Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Cubs Recall Cotts from AAA, Send Ascanio Down

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

The Cubs have optioned RHP Jose Ascanio to AAA Iowa, and have recalled LHP Neal Cotts from the same club.

Ascanio was acquired from the Atlanta Braves last December for LHP Will Ohman and IF-OF Omar Infante, and was optioned to AAA Iowa during Spring Training. He went 1-0 with nine saves at Iowa (2.08 ERA, allowing 14 H and one HR in 21.2 IP, with a 1.01 WHIP, a .179 OBA, and an 8/23 BB/K) before being recalled on May 19th when Chad Fox was placed on the DL with a sore elbow.

Ascanio got into five games with the Cubs over the past ten days, going 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA, allowing one run (earned) on four hits (.235 OBA) over 5.0 IP, with a 3/3 BB/K. He threw one scoreless inning in last night's Cubs victory over the Dodgers. 

The 28-year old Cotts was also optioned to Iowa during Spring Training (March 21st), and had spent the entire 2008 season (up until now) at Iowa, posting a 2-0 record with three saves, a 2.00 ERA, and a 1.22 WHIP in 19 games, all in relief (.232 OBA, 23 hits in 27 IP, no HR, and a 10/33 BB/K). Cotts has been particularly effective versus left-handed hitters, allowing just seven hits (.206 OBA) and one walk with 15 K in 9.1 IP (0.78 WHIP).

Cotts was acquired by the Cubs from the White Sox in November 2006 for RHP David Aardsma and LHP Carlos Vasquez. He was selected by the Oakland A's in the 2nd round of the 2001 Rule 4 Draft out of Illinois State, and was traded to the White Sox after the 2002 season.   

Cotts has 3+077 MLB service time and will (once again) be eligible for salary arbitration after the 2008 season. He is making $800K (plus another $75K in potential performance bonuses) in 2008, and will be out of minor league options as of Spring Training 2009.   

Tags
Jose Ascanio
Neal Cotts

Comments

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:37 pm

what's wrong with Eyre? He's retired all 9 lefties he's faced this year. and was fantastic the 2nd half of last season. Curious move, but if the Rockies are loaded with lefties, it's understandable. Did Cotts find a slider though? He use to be all fastball/changeups with a marginal breaking ball.

Submitted by Q-Ball on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:51 pm

I beleive Wuertz has options, but I think he can refuse an optional assignment, as he has accrued enough service time. Someone help me out there, but I think Wuertz has to stay in Chicago. Regardless of his struggles, Wuertz is definitely too valuable to expose to waivers. We haven't heard the last of Ascanio. He is probably the first call in the event of bullpen injury. He could be a regular bullpen guy in 2009 if we choose not to resign Howry or Wood. Hendry ALWAYS seems to have a stockpile of Righty Relievers around.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:57 pm

Wuertz cannot be sent down without waivers. He has been arbitration eligible for 2 years already. I for one am glad the stockpile is here now. At the end of the year the following guys are Free Agents Wood Howry Eyre Dempster Lieber and unfortunately NOT Jason Marquis So we are looking at possibly replacing 5/12ths of our current pitching staff. Hopefully all those guys move along and Hendry has the forsight to Get FA compensation in return for Woody,Dempster and Howry.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:15 pm

Submitted by Q-Ball on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 3:51pm.

I beleive Wuertz has options, but I think he can refuse an optional assignment, as he has accrued enough service time. Someone help me out there, but I think Wuertz has to stay in Chicago.

 =============================

Q-BALL: A player needs at least five years of MLB service time to refuse an Optional Assignment to the minors, and Michael Wuertz came into the 2008 season with 3+007 MLB ST. So he will not be able to refuse an Optional Assignment to the minors until the 2010 season. (Players with at least three years of MLB Service Time can refuse an Outright Assignment to the minors, which is maybe what you're thinking of).

Because his debut date on an MLB roster was Opening Day 2004 (beyond three years ago), Wuertz would have to clear Optional Assignment Waivers (which are revocable) in order to be optioned to the minors. However, because they are revocable, Optional Assignment Waivers are normally just a formality, and once a club gets a player through Optional Assignment Waivers the waivers are good for the entire waiver period, so clubs will usually place players who require Optional Assignment Waivers in order to be optioned to the minors on Optional Assignment Waivers right at the start of each waiver period, just to get it out of the way in case a move needs to be made during that waiver period.

At present, among Cubs players with minor league options left who have less than five years of MLB ST (so that they cannot refuse an Optional Asignment to the minors), only Neal Cotts, Angel Guzman, Michael Wuertz, and Mike Fontenot would require Optional Assignment Waivers in order to be optioned to the minors. Later in the season, Rich Hill (June 15th) and Matt Murton (July 7th) will hit their 3rd anniversary date on a 25-man roster, and then they will require Optional Assignment Waivers to be optioned to the minors, too (but that only matters if the Cubs recall one or both of them and then want to send them back to the minors again after their third anniversary date).

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:30 pm

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 3:57pm.

Wuertz cannot be sent down without waivers. He has been arbitration eligible for 2 years already. I for one am glad the stockpile is here now.

===========================

DR. AARON B: Michael Wuertz was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this past off-season (post-2007).

Players on the Cubs 40-man roster who will be eligible for salary arbitration after the 2008 season are (at this time): 

Ronny Cedeno
Neal Cotts
Reed Johnson
Michael Wuertz

Until they were optioned to AAA earlier this season, Matt Murton was a lock to qualify for salary arbitration post-2008 and both Sean Marshall and Rich Hill were in a good position to be eligible for salary arbitration post-2008 as a "Super Two," but probably not anymore. (No way for Marshall, still possible for Hill, but only if he gets recalled within the next week or so).

As for Murton, he could still get eligible, but he needs 117 days of MLB ST in 2008 to automatically qualify (he has 15 days so far), and probably at least 70-75 days (total) of MLB ST in 2008 to qualify as a "Super Two."

So you can see why Murton, Marshall, and Hill (and their agents) were especially unhappy when they were optioned to AAA!

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:55 pm

BTW, here is something else to think about:

If the Cubs do not recall Felix Pie from Iowa by Monday (that is, no later than Monday), he will have spent 20 days on Optional Assignment to the minors in 2008, and thus will have used up his last minor league option year.

While not recalling him by Monday won't affect the Cubs ability to option Pie back-and-forth to Iowa in 2008, it will mean he will be out of minor league options as of Spring Training 2009, and the only way the Cubs would be able to send Pie to the minors in 2009 would be by placing him on Outright Assignment Waivers (which are irrevocable).

So not recalling Pie by Monday essentially locks the Cubs in with Pie next Spring Training, forcing them to either keep the then 24-year old OF on the 25-man roster, or trade him prior to Opening Day.  

So the Cubs probably need to decide by Sunday what they want to do with Jim Edmonds (and Felix Pie). If they don't think Edmonds has anything left in the tank, then they really need to release him after Sunday's game and recall Pie.

As for Pie, after starting out his optional assignment at AAA Iowa in a 3-40 funk, he is 4-10 with two doubles and two walks and only one K over his last three games. Not a lot of games on which to base any conclusions, but at least he APPEARS to be starting to hit again. (He destroyed AAA pitching last year, going 362/410/563 in 55 games at Iowa). 

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:35 pm

Teams that are just about out of it and their center fielders: Mariners/Ichiro (not happening) Royals/DeJesus (well there's something) Tigers/Granderson (we wish and I don't think the Tigers are really out of it) Nationals/Milledge (no good) Giants/Rowand, Winn (Winn is a possibility) Padres/Gerut (amusing, but unlikely) Rockies/Taveras, Spilborghs (no on Taveras, yes on Spilborghs) Coco Crisp is floating out there as well. Seems like we could make a trade for Randy Winn tomorrow if we wanted. Wouldn't be the worst 8th hitter in the world, not sure if he can still handle CF duties. Since I assume they're like everyone else in baseball and not interested in Matt Murton, what is Winn worth? He's got $8.25 MM owed to him next year and the remnants of $8MM from this year, plus a limited NTC to 10 teams. Giants are doing okay in the pitching department, although you can't have enough young arms.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:05 pm

Only guys I want on that list are Ichiro and Granderson, and being that they aren't coming, why not just play Pie or Patterson if you're not going to wait on Edmonds to find his bat? I mean, Randy Winn is the great hope of 2008? Take your Major-League-Leading offense and let Pie search for his swing and help the team with his defense. Matt Murton for Randy Winn would be a gift to the Giants, who ought to be looking to dump Winn's contract on the first GM to inquire. Also, LouPa has apparently spoken a bit recently about how great Fuki is in RF and how he doesn't want to mess with that, so any dreams of Murton/Hoffpauir in RF should be labelled "not going to happen unless the team really, really struggles."

Submitted by Charlie on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 05:49 pm

When did Neal Cotts become a good pitcher? Despite the fact that they both had very good numbers in AAA, I think I believe in Ascanio more than Cotts. I hope, though, that I am and wrong and Cotts turns out to be good, as well as Ascanio.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • 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.

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