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

Jacque Jones Traded - Supposedly!

It's been all over the interweb the last hour or so, but we have our first reputable publication quoting a "National League source". So it's Jones and a "trunk load of the Cubs' money" to the Florida Marlins. The message boards are claiming the Cubs will get a pitcher from Single-A Greensboro. Stay tuned for updates. UPDATE: We've got 2 sources saying the deal has expanded to Jacque Jones, a PTBNL and about a $1 million in cash for a pitcher from Greensboro. Speculation surrounds lefty Graham Taylor at the moment. UPDATE #2: Ken Rosenthal says the deal has hit a "major snag" and speculates it could be about how much the Cubs will fork over in cash. UPDATE #3: Rosenthal says the deal is off, "barring an unexpected reversal". Boo!!!!

Comments

JJ is an odd pickup for a team looking to improve its defense "The Marlins lead the majors in miscues this year by a wide margin.Palm Beach Post, United States - Jun 23, 2007 "I'd like to see the defense improve," General Manager Larry Beinfest said last week. "The organization takes a lot of pride in pitching and defense. ..."

yeah, except that JJ really doesn't make a lot of errors and is generally well-regarded in the field except for his throwing.

JJ is an odd pickup for a team looking to improve its defense I said this in the other thread, but since you re-posted your comment, I will reply here: jj plays very solid defense. he has very good range, and actually reads balls pretty well. his only real defensive problem is the accuracy of his arm.

Great!!! Sometimes you just gotta cut your loses. It's a great move for both. Jok can't handle the pressure in Chicago and will preform much better in front of the 12 loyal fans in Miami.... Anyway these young guys have much better upside than any of us ever thought!! Keep it Goin Baby!!!

So Jim Hendry was finally able to trade Jacque Jones. Halleluah. It doesn't really matter if he got a can of Simoniz in return, so long as he was to get rid of yet one more distraction to go along with Matt Murton and Michael Barrett. Hooray.

there is something really ironic about a guy named "jerome walton" bashing jock jones.

No Bashing here!! It is really just best for all parties involved.

From the previous thread... Believe it or not dave, I’ve actually seen JJ play… You don't act like it when you assert that JJ is poor defensively.

FWIW, NBC in Chicago just reported that there's a lot of street flooding around Wrigley.

Rob G. & dave make it sound like his throwing isn't all that terrible of a problem. It's a terrible problem and the team defensive unit as a whole suffers because of it. Also, he's not really "baseball smart" when it comes to running the bases, imo. That said, I'm not totally on board with dumping Jones and getting nothing in return.

As suspected, the Cubs are eating a significant portion of the $7.12 million still due Jacque Jones. So it seems like the roster is now this... OF...Soriano, Pie, Floyd, Pagan, with a dash of DeRosa IF...Ramirez, Izturis, Fontenot, Lee, Theriot, Ward, DeRosa Cat...Bowen, Hill (for now) SP...Crazy Horse Z, Hill, Lilly, Marshall, Marquis RP...Dempster, Howry, Marmol, Wuertz, Petrick, Ohlman, Eyre

This is not about getting something in return this is best for the club and for Jok. This is about Roster moves!!

No Bashing here!! It is really just best for all parties involved. I didn't necessarily mean it as a bad thing. I just noticed the name, and realized that Jerome Walton are/were not that different of players. Both had a good year for the Cubs, but that year was really an anomaly from what they were really capable of. And both had pretty similar games. btw... Jerome Walton was my favorite player for a year or two.

well let me clarify... it would be better if he threw like Pie or Soriano, but it is FAR MORE IMPORTANT how much range you can cover in the outfield.

In getting rid of Jones and Barrett, the Cubs seem to be shedding themselves of "boneheaded" players - both guys have made plenty of base-running and defensive blunders. Lou stated in spring training that he was going to work on the fundamentals this year... apparently, part of that means dropping the guys who simply refuse to learn them.

What’s the over/under on the game being played today? Rumor has it there is flooding around (and in) Wrigley. But the rain is supposed to be over. So it all depends on whether or not it can dry out by game time.

Yeah, they'll probably get the game in unless the flooding they mentioned is actually getting into the stadium. The storm itself seems to have moved on.

When do the rosters/lineups for the game get posted? We'll know then if JJ is really for real gone.

thanks dave. As for the trade, they keep saying a High-A pitcher. But Greensboro is Low-A. Jupiter is their High-A team.

On the bright side, when the Cubs play the Marlins they can start their lefties and not have to worry about Jonsie.

Sweet Lou's stamp is rapidly being put on this ballclub. And thank goodness for that. It's obvious that Piniella has told Hendry in no uncertain terms that he won't tolerate things.

I bet Aramis doesn't play today if its wet. I wouldn't play him, with the way he's been running

Pete, so long as the Cubs get the equivalent of a used infield rake or can of Simoniz in return for Jacque Jones and the $6 million check they are sending Florida's way, it doesn't matter.

Under Lou, the JJ options are: - Keep him but rarely (if ever) play him - Dump him and make room for a more useful player Every GM in baseball knows the Cubs are desperate to move JJ, so there's no reason for them to offer anything decent in return. Doesn't the trade havw to be OK'd for Petrick to join the team? Weather in the Loop -- it poured for a while, but is clearing up now. Howver, given the state of the bullpen, a rainout wouldn't be the worst thing....

Sweet Lou’s stamp is rapidly being put on this ballclub. And thank goodness for that. It’s obvious that Piniella has told Hendry in no uncertain terms that he won’t tolerate things. yeah too bad Piniella put the kabosh on the JJ trade this offseason if Levine's report from about a month ago was true.

Supposedly the guy who first got wind of this story is hearing the cash going from the Cubs to the Marlins is around a $1m. I doubt it, but I'd be ecstatic if true.

well Hendry did get the Tigers to pay Neifi's salary. That would be impressive if he pulled another one.

So, now that Jones is not on the Cubs, and not getting things thrown at him or racial hate mail or blamed for everything that Michael Barrett or Dusty Baker didn't do, and since he is now a former Cub, he will probably start hitting .300 and blasting HRs all over the place...

Explain to me why the Cubs could not have traded JJ in the offseason. They had plenty of time to do it -- this is just a player dump not a trade.

he will probably start hitting .300 and blasting HRs all over the place… not to mention playing "great" defense

If Jim Hendry actually knew what he was doing, had a legitimate strategy for winning baseball games, and his farm system actually cranked out a reasonable level of talent, then he wouldn't be forever focused on finding takers for the likes of Neifi Perez, Michael Barrett, Jacque Jones, etc. I cannot wait for the day a new ownership team gets voted in by MLB. Because first order of business for the new owner will invariably be to FIRE JIM HENDRY.

FPT (from previous thread): "Rob… do I get a “credit?” :) hehe… nah, we’re not quite to the point of gimmicks to keep up readership." You guys are mean.

cubs are sending 6m? or is this more of silent making his screwed up reality a "truth" for the rest of the world? i cant tell this no-cred joker's made up "facts" from things that are actually true as much as he cant tell.

Re #43: Yeah, a killer farm system is the key to winning championships. Just ask the 04 Red Sox (amongst many others).

You're not allowed to criticize the Cubs farm system now that Tim Wilken drafts the players that suck in it.

Here is the apparent deal. The Cubs are shipping Jacque Jones, a minor league prospect and $2.0 million in return for a middling prospect by the name of Graham Taylor, or Graham Chapman or Graham Cracker. Either way Graham isn't supposed to be any good.

did someone say JJ played “great” defense? Sorry, I meant "solid" "very good" defense.

Trent DAntonio at Jupiter would be nice... at least he looks like a good hitter... Who knows about his defense behind the plate. If it is a hitter, that would be good.

Trot Nixon, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Josh Bard, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester

You’re not allowed to criticize the Cubs farm system now that Tim Wilken drafts the players that suck in it. well stated cwtp, exactly what I was getting at. What year did you get your GED? as for the cash, so far Sun-Sentinal said "truck load of cash", the guy who broke the story at NSBB said a $1 million.

Yeah, Rob G. Florida's Hi-A team is Jupiter. Greensboro is in the South Atlantic League, low-A.

uh, I think Graham Taylor is pretty decent actually. Having a heckuva year this year at the very least. 5 of those 6 players didn't play for the 2004 Red Sox.

thanks, my bad. I think it's still Greensboro that I read, just got their Hi-A and Lo-A teams mixed up.

So, I am now having difficulty separating rumors from truth.. Is it actually Graham Taylor?

Great move. How close is this kid Greensborough? could we have gotten a guy like Milton Bradley in return? i'm not 100% sure Bradley is worth the hassle, however, he's a much better defensive presence in Right Field---- and would be a high OBPS guy. Looks like DeRosa and Floyd are up in Right...

If we get GRAHAM TAYLOR we win. He's outstanding. check out his K/BB ratio

Yes, is this true that we are getting graham Taylor, or is this just some more fabricated rumor?

What year did you get your GED? What a no-class comment. Yet another example of you trolling yoru own board. Where's the ABUSE button??

Does Hendry have the phone number to any team other than 1) Baltimore 2) Pittsburgh 3) San Diego 4) Detroit and 5) Florida.???? Talk about going back to the well......

I don't buy for a second that it's Graham Taylor but here are his numbers for shits and giggles: 8-2, 2.66 ERA, 3 CG, 101.2 IP, 74 K, 5 BB, 10 HR 23 yr old lefty though in Lo-A. 10th round pick. Only his second year in pro ball and he had a good year at Jamestown last year.

"Trot Nixon, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Josh Bard, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester" Of which only Trot Nixon owns a World Series ring. Almost every player that made solid contributions to the Red Sox world series that year came from another team. And this year the best players are still the ones from other teams. As well the entire starting rotation was not from the farm system. Get real.

CUBFANBUDMAN - Hendry works with all teams - you don't know baseball. I was the best on my 8th grade team in Montana and I bet you can't hit my curve ball.

yeah cwtp, I'm really torn up about that one. When your able to read and comprehend what others write without making up ridiculous crap, get back to me.

Update... Jacque Jones, $2 million cash, and a player to be named later (said to be a top 10 to 20 prospect in the mold of an Eric Patterson) for pitcher Graham Cracker Taylor.

sorry fant, please don't post full articles. A link and a few lines or a summary will do.

What is the bet that floyd gets injured in the next week or so. Would be very cubs to go from a overcrowded outfield to no fourth outfielder.

Good numbers on Taylor, until you realize it's like me striking out my little brother and his buddies in the backyard.

Yeah, ZHL, but at least he IS striking them out. I would be actually pretty happy with this trade if this were true... He actually appears to be a prospect...

Ouch... Chicago Tribune Live on CSN talking about the Jones trade: "When you get rid of Barrett and Jones you get rid of most of the boneheaded baserunning plays."

I wonder if the player to be named later winds up being Eric Patterson. I just have a feeling.

i'd be more worried about graham's fly ball tendencies than anything...but still, be nice if ST would back up his info since its increasingly hard to trust anything outta his fingertips. its been 6m, 2m, for a scrub, for graham, blah blah blah...

It's good to know that Crunch monitors the journalistic integrity of this anonymous blog. We should all be very grateful that Walter Cronkite graces us with his presence.

one of the links I just posted mentions Graham Taylor as well. Fully in the rumor stage though at the moment. Also it would have to be a pretty good PTBNL I'm guessing.

no, im just saying...hey, provide a source. unless its person-to-person everyone else does. is it that hard to believe that you arent really a trusted source?

Why Patterson? Because evidently Florida is receiving a player to be named later that falls under the header of being a top 10 to 20 prospect. And because Patterson's stock as a 2nd baseman has taken a nosedive. Maybe the Marlins have designs on making him an outfielder?!? They certainly have need in the outfield.

I bet Rothschild is just leaping for joy at the prospect of ruining another promising young arm.

"I wonder if the player to be named later winds up being Eric Patterson. I just have a feeling." Not a chance in hell. If were were getting Cabrera and we sent Jones + $ + Patterson that would make sense.

"Does Hendry have the phone number to any team other than 1) Baltimore 2) Pittsburgh 3) San Diego 4) Detroit and 5) Florida.????" He has made trades with Boston and Texas alot also. He has also dealt with CWS, ATL, LAD, Oak, MIN, and MON in his tenure.

indians, too....cant forget about my main man dubois and the bear for bartosh trade!!!! hawkins went to SF, too.

If indeed the Cubs are only supplying $2 million of the $7.2 million still owed Jock Strap AND Florida is shipping a decent prospec in Graham Cracker Taylor, then you can bet the ranch that the "player to be named later" is going to be a good name and not some pile o' crap. My guess remains Eric Patterson.

parrapa the rappa makes more sense to me than taking on of the cubs top-5 prospects and pretending its worth it. i mean, the cubs are loaded with lefties...why not go there first if theyre gonna take another lefty on?

The Marlins must love flecing Hendry. Why in the hell are we giving up a prospect. Just eat the contract then.

Hendry's made deals with almost every team, hasn't he? I would guess a good 20 of 30 at least. it'd be easier to list the teams he hasn't made deals with...

I still don't see how the Cub's have *improved* by dumping Barrett & Jones. They're going to have to add some big league talent if they want to get serious.

Chifan - because the era of pinching pennies continues from now until the team is sold. BTW, Percival called up by STL ... I didn't even know he was still around.

from the palm beach post article that I mentioned and someone else did. Sources at Dolphin Stadium today said the deal was done, but sources in Chicago said it was still in the works.

I agree, Rynox. Aside from clearing up the jumbled mess, I don't see what this is doing for this year's team. If they continue to push upward, I bet we'll see something closer to the deadline.

Rosenthal speculating that it's money, could be the list of PTBNL'ers as well holding the deal up.

The level of maturity on this blog is pathetic. If any of you is over 13, you should be ashamed, because you're acting like children. ALL of you. ST, Rob G., CWTP, etc. If you can't make your point without insulting someone else, then I feel incredibly sorry for you, your friends, your employer, and all of those associated with you.

Rynox, Because our pitchers dont have to worry about throwing balls in the dirt because they dont a wild pitch and we dont have to worry about a rlay throw not making it to the cutoff guy.

Update... The deal has been agreed to. Jacque Jones, $2 million in cash and a player to be named later for Graham Cracker Taylor. A potential hold-up is the fact that the Cubs are concerned Bud Selig won't approve the cash being sent in the deal, which he needs to do because it's greater than the $1 million threshold point. The Marlins did want $4 million, but the Cubs balked and the deal was restructured to involve the Cubs getting a better prospect (Taylor) in return for sending a better player to be named later (a 10-20 ranked prospect). That is all for now.

cubs werent looking to "improve" as much as they were looking to make room...at least that's what it seems. these moves are making room for fontenot, pagan, pie, etc... the bowen move i like. it does nothing for this season vs. barrett, imo...but i dont mind having bowen/??? as a low-cost catching duo the next few years. unless you're into irod the catching future doesnt look too bright in the near future.

Jace: I agree, Rynox. It's sad, but ... nowadays when someone agrees with me, I'm always leery I'm getting the Silent Towel treatment. I'm used to everyone disagreeing with everything. Person 1: Grass is green. Person 2: Obviously, grass can be several different colors. You clearly don't know much about grass. Person 3: Grass isn't even the issue. Person 4: I have never seen green grass, only blue.

The Marlins have Uggla at 2B and a full OF now. Where would Patterson fit in? My guess is that they will be getting a pitcher.

So basically we are asking Florida to take Jones off our hands and the price is really giving up Patterson? that doesn't make sense in less we really want that kid they are giving back to us.

"Hey ST, please make one more reference to infield rakes cause that shit is funny!" ____________________________________ Used can of Simoniz is an instant classic too. Almost as funny as bag/bucket of balls or ham sandwich.

ZHL, They have to pay Jacquestrap regardless if he is riding the pine here or playing for the Marlins. It is a sunk cost. Giving up Eric Patterson is not worth freeing up five million. I really hope in the new ownership group takes over a Bachlor's Degree in economics is a job requirement.

Shouldn't be any holdups on the game, but the crowd might be thin -- apparently traffic is insane as a lot of roads got flooded by that quick storm.

No, we're going to sit in a chat room with our frat brothers and talk about farts while following a baseball game.

harvey's power is still very impressive for his age even if his plate selection hasnt caught up yet. i'd be dissapointed, personally (i know some are done with him already), to see him go. he's got a lot of power for a guy his age along with a RF'rs arm and he's not exactly slow. give him a couple more years, imo...

Wait, ST...I'm confused. I thought a deal involving a rake was already decided. Where does Patterson play into this?

Update... Per WGN's Dave Kaplan, the original deal was Jacque Jones and $5 million (not $4 million) for a prospectr. The Cubs talked to the league offices and it was intimated that the commissioner was doubtful to approve such a large swap of cash. The deal was subsequently re-worked to where it stands now. Jock, $2 million and a "top level prospect" for a prospect who is presumingly going to be Graham Cracker Taylor.

Yeah, I probably agree, Crunch. I'd give them #12 prospect Dopirak anyway, because I am done with hoping for anything more from him.

Silly trade, giving them Jones...paying a large chunk of his salary, and giving them a prospect for a pitcher, who may be pretty good, that is in A-ball. Eat the contrct...wait for a different trade...whatever. It's not worth it.

Rob G., Honest question. How do you feel about Carlos Marmol now compared to what you wrote on February 5th?

yeah, Marmol's been impressive this year, no doubt. Seems to have found some control. I still wouldn't hesitate to trade him in the right move, but props to Hendry for not listening to me. :)

although I will say, if Ryan Church for Carlos Marmol was ever out there as rumored, I still think it's a good trade for us.

Living two blocks from Wrigley - it was obvious walking home from work that was some serious flooding of the roads and sidewalks. Seems most of the flooding is gone, but traffic does seem to be quite worse than a normal weeknight game. I was soooo happy to see Jock is about to traded, but if the reports are true, its a horrible trade, should just designate the guy if you want him off that bad. This is what I was afraid of. Hendry could careless about a prospect that he will not be the GM for.

Every season it's the same thing with Jim Hendry. Desperately grasp at fading straws in the free agency market during the winter, then spend the majority of your time during the season trying to shed the very same fading straws. A real GM would have built a real farm system. And make inspired trades, not simply moves where the other guy is desperate to shave payroll (e.g.. Lee, Ramirez). Hendry keeps dabbling in free agency because his strategy for building a winner changes like the wind and he keeps on digging a bigger hole. Unless you are the NY Yankees, it's been proven that you don't build a team via free agency. Rather you consistently develop your own talent and make additive trades in accordance with a well-laid out master plan.

ST - How many times do we have to ask you what your source is? If you give this trade and present it as a done deal, then how are we supposed to take you seriously, if you won't even say where the hell you are getting it from? WHAT IS YOUR SOURCE????

So i was checking to see if there was any tickets left for tonights game and noticed... Tonight's game is a giveaway night... Majestic® Michael Barrett 2007 home jersey 100 random winners* I bet they probably have a few more extra.... I wonder what they'll do.....????

"it’s been proven that you don’t build a team via free agency. Rather you consistently develop your own talent and make additive trades in accordance with a well-laid out master plan." Tell that to the White Sox (Thome, Konerko, Dye - who were the core of that team. Or Freddy Garcia, Jose Contreas and John Garland) Tell that to the Cardinal. And yes I'll give you Puljos. But: Edmonds, Rolen, Eckstien, Miles Encarnacion. And 4/5ths of the starting rotation. You have no clue what you are talking about can you please shut up.

fontenot's history of SS...a few experiments in the minors and some pregame infield practice. go figure...he obviously showed lou something, though. i still find it very odd that derosa is playing 2nd while fontenot is at SS. wonder what's up with derosa not being in that SS mix and why its worth the tradeoff of taking a lesser-armed 2nd baseman outta his natural position to do it.

Dempster is going on the DL to accomdate Petrick. Howry also wont be used tonight according to Levine. He also blames Selig for the Jacquestrap deal falling through.

Update.... The "sticking point" is the $$. The Cubs were willing to send Florida $5 million, but the Commissioner's office intimated they would not approve the large cash transfer. A deal has been restructured to where the Cubs will only send $2 million and there will be a swap of quality prospects in addition. The Cubs have a call into Bud's office to see if baseball will approve a $2 million swap. If they won't, then the deal is dead.

so here's a thought...Cubs deal two players, Barrett and Jones, who either weren't making huge contributions (Barrett) or any contributions (Jones), and free up a good deal of cash that they didn't have otherwise...since all the talk about the Cubs making a move for another major ball player for the rest of the season (Griffey, for example) halted because of no money and the pending sale of the team, or the resigning of Zambrano for the same reason, could this be the Cubs also freeing up space for a larger move, that in turn wouldn't cost the team anything? Did that make any sense?

where are you getting these exact figures from? these kind of negociations with exact money amounts rarely leak like this? who's the guy with all the info?

crunch: Clearly the guy with all the info isn't Silent Towel, lol Towel: Did you really think the Cubs were going to send Patterson to the Fish as part of a deal without getting an MLB-ready or high-level prospect in return? While the Cubs may have a logjam at 2B, they've had him play a lot of LF and CF at Triple-A. He's not going anywhere unless the Cubs are getting something very good in return.

Marlins Trade For Jacque Jones UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal says this deal has stalled over the money changing hands. I knew $1MM sounded too good to be true for the Cubs. According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins have traded for outfielder Jacque Jones. Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Cubs are kicking in only $1MM of the $7.1MM remaining on Jones' contract. The Cubs will get a pitcher from Class A Greensboro, possibly 23 year-old lefty Graham Taylor. The Cubs' motivation is to free up a roster spot while paying less than half the money still owed to Jones. Jim Hendry got the best of Larry Beinfest in the Derrek Lee/Hee Seop Choi deal, but Beinfest exacted his revenge two years later by stealing three useful pitchers for Juan Pierre. If Jones can play a credible center field, the Marlins will come out ahead here. My guess is that Jones will return to his career offensive levels once out of the Chicago spotlight. He should still be benched against lefties though.

Why aren’t any of my posts showing up? Because Silent Towel is berating someone. Well, that or Rob G. is making some vanilla, insanely-obvious post.

Doesn't $$$ change hands all the time in trades like this? Why would the commissioners office have a beef with that?

I love how a reporter from South Florida points out that Jack Jones needs to sit against lefties. Yet Dusty Baker NEVER figured it out at all last year.

[...] The Cubs continued two storylines on Tuesday. One, of course, is their improved play — the entire lineup, defense and pitching staff appears to be on the same page, and the North Siders defeated the Rockies. Two, of course, is their purge of Dusty’s guys - with perennial whipping boy Jacque (The Strap) Jones supposedly on his way out to Florida, until the deal was killed tonight. [...]

according to the Trib... Hendry is unlikely to go back to the Marlins, who may want the Cubs to pay more of Jones salary than Hendry would like. The Cubs reportedly were willing to assume $6.6 million of the remaining $7.2 million on Jones' contract through 2008 when the deal collapsed.

6.6 out of 7.2 is insane. Especially since Taylor, while possessing impeccible control, is a 23 year-old in A-ball. Makes me think his future isn't all that bright...I'm sure if the Cubs were willing to accept a low-tier prospect from another organization such as the Sox or Padres, we could get them to take on more than $600,000 of his contract over the next year +...

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    LHP Blake Weiman appears to have been the last cut from the AAA Iowa roster. He is with the Tennessee group at Minor League Camp.

     

  • crunch (view)

    bruce bochy is hobbling rather badly for a guy who's had 2 hip replacements.  his gait is extremely wonky taking the lineup card to the ump.

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • 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.