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

It’s Official: Pie called up

The Tribune is now reporting that Pie will lead off and play center for today's game in Chicago. As of this hastily written post in response to the briefest of announcements at ChicagoSports.com, there is no explanation of how the roster will be worked to fit Pie. Soriano reports he is feeling much better, and the MRI is negative. (No indication of a torn hamstring)

Comments

Right now Soriano is expected to be out 7-10 days but you know, it's a hammy, so who knows. Pie is indeed in CF and leading off today.

Maybe Will Ohman can take over Pie's lease in Iowa. If they are getting rid of a pitcher he has a bulls-eye on his head.

I know Cubster sent an article to Rob G, but how is the MRI negative? He doesn't have a hamstring? I thought Cubster told us last season that all strains are tears of some sort... My guess is still Guzman, he just isn't pitching enough, and having pitched yesterday he wouldn't pitch today anyway. Ohman, as OCF pointed out, is a prime candidate because of his last two outings, as well. Can't remember if he has an option year left, though...

a tweaked/strained hammy is the perfect excuse to re-assign AS to left when he returns to go easy on the leg...platoon murton and jones/floyd in RF and jettison the other, or jettison ward, replace him w/ floyd and put jones in the RF platoon...here we go!

Negative = No indications of a tear. It's the presence of a tear that is the negative. (i.e., not there.)

Speaking of Guzman, he looked incredible yesterday. He hit 94 regularly, 97 twice and 99 once (if CSN radar reading is accurate). He had good movement, too. I wonder how many starts Miller gets before Guzman takes #5 over. It's probably a lot, and too soon to credit Guzman with too much, but I was very impressed.

So much for not bring Pie up to not start his clok for the first however many days it was to ge an extra year out of him. Man, I hope Soriano isn't hurt bad, that would be a hit.

Mark in IN:
Speaking of Guzman, he looked incredible yesterday. He hit 94 regularly, 97 twice and 99 once (if CSN radar reading is accurate). He had good movement, too. I wonder how many starts Miller gets before Guzman takes #5 over. It’s probably a lot, and too soon to credit Guzman with too much, but I was very impressed.
Miller has already said he doesn't want to pitch in the minors, so if the Cub's replace him with Gooz, they'll have to buy him out. So, they'll give him a real good look before they do that, to make sure it's what they want to do. 1 or 2 bad starts won't be enough, and rightfully so. Gooz owned in that last game, tho. I hoping he pulled a "Rich Hill".

They won't 'have' to buy him out. They can send him down, and he can refuse, but then he won't get paid. Of course, he and Hendry may have some gentlemen's agreement that they wouldn't do that, but the Cubs won't be forced to release him and pay his salary.

Would've been nice to have more time to evaluate, but now I think we have a week or two before Hendry starts doing the EKG Autodial Shuffle: trade Murton or trade Jones? Expecting the former, hoping for the other. Also, per the recent Dusty vs. Lou comments, may I ask what the Dusty defenders would think are the odds that Pie would lead off today in a Dusty lineup, if even start? One way I strongly prefer Lou: see what you got.

I guess I should clarify a little - not that we can't carry 5 OFs, but we're talking about 5 OFs who all "require" significant playing time. No one in that group is a "5th outfielder."

I'm not a doc, but Soriano is one of those guys who stretch like a gymnast--you know, sitting, legs in a V, upper body straight forward and down until your chin touches the ground--in other words, he's in great shape (like somebody trying to give you your money's worth). He'll probably be back in record time for a hammy. So this is probably just a brief audition for Pie. Still, there were two things I was worried about with Pie, and this takes care of one of them: that he'd never actually get an at-bat with us. Even in a couple of weeks he should make an impression on the team and the fans, and that will make him less likely to be traded--which was the other thing I was worried about. So this is good.

We'll see what the lineup is today, but if Theriot is playing he should bat leadoff imo.... Of course with Pie's newfound patience I should just shut up... I do love when our prospects finally get the call to play, adds a whole new level of excitement to today's game.

The Real Neal:
They won’t ‘have’ to buy him out. They can send him down, and he can refuse, but then he won’t get paid.
I wasn't aware of that, thanks. My point still sort of remains, they're going to give Miller a fair shot and not "over-react" after a couple of bad outings.

Everyone seems set on Miller having a bad outing today. How is that such a foregone conclusion? He was not THAT bad during spring training.

In totally unrelated news, Tim Kurkijan is talking about ambidexterity in ball players - about how for isntance Brooks Robinson was totally right-handed, except for writing, in which he was lefthanded. He gets to Mark Mulder, who evidently claims that he is left-handed dominant for all activities above the waist (overhand throwing, pitching) but right-hand dominant for all things done below the waist (golfing, softball pitching.) This strikes me as very odd.

Yeah, not really sure what to do with the roster at this point. Probably the best option is to send Guzman down to get some regular work in. When Soriano gets back, and if Pie's been too good to demote, I agree with getting rid of Ward (although he's a useful cog in the limited role of pinch-hitter) and use Floyd as the backup 1B.

I understand Hendry's situation with Miller and that they'll take all the time they need to evaluate him. I really hope that Guzman keep throwing like yesterday and presses Miller. Either way, I'd hate to lose Miller in favor of Guzman then have another injured pitcher to replace.

Trans: I do anything small and detailed (writing, eating) left handed. I do all things strong and active (throwing, punching) right handed.

but how is the MRI negative? He doesn’t have a hamstring? I thought Cubster told us last season that all strains are tears of some sort… --------------- My article is posted now under Can we just start playing in May. Check the links ("hamstring injuries" and "reinjured or just leave lingering soreness" for the medical discussion, the 2nd link goes to post #90 from the game 13 area). The MRI being "negative" usually means it's a grade I strain. A grade I hamstring strain is probably not going to show anything on an MRI since the muscle cells are injured but not torn hence nothing structural to show changes. If there is swelling, the MRI might show some fluid at most. Grade II strains indicate some stretch to the damaged muscle. Grade III strains indicate there is a complete tear of the muscle with an area of separation. ...and just for clarification of terms: Strain is the term used for muscle injury (with attached tendon) Sprain is the term used for ligament injury (ie. anterior cruciate ligament), these also have a 1-3 grading system that is commonly used. If they brought up Rocky Cherry and sent down Ohman...now that would be profound. Rumor has it that Eyre's recent hospitalization was for food poisoning, a prescient event? ...I wonder if he had a bad piece of Cherry Pie?

If indeed Soriano is now expected to be out 7-10 days, wouldnt the 15 day DL seem like the best move? Why short your staff for that long by dropping a pitcher?

The Real Neal — April 17, 2007 @ 11:08 am They won’t ‘have’ to buy him out. They can send him down, and he can refuse, but then he won’t get paid. Of course, he and Hendry may have some gentlemen’s agreement that they wouldn’t do that, but the Cubs won’t be forced to release him and pay his salary. ========================== NEAL: It doesn't work like that. What happens is, if the Cubs want to option Wade Miller to the minors, they have to get his permission. If he refuses, then he must remain on the 25-man roster. Of course, they can always trade him or release him, but if they release him, they owe him his $1.5M base salary. If another club signs him, the new club has to pay him at least the MLB minimum (prorated), but the new club would also be on the hook for Miller's $3.75M in potential performance bonuses. Likewise, the Cubs cannot place Miller on Outright Waivers, either (and hope he refuses to go to the minors), because he has three-plus years of MLB service time. That's the reason the D'backs had to place Russ Ortiz on Release Waivers last year instead of on Outright Waivers. (Release Waivers are irrevocable, and cost a claiming club only $1, but if a club claims a player off Release Waivers, the claiming club assumes the contract in total, which is why you never see players claimed off Release Waivers).

AZ Phil - how does pie's call-up affect his service time status or countdown to arbitration eligibility/free agency? was he @ iowa long enough to buy the cubs that extra year of control?

Mike Wellman — April 17, 2007 @ 7:18 pm AZ Phil - how does pie’s call-up affect his service time status or countdown to arbitration eligibility/free agency? was he @ iowa long enough to buy the cubs that extra year of control? ============================= MIKE: If Pie remains with the Cubs for the rest of the season, he gets credit for a full year off MLB service time and can be a FA after the 2012 season. If a player spends less than 20 days on minor league optional assignment in a given season (count begins on MLB Opening Day, NOT the day he was sent to the minors during ST), he gets the entire year, although he also does not use up a minor league option for that year, either. Pie had spent 15 days on optional assignment to Iowa prior to his recall, so five more days and the Cubs buy another year of Pie's MLB service time, and he would not be able to be a FA until after the 2013 season (at the earliest, depending on what happens to him next year). As far as salary arbitration is concerned, a player doesn't necessarily need three years of MLB service time to qualify. It varies from year-to-year, but normally a player can qualify as a "Super Two" for arbitration purposes wiith about 2+140 MLB service time (a "Super Two" being the top 16%--or one in six--of players with more than 2.5 years but less than three years of MLB service time), meaning Pie would probably eventually qualify as a "Super Two" (when the time comes) if he spends no more than about 45 days on optional assignment to the minors this year.

thanks phil - you should play a role in hammering out the next CBA - i dare say you know more about the fine print than most of the players and probably some of the agents too!

not to mention owners/GM-types...

AZ Phil, Thanks for correcting me. So what is the magic number then, three years of service time and you can refuse assignment? I can see why the players like that, not sure what the benefit is for the oweners/GM's. Prior could also refuse assignment then if he were to theoretically get healthy, right?

The Real Neal — April 18, 2007 @ 7:22 am AZ Phil, Thanks for correcting me. So what is the magic number then, three years of service time and you can refuse assignment? I can see why the players like that, not sure what the benefit is for the oweners/GM’s. Prior could also refuse assignment then if he were to theoretically get healthy, right? ====================== NEAL: It's five years MLB ST for refusing an optional assignment, and three years of MLB ST for refusing an outright assignment. In addition to having the right to refuse an optional assignment to the minors, players with at least five years of MLB service time can also refuse a DL rehab assignment to the minors. Also, Any player with at least three years of MLB service time cannot be placed on Outright Waivers without his permission. EXAMPLE: Glendon Rusch (that's why the Cubs had to release him instead of sending him outright to Iowa) In the case of Outright Waivers,(which are irrevocable), a player who clears Outright Waivers must be sent outright to the minors within seven days after clearing Outright Waivers, or on the day the waiver period ends if the waivers were requested less than seven days and more than two days before the end of the waiver period. (Outright Waivers cannot be requested during the last two days of a waiver period). . Any player with less than three years of MLB service time who had been outrighted to the minors previously in his career can refuse an outright assignment to the minors immediately (in which case his contract is terminated and his former club owes him nothing), or he can wait until the minor league FA period begins (October 15th). Most players who are outrighted to the minors after signing an MLB contract for that season opt to defer their right to be a FA until after the season, because if they defer they continue to get paid per their MLB contract for that season (with a $60K minimum minor-league split) while they are playing in the minor leagues. . EXAMPLE: Michael Restovich last year Any player outrighted to the minors who defers his right to be a FA until after the end of the MLB regular season can be added to his club's 40-man roster again anytime prior to October 15th. Any player who otherwise would have been eligible to be a six-year minor league FA (defined as having spent parts of at least SEVEN separate seasons on a regular season minor league or MLB roster, including DL) who is outrighted to the minor leagues after October 15th and before he signs an MLB contract for the following season has the option to be a FA immediately when he gets outrighted. . EXAMPLE: Miguel Negron Any player who is added to the 40-man roster after August 15th cannot be outrighted to the minors between November 11th and 25 days prior to the start of the MLB regular season. (Such a player can be released or traded during that period, he just can't be outrighted). EXAMPLE: Ryan O'Malley Any player with at least five years of MLB service time who has minor league options available cannot be optioned to the minors without his permission. Any player who has spent all or part of at least three separate seasons on a regular season MLB roster (including DL) must pass through Major League Waivers before he can be optioned to the minors. (Major League Waivers are revocable the first time they are requested on a particlular player in a given waiver period, and irrevocable the second time they are requested on a partcular player in that same waiver period). . EXAMPLE: Mark Prior getting optioned to Iowa last month A club may have a maximum of seven players on Major League Waivers at the same time It takes 47 hours for a player to clear waivers, with the day's "waiver wire" transmitted to all 30 MLB clubs at 2 PM (ET) every day, and with waivers expiring at 1 PM on the third day, at which time any claims are announced. The previous season's standings are used to determine waiver claim order through the waiver period that ends on April 30th, then the current standings (as of 2 PM on the day the given player is placed on waivers) are used to determine waiver claim awards starting with the waiver period that begins on May 1st. Once a player passes through Major League Waivers in a given waiver period without being claimed, the waivers on that player are good for the rest of that waiver period. That's why a lot of clubs will place all players who would need to clear Major League Waivers before being optioned to the minors on Major League Waivers right at the start of each waiver period (except for the waiver perood that runs November 11--February 15, because players don't get optioned to the minors during the off-season). MLB WAIVER PERIODS: 1. February 16th through April 30th; 2. May 1st through July 31st; 3. August 1st through November 10th; 4. November 11th through February 15th. Also, for players who are transferred to the 60-day DL from the 15-day DL, time spent previously on the 15-day DL is included when determining when a player is eligible to be activated from the 60-day DL. No player may be transferred to or placed on his club's 60-day DL before March 1st or after the conclusion of the season, and all players on the 60-day DL must be reactivated by November 20th (when 40-man rosters are submitted to the MLB office in preparation for the Rule 5 Draft).

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.