the majority of us here I would think, were singing his praises in 2003. Right, gang? And, in 2004, we "thought", with the addition of Greg Maddux and LaTroy Hawkins, that we wer in-line for a nice long run. The SI Cover! That's it! That's the reason everything went down the tubes! I don't know where I'm going with this only to say that unlike the upper echelon NL teams, we had a poor Minor League system in place with very few options when starter, after starter went down. This coupled with the fact of an out-of-control clubhouse led to the Wild Card fold of 2004 - which then set up '05 & '06.

E-Man: "we had a poor Minor League system in place with very few options when starter, after starter went down." And we still have a mediocre farm system at best. Go Teflon Jim!!!

Not to nit pick here and god knows I don't want to defend Kenny madman Rogers, but doesn't the rule state something about "with the intent to change the behavior of the ball" in it? So he might have found a loophole if he's just using it for tact.

Very few options? Hill, Marshall, Guzman, Ryu, Marmol, Mateo, O'Malley, Walrond, Williams... I have a feeling there are a lot of teams around the MLB that would love to have so few options.

VORARE: While indeed, while a couple of the above may pan out to be MLB pitchers (Hill looks now like he belongs), the fact is on the "position" side of the equation, it has been slim pickings for years. Again, take a team like the White Sox, Braves, Cards, Dodgers...they have bona fide MLB-potential players ready to at least appear competent if they are called up to play in the "Bigs". I will agree that Theriot is a pleasant surprise, but we'll see how he sustains his stay with the MLB club. Otherwise, we had Scott Moore, Jason Dubois, Brian Dopeyiak, Mike Font-e-NOT, etc., at the AAA level.

Vorare: "I have a feeling there are a lot of teams around the MLB that would love to have so few options." Quantity does not equal quality. You can name all the names you want, but many of those pitchers you mentioned had shots last year and failed. Hell 7 of the 9 guys you mentioned had ERA's of 5.32 or higher with the big club.

Well if any warm body is considered a viable option then you got a point. Sadly once you bring up Walrond, Marmol, and O'Malley as players other teams would love to have your point becomes meaningless.

this is from the NY Times... The new agreement will not have any major changes. Draft-choice compensation for lost free agents will be reduced, not eliminated. Teams losing the top tier of free agents will continue to receive compensation. we'll see what that actually means, I'm guessing just Type A free agents will cost a draft pick now.

from the Herald: Slow going: Cubs sources report slow progress in contract talks with third baseman Aramis Ramirez, but they caution not to read too much into that. Ramirez will opt out of the final two years and $22.5 million of his contract and become a free agent if the Cubs donít re-sign him. The Cubs remain cautiously optimistic a deal can get done. Theyíd like to get new deals done by the end of October for pitchers Kerry Wood and Wade Miller. The Cubs are buying out Wood for $3 million instead of picking up his option for $13.5 million. Wood is rehabbing a torn right rotator cuff. Miller, who spent much of 2006 rehabbing from right shoulder surgery, is a free agent. He pitched in five games this year, going 0-2 with a 4.57 ERA.

No is right on about the pine tar "controversy." LaRussa will try anything he can get away with. Not just Tavarez, what about Kline and some of the other Card pitchers with their "dirty hats?" LaRussa is a sleazy lawyer type. I don't particularly like Kenny Rogers, but I hope he beats their asses. As for the Trib bidders..is that the Carlyse Group? Bush senior's company? I hope to God it isn't.

"I think it would be a smart move by Girardi" I agree, I acctually believe Girardi set himself up for either the Yankee job or if Torre somehow holds on he could get Cub job in 2010. He might win the MOY so he'll have that on his resume while sitting on the Yankee bench, while someone takes the DC job. But I don't think he was counting on Tramell being on the Cubs which could be a wrench for him.

"The Cubs remain cautiously optimistic a deal can get done." UGH..........

>>>Quantity does not equal quality. You can name all the names you want, but many of those pitchers you mentioned had shots last year and failed. Hell 7 of the 9 guys you mentioned had ERA's of 5.32 or higher with the big club. How do people think the Cubs' pitching group, comprised largely of AA players, should have performed following premature, emergency call-ups?

and Eli18 hit it on the head because no one besides Hill and maybe Guzman had any business being in the majors last year. but Walrond and O'Malley just suck Marmol is still a work in progress, so I'm not ready to completely give up on him. He's got decent stuff.

Yeah, Walrond and O'Malley aren't really prospects - they were AAA rotation fillers. But the fact that there were ~7 decent prospects capable of starting at the major league level before the Cubs even had to turn to their AAA roster fillers says something about the organization's pitching depth. I just disagree with the whole notion that a lack of position prospects == a bad farm system. The organizational focus for years has been pitching, pitching, pitching. Look at the results: Wuertz and Ohman look like solid bullpen components; Hill is MLB ready and may end up being exceptional; Marshall/Ryu/Guzman/Mateo are all on the cusp of being MLB pitchers and probably would be starters in a number of other organizations; Nolasco and Willis are doing well at the MLB level in Florida and are both Cubs farm products; there's another crop of very promising pitchers coming up in Gallagher, Veal, Pawalek, etc.

http://www.gothambaseball.com/news/1161579748.php I have no idea who this guy is and I'm hesitant to post the link because people are going to take it seriously, but it has a bunch of rumors about a A-rod/Prior trade. and this interesting tidbit... ìThe Cubs want to rid themselves of a lot of players (and contracts) that (new skipper Lou ) Piniella has already indicated to Cubs GM Jim Hendry would be smart to get rid off. Mark Prior is a guy that intrigues Cashman, so expect his name to be mentioned.î hopefully #1 on the list is Jacque Jones.... #2 is Cesar

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/askba/262707.html BA falling over themselves over Matsuzaka speaking of BA, if someone has a subscription, they listed the top 10 prospects for each position. I believe Eric Patterson was the only one to make the list (#5 at second base), but I wanted to confirm. little surprised Pie didn't make CF if that is the case and I assume Gallagher just missed out on right-handed starter list and Veal as a left-handed starter.

from the Trib: Piniella's next big hire will be his hitting coach. Among the potential candidates is former Yankees teammate Chris Chambliss, recently fired as the Reds' hitting coach.

Theyíd like to get new deals done by the end of October for pitchers Kerry Wood and Wade Miller. Nice to know the Cubs and Hendry have their priorities right. **Yeesh**

Interesting to note in that Gotham Baseball link the rumor about Maddux and Glavine reuniting with Smoltz in Atlanta.

Pie didn't make the top 10 by their list. No doubt *at least in part* because the Cubs didn't bring Pie up at the end of last season so who is BA to contradict the Cubs? Hendry has this odd approach to his player personnel where he devalues them before trading them away. Hope that isn't the case with Pie.

"#69 of 100: By dbt (October 24, 2006 08:49 AM) Pujols went undrafted? Because there's no draft for players outside the US. Duh." I love the tone of your post. Unless you were kidding, you just made yourself look like the biggest ass. You mock a person yet you are 100% wrong. That's classic.

No doubt *at least in part* because the Cubs didn't bring Pie up at the end of last season so who is BA to contradict the Cubs? that has nothing to do with BA's rankings. The list is pretty stacked with some good CF's, but I would have put PIe in at around #8. It's just a list. BA thought Choi would be great and Wang from the Yankees would suck. So whatever...

"ìThe Cubs want to rid themselves of a lot of players (and contracts) that (new skipper Lou ) Piniella has already indicated to Cubs GM Jim Hendry would be smart to get rid off. Mark Prior is a guy that intrigues Cashman, so expect his name to be mentioned.î" where do they/him/whatever get this stuff? pin's been on the job barely a week and him and hendry already ahve a list of players to "get rid of" and this dude who blogs for the yanks has the inside track on it?

and there is our first post taking it too seriously.... anyway looks like he writes a magazine about NY baseball, mets and yanks. That tidbit came from a "Chicago source" whatever that means. The fact that the Cubs haven't even had there organizational meetings makes it highly unlikely anything has been decided yet.

im not taking it too seriously...im just starting at step one in calling out what its saying. calling out his "facts" and questioning his source of what led him to it. all things aside...what 'bad deal' contracts are hanging around besides the dumpster? and that's "only" 5m. you could lump j.jones in there, but i think 5m for what he brings isnt a bad deal at all. rusch is untradable at best...cant think of any more 'luggage' the team doesnt need unless the team wants to change SS options again and i dont think the yanks are lining up to snag izturis. it seems more 'out of ass' journalism than anything.

that has nothing to do with BA's rankings You cannot be serious. The BA list is entirely subjective, the result of interviews. Almost everyone ranked has a comment beside him from some anonymous "scout." You don't get on the list if your own team has snubbed and dissed you the way they have FELIX PIE.

BA crew loves f.pie...his k/bb ratio and power not emerging yet is his downfall, currently. he's advanced for his age, but comparing him to a crop that's around...tall order. no way he's a top-5 and when the #8 is colby rasmus you know you got a loaded crop.

yes it's subjective and it's based on interviews with scouts. His non call-up had nothing to do with that list. Felix Pie had no business sitting on the bench here anyway with Soto and Reyes soaking up the nightlife. Ellsbury didn't get called up either, right? Yet he's on the list.

I think we overrate Pie because he's the best prospect the Cubs have... which isn't saying a whole helluva lot. He has an ugly swing, IMO.

pie's hands/wrists are VERY fast and if he can make accurate contact that's gonna add up to good things. his D and arm are already MLB-ready (or damn close) and his speed is above average. pie's #s dont look that great, but he is playing with guys 3-5 years older than him and that reflects well when you factor in his peers are in high-A/AA for the most part. great prospect, but not mlb-polished. hopefully he will be soon.

"...rusch is untradable at best." If he's untradable AT BEST, what is the WORST? Takes a roster spot? DFA'd? Fired? Asked to run the Upper Deck Concession stand behind Home Plate? Actually, that might be a good fit for him now that I think of it.

best-case scenario is DFA'd, like Russ Ortiz... worst-case is part of the 2007 rotation.

relative to rusch's contract i was just trying to point out he's pretty worthless. guy's questionable to pitch by june, if at all, as it stands. i should have chosen another phrase, but i think his value in any capacity, even at best, is none. at worst...hell, none. to the cubs...it seems theyre planning 07 without him even in the mix.

Best case as far as Rusch is concerned would be if his condition forces him to retire and the Cubs could collect insurance.

I've heard that Larry Rothschild will stay on as Pitching Coach too. Gotta wonder if Pat Listach is gonna get a nod to the big leagues as one of the base coaches, due to him being interviewed in Chicago during the manager hunt.

A little late on this thred, but Pujols is a jackass? Where have I been? Also, if HGH doesn't alter moods, why is Lance Armstrong considered "extremely moody" by all his ex-teammates?

Umm, maybe because lots of people who are "moody" are not taking human growth hormones. You don't need to be taking HGH to be moody. As for Pujols, the guy obviously has talent but he should cut his posing at the plate, bat in hand, admiring his home runs. Wow, you hit a home run! It has been done before Mr. Pujols!

Pedro: "A little late on this thred, but Pujols is a jackass? Where have I been?" Umm, under a rock? Pujols has been surly with the media this entire post-season. He basically said Tom Glavine was no good, even though the dude's going to win 300 games and absolutely worked the Cardinals the day before. And before anyone says I'm twisting Pujols' words, here's his exact quote about Glavine: "He wasn't good -- he wasn't good at all." (Quote excerpted from Mariotti's column on Monday: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mariotti/105759,CST-SPT-jay22.article) And just for good measure, here's a link to an article by Bryan Burwell, a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch where he compares Pujols' attitude to that of Barry Bonds (and not in a good way): http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/bryanburwell/sto… Also, if you google "Pujols" "surly" you get 85,700 results. So there you go, Pedro. Pujols is a jackass.

Oh, and if you google "Pujols" "jackass" you get 26,000 results.

If you google "Mother Teresa" "jackass" you also get 85,700 results. Ergo, Mother Teresa was on HGH.

Does that mean that they will put an asterisk by her name in Canonization Hall of Fame?

I kind of always expected she was. Finally some justification after all these years

dc, sorry no. Only The Virgin Mary got that one. (so sorry please don't anyone get mad. Just a little joke)

Mo T showed no drop-off in production, even into her 60s and 70s. No doubt she was using. She'll get in, maybe just not on the first ballot.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

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

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

  • crunch (view)

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

  • Eric S (view)

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

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

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

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

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

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

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • 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.