Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-23-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
* Matt Mervis
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 9 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P

DFA: 1 
Garrett Cooper, 1B 
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Mets Sweep Cubs

Submitted by CTSteve on

That happened...

Thanks everyone for everything all year. 

Tags
2015 Cubs

Comments

Submitted by John Beasley on Wed, 10/21/2015 - 10:44 pm

I hope I remember the 2015 Chicago Cubs fondly. It was beautiful before it turned sour.

Submitted by Brick on Wed, 10/21/2015 - 10:08 pm

Thanks for the great season, guys. I'm glad this site is still active (thanks CTSteve for the mid-year day-savin') and I'm glad there are thoughtful, funny people to share this with. I'm super-bummed, but I know there is hope, and I'm genuinely looking forward to what comes next. To 2016!

Submitted by Jackstraw on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:22 am

My theory is that Cubbery took a 6 week leave of absence. During that time it got some spa treatments, did yoga, and started eating gluten free. Showed back up last Saturday refreshed, fit, and refocused. The monolithic nature of the Cubs failure in the last series should at least minimize any finger pointing in the clubhouse unless it's to say "yeah, I sucked but I didn't suck as much as that guy". Soler and Hendricks get barely passing grades, everybody else is in Delta House territory. I really wonder if there are any take-away messages or lessons for the Cubs from the series. Having never played at a level higher than intramurals and rec league I suspect pros view or convince themselves of outcomes differently that I did/would. Beats me. Go Royals.

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Submitted by Old and Blue on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:56 am

"I really wonder if there are any take-away messages or lessons for the Cubs from the series. " The biggest take away will be for the young hitters to take that next step. I think the Mallee strategy was an excellent one for a young team. Sit on pitches and wait for the ONE pitch you can hit. The Mets did a great job of destroying that approach and the umpires apparently all had money invested in their FanDuel accounts on Mets pitchers, which didn't help. How can you NOT expand the strike zone when every close call, just about, goes to the other team? That last pitch to end the game was a typical example of the umpires affecting the outcome of the game pretty directly. The young Cubs hitters had no answer for that. The Mets' pitching plan was perfectly executed. Hopefully, next season the Cubs can combine winning games at a furious pace with learning situational hitting. That's a hard thing for young hitters to master which is why I think the approach Mallee took with these kids was the right one, and it led to some magic moments. 97 wins, they beat a good Pirates team and a Cards team with excellent pitching. When Starlin hit that shot last night to Duda I realized it was just the Mets year. That, and a journeyman-quality second baseman out Reggie-ing Reggie Jackson in the postseason. Next, they need to learn how to deal with bad umpiring and/or pitchers who bang the plate with change ups. You can't hit against every ace pitcher but the Mets pitching wasn't unhittable. Lots of well placed change ups and lots of questionable calls that a more seasoned team could probably deal with. A lot of people fret that there are only so many chances to get to the playoffs and that the central is so good, but you can't beat experience like this. This team got 97 wins with half of their hitters really having no idea about what they are doing at the plate because they are rookies. Just imagine what they'll be like when they learn how to hit.

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Submitted by Rob Richardson on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:53 am

Clearly we also need more pitching, starters in particular. I am sure that they will pursue multiple paths to address the issue in the off season and will select the "best" one depending on how the market plays out. IMO it is more likely that they end up with a handful of twos and threes than another high priced ace, but who ever they get should be focused primarily on being able to win games in the play offs. I also expect them to address the bullpen in someway.

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Submitted by Rob Richardson on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:43 am

Agreed, but that is sort of the point. If you can get a young cost controlled ace for Soler (say Sonny Gray) and you can replace Soler's production with Hayward, that might be a better path than giving a long term contract to say Price. I am not proposing this as a transaction per se, but more to highlight that the Cubs have a great deal of flexibility this off season.

Submitted by Ryno on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:50 am

It's been a long time since we can say the Cubs have exceeded expectations. It was a great season and represents the floor of what this core is capable of doing. When this team is "on" they are a force to be reckoned with. Next season they will have an extra year of experience under their belts. I know I am already looking forward to next season.

Submitted by Tito on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:54 am

The take-away is that the playoffs are a crapshoot. I just can't get too upset over this, despite how close they were to finally getting to the World Series. 2003 was WAY worse. So was 2008. Back then, it was depressing but minus any hope for the future. This is different.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:06 am

I believe in the post-season, the hottest, healthiest, and luckiest team wins.

A post-season series is like taking a segment out of the MLB regular season and then cutting it out, where in that segment a team might be on a hot streak, or suddenly go cold, or treads water while trying to survive an injury to a significant pitcher or player, or where a game can be decided by the luck of the bounce and a line-drive that finds a fielder's glove, or by drawing a home plate umpire whose idea of the strike zone matches your pitchers and players concept of the strike zone.  

Over 162 games a player gets hot and can carry a team for a period of time and then cools off, injuries can be overcome by making a trade or calling up a player from the minors, and lucky bounces and bad calls even out, but in a short series they do not. 

The key thing is to get into the post-season. Once there, anything can happen. Hopefully you play the right team at the right time. It's just too bad the Cubs ended up facing the Mets when they did. The Mets were absolutely on fire, and the Cubs went stone cold. 

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Submitted by George Altman on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:22 am

I agree, Phil, getting there every year is the objective. The Cubs were prohibitive favorites to make/win the World Series before the Mets pulled another horseshoe out of their ass. Question: Based on whatever insider knowledge you have, do they trade any of Soler, Schwarber, Russell, Baez, Rizzo, or Bryant? What type of player(s) would they trade and for what? Or will they just buy starting pitching?

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Submitted by johann on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:52 am

I think a lot of what they'll do outside of pitching revolves around their views of Scwarber at catcher. If they decide they want him to catch on a more regular basis that frees up some of the position player log jam they have now. But if he keeps playing primarily LF one of Baez, Castro and Soler would continue having to be primarily bench players and while I'm sure Madden would love to continue having that flexibility I'm not sure if those players would continue accepting that role. Of those three I wonder if Soler's injury history will play into a decision to keep him. He has huge upside now that he's shown he can be patient but missing large parts of the season is certainly a concern. Center field I'm betting that the Cubs will go with more of the stopgap route with Almora and now Julio Martinez potential long term prospects and a lack of good free agent choices.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:55 am

GEORGE A: I think the Cubs will try and sign one of the younger free-agent starters (probably either David Price, Jordan Zimmermann, or Mike Leake) that would fit into the Cubs "window of opportunity" (2016-21), and if that doesn't work, I suspect they will revisit what they were reportedly attempting to do at the trade deadline and try to acquire a younger established SP from a non-contending team (like Tyson Ross from SD, Jake Odorizzi from TB, Carlos Carrasco from CLE, or Sonny Gray from OAK). 

I think the Cubs would probabvly prefer to trade Castro rather than one of the younger guys, but I don't think Castro will get back what the Cubs want, so I think Castro will be the Cubs second-baseman going forward. I can't see the Cubs trading Bryant, Russell, or Schwarber, but I would think Soler and Baez are available, mainly because they are either redundant (Baez) and/or replaceable (Soler).

The big problem the Cubs have is a lack of impact pitching prospects who are anywhere near MLB-ready, so a FA signing or a trade will probably have to be the way to go. I don't think the Cubs want to let the Arrieta-Rizzo-Lester-Russell-Schwarber Cubs go into next season without another quality SP. 

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:52 am

As far as CF is concerned, I think the Cuibs will extend a Qualifying Offer to Dexter Fowler (a one-year guaranteed $15.8M contract), but Fowler will deline it and test the FA market. 

Fowler will be 30 next season, and this is his first (and probably best) opportunity to score a three or four year deal, and I don't think the Cubs would want to sign him for that length of time. 

After Fowler declines the QO (which will net the Cubs a 2016 draft pick if and when Fowler signs elsewhere), I suspect the Cubs will go after Denard Span, who is two years older than Fowler (so he won't cost as much), plus the Cubs could sign Span to a three-year deal with an eye toward playing him in CF in 2016 and then sliding him into the 4th OF gig whenever Albert Almora Jr or Eddy Julio Martinez graduate to MLB. 

Span would also provide a high-contact hitter on a team full of high-K guys, and I think the Cubs might want to add a hitter to the lineup who doesn't strike out much. 

 

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Submitted by johann on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:55 pm

This is the first time since 2003 though (and even more than 2003) where I've been this excited to see what they do as there's already a great base and we only need a few spots strengthened. It's also the first time where wait till next year actually means something because I can't wait to see how these rookies mature and develop. I truly think this team could be like the Hawks when they got beat the 1st time then took that experience and ran with it the next season. You already see Schwarber saying they're going to remember the feeling of getting beat and that is a good sign. So here's to an actually exciting hot stove time.

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Submitted by Rogers on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:42 pm

Phil, Theo Epstein had a press conference that lasted about an hour today and was televised live here in the Chicago Area. I'm surprised none of the posters has mentioned it, which leads me to believe they either are working or live far away. I will try to briefly summarize as follows; 1. We will add a quality starting pitcher or two during the off season. We want to go into 2016 with six or seven starting pitchers. Our primary thrust will be through free agency. 2. We want to keep the core in tack but we may forced to trade someone from that core to achieve our goals. 3. We will do everything we can to keep Dexter Fowler, which sounds like your thought of a qualifying offer for sure. 4. We love the versatility of our core players and will probably experiment in Spring Training with someone like Baez in center field, assuming Dexter goes. 5 . We love the way Starlin Castro stood up in the way of adversity and played great. In his words we look forward to having Starlin with us for many years. He also said the most important thing for this organization is amateur draft, which is great and not surprising. Phil, you are a good baseball man, keep up the good work. I'm part of a season ticket package so I see a lot of games and a couple of the playoff games, but rarely post because I don't want to get in the constant chatter.

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Submitted by George Altman on Sat, 10/24/2015 - 10:05 am

Thanks for the insight, Phil...I've always had my eye on Span and he would be a great 3 yr fit under those parameters. At this point Happ, Dewees, or Martinez might be ready before Almora. Span, Sonny Gray and Zimmermann would be a very nice upgrade if the cost was only Soler and other non-40 man prospects.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:02 pm

"I think Castro will be the Cubs second-baseman going forward." Depends how much input Maddon has. Maddon loves Baez's glove and never misses an opportunity to play him at short. Notice that Castro hasn't played any short since Russell replaced him there. Castro is a better hitter than Baez at this stage, but that's not what counts for Joe. Castro also is getting a little fat and no longer is a base-stealing threat. I'm surprised that Soler's playoff performance didn't seem to change any opinions here. Five hits including a home run and two doubles in twelve at-bats against the Mets, while everybody else was flummoxed . . . I don't know, that home run off DeGrom was gorgeous. I'd hate to have to watch him do that on a regular basis in some other uniform.

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Submitted by Ryno on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:26 pm

Since we're playing pretend GM, I would trade Soler & Baez, play Castro at 2B, Russell at SS, LaStella as utility/backup MIF. Hopefully one or both of Soler & Baez would net a legit starting pitcher and possibly a relief pitcher. Then I would spend money on an additional starter. Hendricks then, rather than being a 3rd starter, is a 5th starter. I know you give up a pretty good bat with Soler, but you have to give up something to get something.

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Submitted by johann on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:02 pm

Madden took a long time to bench Castro and the minute he started hitting he became a fixture at 2nd with Madden speaking glowingly about him the whole time. He made negative comments about Soler's defense and never did about Castro at 2nd. I mean I loved Baez's progression this season in a way others didn't seem to here and think he has more upside than Castro but I think you're seriously underestimating Madden's appreciation of Castro. Even when Baez was hitting he still wasn't replacing Castro at 2nd. Castro might get traded if they receive a great offer for him and with the way he responded at the end of the season I could see a team taking that chance, I just don't see Madden pushing for a deal to be made. He'd probably rather keep all of them. In terms of Soler I've been on board since before his last injury when while he wasn't hitting the hrs he was showing patience and an ability to lay off the breaking pitches that plagued him at the start. It's just that injury risk that gives me pause. If he stays healthy he will be a beast and that cannon of an arm will be amazing with improved route running.

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Submitted by Rob Richardson on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:53 am

Agreed to a point, strike outs are certainly better than a double play, but weren't the Cubs the worst in the majors at driving in runners from third? I am not suggesting that the Cubs not build around hitters like Bryant, Soler, Schwarber and Rizzo, I just think it makes sense to fill out the roster with players who put the ball in play more often. On the plus side, we should see improvements from the kids (Bryant - 199, Soler - 121, Russell - 149, Schwarber - 77) and Fowler is likely gone (154), but catcher should remain the same in 2016 at least (Montero - 103).

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Submitted by Old and Blue on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:48 am

I don't know if they were the worst, but they were pretty bad. I really think that's just a function of having so many rookies. The approach with them this year was to let them wait for pitches they could hit, which resulted in a lot of bats on the shoulder on third strikes in key situations. I think more seasoned hitters would be able to push some of those changeups these guys get it to the right side of the infield and outfield to move runners, and shorten up their swings a bit more than they do. This just comes with time. I would still take a guy like Bryant over a guy like LaStella with a guy on third, even if LaStella has a good reputation for being a contact guy.

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Submitted by Old and Blue on Sat, 10/24/2015 - 10:35 am

That's a tough one. I really have no idea at this point what the right move is. Baez's approach at the plate seems completely different from the previous year. I saw him take dozens of pitches he was swinging wildly at last year. Night and day. He did revert to form in at least one at bat against the Mets I saw late, but still.. And Castro has shown he's a real gamer and character guy. Much more so than I realized. I think I'd probably go with Castro as the guy to trade if it comes to that. It's crazy, though, to think that he'll still be only 26 beginning next year. Honestly, I like this group so much that I hope they dip into their well of young prospects if they need to trade for a young controllable pitcher. The only thing I know for sure, though, is that I hope they don't go after a TOR and take on another albatross contract. Baseball is full of teams making that mistake. They already have Lester's contract to deal with, and Arrietta is going to cost a fortune.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Mon, 10/26/2015 - 10:28 am

In terms of Castro becoming a fixture at 2B, that was after Russell was injured and Baez was needed at short. When Russell was around, Maddon protected leads in late innings by removing Castro and playing Baez at second. So I consider the praise of Castro from Theo and Joe as happy talk--but that's pure mind-reading on my part, and I can't really claim any special abilities in that line. I will admit that not only the babies on the team but also Castro has an upside we haven't seen yet.

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Submitted by billybucks on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:02 pm

In addition to a strong performance vs. the Mets -- didn't Soler start the playoffs reaching base 9 straight times? I don't know if it's Manny or what, buy Jorge seemed to really lay off the low and away stuff and get pitches he could drive throughout the playoffs. His OF play needs work, but I think he has the potential to be a devastating middle-of-the-lineup hitter.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Mon, 10/26/2015 - 10:51 am

BB-- I was going to add that the Cubs have been collecting lefty-hitting outfielders recently--McKinney, Happ, Dewees--and might miss Soler's 30+ HR righty power; but Happ actually switches, and I was forgetting about Eloy, who is (or will be) as big as Soler and is bound for South Bend next year at nineteen. Maybe another season of Soler with the Cubs will enhance his trade value and give us a longer look at Eloy.

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Submitted by billybucks on Tue, 10/27/2015 - 10:38 am

Yeah...but those guys seem like a long way away, while Soler has performed well in the playoffs (small sample, I know) and seems to be gaining some plate discipline . The "window to win" is now open!

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Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Wed, 10/28/2015 - 10:34 am

Also...maybe another season of Soler will result in him fulfilling his potential as a power hitting RF the Cubs have lacked since Sosa?

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Submitted by Old and Blue on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:37 am

Absolutely. The frustrating thing for Cubs fans in the past is that when we see an opportunity slip away, we knew, absolutely, with no shred of doubt, that this was the last opportunity in awhile. The worst scenario I can see is that ALL the Cubs rookies have sophomore slumps and the team misses the playoffs next year, and still ride to the top of the standing most other years during the next 6-7. The pipeline of players still in the minors who can end up in Wrigley is still pretty fat.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:10 pm

Lesson learned for the playoffs. You carry one great starting pitcher, one good one, and two awful one's into the playoffs...you are playing with fire. In retrospect, we all should have seen the writing on the wall when Arrieta did not start game #1 on regular rest. When you have someone who won their last 15 starts (or whatever it was), and they are held an extra day...something is wrong. By no means is that why we lost, but it should have given us pause to realize the Cubs had issues.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:17 pm

I'd have to think Castro remains the #1 trade tool for the off season...but that is if they need a trade, which I'm not so sure they do.

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Submitted by Old and Blue on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:58 pm

Depends on whether they can get enough pitching through free agency. Theo in his press conference today sounded like a guy who's going after Greinke or someone like that. The Cubs also have a glut of infielders. But I wouldn't put it past Maddon to stick Baez in center during Spring Training, especially if the Cubs decide to just let Fowler go without replacing him.

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Submitted by crunch on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:06 pm

hopefully he's just being nice. being one of the best CF on the FA market, fowler can get years + loot. his iffy CF reads and routes rely way too heavily on his legs bailing him out, imo. meh. i can't imagine they see a.alcantara as their 2016 CF'r, but 2017+ isn't out of the question.

Submitted by dc60124 on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:13 pm

Castro may no longer be the Cubs SS (probably 3 on a depth chart), but surely other clubs could see him as the answer to their SS needs. And would be willing to pay a premium for a "young" veteran such as he. Could the Cubs/Maddon have actually devalued him by moving/demoting him to 2b? In that a second player would need to be involved to make a good sized trade for a 2-3 starter? And any interest here abouts for Samrdzjia (sp?) ? I'd pass but I'm not all that bright.

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Submitted by Old and Blue on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:54 am

I think moving Castro to second did the opposite of devaluing him. He may be a bit error prone at short, but he can still field the position and sometimes make the spectacular play. And now he's showing he can play second. Middle infielders like that are pretty valuable. And he's demonstrated that despite his on field occasional lapses, which should have been a big concern for people, he's got tremendous character. Character guys are important in sports and that adds value, too. I think all the Maddon praise is great, but that also adds to his trade value because Maddon means what he says. I'm not advocating a trade of Castro, but he's as sell high as he'll probably ever be. Shark sucks. He overvalues the piss out of himself. Prove it on the field before you talk about how much money you deserve.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Thu, 10/22/2015 - 10:18 pm

Cubs winning imaginary game #5 4-1 in the 4th inning. Lester has 6 K's, but gave up a bunt single, followed by a steal of 2nd base, Ross error got the runner to 3rd....and then scored when Lester tried to pick him off at first base, and threw the ball into right field...even though the runner was on 3rd and not 1st. Cubs scored on back-to-back-to-back HR's by Schwarber, Bryant and Rizzo....along with a Lester triple and sacrifice fly.

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Submitted by Old and Blue on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:01 am

True story: I was watching Eck pitch for the Cubs one day and it was just this incredibly gutsy performance. Details elude me a bit, I'm not even sure he won, it was just one of those games where he didn't have his best stuff but battled like crazy, turned me into a big fan of his. And I said to my friend who was with me at the time, that it was weird that nobody turns starters with middling careers into closers, because he'd be a good one.

Submitted by Hagsag on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:15 am

Once again, AZ Phil was spot on. He has said for a long time that Castro"s best position is 2b.

Submitted by QuietMan on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:24 am

Mariners going from one exCub to another. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Mariners will announce Scott Servais as their new manager on Friday.

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:30 pm

“But when the alternative is sticking that kind of a bat in the minor leagues until he’s Johnny Bench defensively, I like the imperfect path.” yeah, sticking him in the minors won't do that...nor will splitting time between LF+C in the majors do it. that's not even a legit alternative because the outcome isn't gonna happen. that's like sticking k.hendricks in the minors til he throws mid-90s fastballs...that's not happening, either. schwarb is a below average catcher striving for a ceiling of average. that said, the most important thing isn't the off-the-cuff comparison, it's that we might see schwarb catch some games at C in 2016. i expect him to be back in LF for 2016 nearly full time...especially with montero+ross already on board.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Mon, 10/26/2015 - 10:32 am

Theo and Co. have very high standards for catchers. I actually think Montero and Ross are the two best catchers I've ever seen behind the plate for the Cubs. I've been humbled the last couple years--apparently you haven't--watching how this organization operates. As a lifelong Cub fan, I received a poor education at baseball. I used to think Welington Castillo was a good defensive catcher. He had a strong arm; and Oneri Fleita said his defense was "off the charts." Pitch framing? Hendry and Fleita never mentioned it. So if Theo says Schwarber can catch, I tend to believe him. Or maybe I should believe you, another lifelong Cub fan?

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Submitted by crunch on Mon, 10/26/2015 - 10:57 am

welly's just an average catcher with an above-average arm, nothing special except how little he gets paid to do it (for now). but yeah, i wouldn't hold your breath about schwarber being a good catcher, or even an "average" catcher, no matter who's saying it because what he's showing isn't a single issue to work on. his instincts kinda suck and he's stiff behind the plate. dude doesn't adapt well to stuff in the dirt or outside of his expected zone...bad blocking. plus, you can pretty much steal on him given both how slow he is out of the crouch and how inaccurate his arm is afterwards. he's got a lot stacked against him to work on. you don't have to believe anyone. just let history and the future have it's say. i'm not holding out a shred of hope of him being a catcher, myself. also, this isn't my theory...this started with many others before he was drafted and he's done very little in the minors or majors to debunk it.

Submitted by Cubster on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:16 pm

per mlbtr via David Kaplan...
In an inter-division switch, the Brewers have hired away Derek Johnson from the Cubs to serve as their pitching coach, David Kaplan of CSN Chicago and ESPN Chicago reports on Twitter. Johnson had served as the minor league pitching coordinator in Chicago after a lengthy stint at Vanderbilt University’s outstanding baseball program.

Submitted by Jackstraw on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:46 pm

Seems like Price is fitting in well with Lester, Arrieta, and Hammel. Just not in a good way. Or in the same bad way.

Submitted by billybucks on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 10:18 pm

MLB must love the Fox studio crew -- Pete Rose and A-Rod together. What, Lance Armstrong and Ray Rice weren't available?

Submitted by John Beasley on Sat, 10/24/2015 - 10:05 am

The left-handed relief pitching market is brutal. Possible top (ha!) targets: JP Howell (team option), Tony Sipp, Eric O'Flaherty, Ross Detwiler, other similar meh pitchers. I hope this team finds the hidden jewel it needs or else trades for a cost-controlled young lefty, bur it's not a great winter to buy a lefty reliever.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 10/24/2015 - 10:32 am

Through twelve games in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP) so far, Cubs 3B Christian Villanueva is hitting 359/458/718, and is tied for the LMP lead in HR and is second in OPS, and he has struck out just four times in 45 PA.

Villanueva will be out of Minor League Options in 2016, and he is an unusual case in that he has been on the Cubs MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) for three seasons, but never got called up to the big leagues, but he also has not been outrighted to the minors. That's a very unusual combination.

Remember that Villanueva was a Baseball America Top 100 prospect when he was acquired by the Cubs from Texas alonmg with Kyle Hendricks in the Ryan Dempster trade in 2012, but he was been blocked at 3B in Texas by Mike Olt, and then when the Cubs acquired him he was soon blocked at 3B by both Kris Bryant (Cubs 1st round pick in 2013) AND Mike Olt (acquired by the Cubs from Texas in the Matt Garza trade in 2013). 

But Villanueva is a decent 3B prospect (I've  considered him to be a Cubs Top 15 prospect throughout the last three seasons), and while is now out of minor league options, he should be MLB-ready in 2016 for any team looking for a young cost-controlled third-baseman with upside. 

Submitted by Cubster on Sat, 10/24/2015 - 10:33 am

Is Jacob Turner still on the radar for next year. At what point do they have to remove him from the DL and decide on his 40 man roster status? Any news on his recovery status? He had some upside as a starter but of course, injured pitchers will be dicey until they prove otherwise.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 10/24/2015 - 10:41 am

CUBSTER: Jacob Turner must be reinstated from the 60-day DL no later than 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day following the conclusion of the World Series, and then he can be placed back on the 60-day DL no earlier than the start of Spring Training in February. 

I have not heard anything regarding his rehab from elbow surgery (a pin was reportedly inserted as part of the process), and I have not seen him at the Cubs UAPC in Mesa.

I do think the Cubs would like to consider Turner a contender for a spot in the 2016 rotation, but he out of minor league options, and he also is salary arbitration eligible for the first time post-2015, so because he made $1M in 2015, he can't be cut more than 20% in 2016, and it's just a question of whether the Cubs want to pay him $1M to rehab in Mesa for all or part of next season if he isn't 100% ready to compete for a spot in The Cubs starting rotation next season.

Turner is a Scott Boras client, so he would almost surely elect to be a free-agent if he is outrighted, and he probably won't be willing to accept a minor league contract with a low base salary if the Cubs decide to non-tender him on 12/2 (the only way he can be offered a salary less than $800K for 2016).        

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 10/25/2015 - 10:57 am

Montero and Ross did well in catcher stats for 2015. Montego ranked 6th, Ross 12th. Interesting that Russ Martin and Yadier Molina were only upper quarter. Welly stats bad for D-Backs. Cervelli tops this list. How much improvement do catching stats need to reflect on a catcher's true defensive value? http://www.statcorner.com/CatcherReport.php

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 10/25/2015 - 10:47 pm

y.grandal being 3rd on that list is a hell of an "alright, then" for a guy who's average almost everywhere but pitch framing when it comes to the D. he did have his usual slew of SB attempts against, but he did catch a decent amount stealing this season...so there's some improvement there. i don't really get how pitch framing became the "stat dujour" this season when you're talking about an extra 0.5 - 1.75 called strikes per game for those that are good at it. it's a positive, but it's such a minor tool in the overall scheme of catcher skills. also, those RAA values look way off (way too high and way too low) for a lot of players...dunno how they calculated those, but for many players those are some really extreme values.

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 10/25/2015 - 10:31 am

http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/10/22/cubs-still-on-the-move-to-the-sco… Trib's Rob Feder reporting what had been rumored for awhile. Cubs moving from WBBM 780 to WSCR 670 next year. At least they will probably be able to give more Cub pre/postgame radio time. I've noted the previous notoriously pro-WSox hosts were toned down this year. It was tough for them to enjoy the WSox team in 2015. Most of their fans wanted Robin Ventura gone (he's baack!) WSux moving to WLS 890 next year.

Recent comments

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Things I've been wrong about:

    -Tauchman is fine as a 4th OF. I knew that. I just want a better LH DH option and he was really the DH for us until Seiya got hurt. I'm glad Mervis is getting a chance at it. Caissie is coming for that job for sure. But Tauchman continues to be highly useful as a 4th OF with Seiya being hurt

    -I wanted Yency to go to get guys at Iowa a chance. Guys like Palencia and Sanders or RileyT. Maybe even Hodge! But Yency has been better the last two plus weeks. He did hit 96 the other day. He was 93 in Texas to open the season.

    -Leiter has his split working enough. It just needs to stay there

    -I was surprised Jed picked Wisdom over Cooper. I wonder if this happens if Seiya wasn't hurt. Wisdom has more power. Cooper is the better hitter. Jed picked Wisdom and Wisdom had an option left as well.

    -Palencia just doesn't miss enough bats. Similar to ManRod, just two yrs younger. ManRod is killing AAA for TB right now!

    Things I got right so far:

    -Hendricks. Sorry Kyle. You got paid though!

    Jed, you missed there.

    -Smyly. If Jed could've traded him before or during ST, then he should have and saved some cash.

    -Mastro.  Not a LH DH. Pinch runner. Defensive utility. Maybe he's better than Madrigal but didn't get a legit chance to prove it.

    -Luke Little is good. He's had one bad outing. That's it. Needs to get better entering with guys on base. But he needs to stay in MLB.

    -Oh yeah....Morel is doing fine at 3B! He'll get better as well!!

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger "right rib contusion"

  • Childersb3 (view)

    South Bend just lost the lead in the bottom of the 9th on the weirdest scenario, ever.

    It's absolutely pouring rain....men on 1st and 2nd, 1out....JPatterson asks for a new ball, but no time out was called....he throws the old ball toward the dugout (not sure if it rolled out of play).....the ump declares the runners get two bases each so one run scores. Then a single up the middle ties the game.

    The rain was coming down in buckets at this point.

    Just weird

  • crunch (view)

    ...and bellinger is gone in the 7th because of that 2nd blown chance and the wall he bounced off of...

    hopefully his rib cage/shoulder feels better tomorrow, we just got happ back.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil,

    Any thoughts on Y. Rojas' stuff and Y. Melendez's game (I believe I've asked about him before, sorry)?

  • crunch (view)

    wow, things are moving fast.  hopefully it continues.

  • crunch (view)

    morel with 4 clean plays in 4 innings...showed off his 100000000mph arm a couple times.

    cody bellinger not having a good 4th, though...5 run leads are handy when your CF is making your pitcher have a 5-out inning.  2nd blown chance was ruled a hit even though it went in/out of his glove...1st was lost in the lights, also ruled a hit.

  • crunch (view)

    welcome back happ!  double off the wall 1st PA back.

  • crunch (view)

    oh yeah, totally, i was just chiming about why i fan like i fan.

    i would like nothing more than hendricks to keep on hendricks'ing.  guys with his stuff can throw for a long, long time as long as it works.

    he velocity is actually up a minor amount this year.  it's really "damn" when a guy like him not only has gas in the tank, but it's looking like it was years ago.  he added a curve a few years ago and it helped a little bit, but he's throwing it less and less while the fb/change combo are less effective.

  • Alexander Dimm (view)

    CRUNCH—There is no one person in this community I’m talking about.  My remarks were not directed at you or anyone, but at a tone I’ve noticed lately. 

    You have a great, dry sense of humor and there is thought behind your comments.   You and I don’t always agree but I always understand your position.  

    Lastly, and I’ll be quiet, I agree with you on Hendricks.  We can dislike the recent performance but still love the guy.  Lots of questions about his future.
     

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