Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

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

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Navigating the Off-Season Roster

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series (which was Sunday 11/1 this season) is an important deadline for several reasons. 

You already know about certain unsigned minor leaguers being declared second-contract or 6YFA on that date/time, but it is also the deadline for outrighting certain players. 

This is why you saw so many players get outrighted by MLB clubs prior to that date/time. 

Any player on an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) who is not eligible to elect free-agency if outrighted (players on the 40 who are eligible to elect free-agency must have Article XX-D or Article XIX-A status, meaning the player either has been outrighted previously in his career or the player has accrued at least three years of MLB Service Time or the player qualifies as a "Super Two" player) but who would have been declared a Rule 55 minor league second-contract or 6YFA this past Sunday if it wasn't that he was on an MLB 40-man roster at the time cannot be sent outright to the minors unless and until the player has signed a 2021 MLB contract or until the player agrees (in advance) to sign a 2021 minor league contract. 

Since MLB contracts are not tendered until 12/2 (that's the MLB contract tender date) and since 2020 MLB contracts cannot be renewed until March 1st, a player in this class is usually advised by his agent not to sign a contract for 2021 until the player reports to Spring Training in February. That way, the player cannot be outrighted to the minors during the off-season (after this past Sunday). 

Players on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster who cannot be sent outright to the minors without the player's permission during the off-season are: 

PLAYERS WITH ARTICLE XIX-A STATUS:  
Javier Baez 
Kris Bryant 
Yu Darvish 
Kyle Hendricks 
Jason Heyward 
Craig Kimbrel 
Anthony Rizzo 
Kyle Schwarber 
Ryan Tepera 
Dan Winkler 

Players on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster who can be sent outright to the minors but can elect free-agency after being outrighted:  

PLAYERS WITH ARTICLE XX-D STATUS: 
Albert Almora 
Victor Caratini 
Willson Contreras 
Ian Happ 
Jose Martinez 
Colin Rea 
Kyle Ryan 
Rowan Wick (was outrighted previously in his career)

Players on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster who cannot be sent outright to the minors until the player either signs a 2021 MLB contract or agrees (in advance) to sign a 2021 minor league contract: 

PLAYERS WITH RULE 55 STATUS: 
Jason Adam 
Adbert Alzolay 
Dillon Maples  
Alec Mills 
Justin Steele 
Duane Underwood Jr 
Ildemaro Vargas 
 
In addition, any minor league player who has accrued less than three years of MLB Service Time, who is eligible for selection in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, and who had his contract selected and was added to the MLB 40-man roster after August 31st (it was after August 15th in previous seasons) and prior to the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, cannot be sent outright to the minors until 20 days prior to 2021 MLB Opening Day. This is called a "Draft-Excluded Player." 

PLAYERS WITH DRAFT-EXCLUDED STATUS:  
Briailyn Marquez, LHP 

Also, any Rule 5 Draft-eligible  minor league player with less than three years of MLB Service Time who is added to the 40 by the 11/20 roster filing deadline will have Draft-Excluded Status as well (these players still TBD). 

So this means that very few players on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster can be outrighted to the minors during the off-seasson (after last Sunday) without restriction. 

The only ones who can be outrighted throughout the off-season without any restriction (other than the possibility that the player might get claimed off waivers) are: 

NO RESTRICTION: 
Miguel Amaya 
David Bote (has Rule 55 Status but is signed to a multi-year contract) 
Nico Hoerner 
Tyson Miller 
James Norwood 
Manuel Rodriguez 
Max Strock
Brad Wieck  

In addition, even if the player is one of the eight with "no rrestriction" listed above, an injured player cannot be placed on Outright Assignment Waivers and be sent outright to the minors after 11/20 and up until 15 days prior to MLB Opening Day unless the player accrued no MLB Service Time in 2020. The only such player on the list above is Miguel Amaya. 

And since Norwood, Rodriguez, and Wieck ended the 2020 season on the MLB 60-day IL, there may be issues with the player being medically cleared so that he can be placed on Outright Assignment Waivers during the off-season after 11/20. (Both Rodriguez and Wieck are active at AZ Instructs, and Rodriguez has even been pitching in AZIL games, while Wieck has thrown "live" BP only).   
 
So that doesn't leave the Cubs much 40-man roster wiggle room during the off-season if they need to open up additional roster slots for MLB free-agents, trades, waiver claims, and/or Rule 5 Draft picks.  

And that's why the MLB contract tender date (December 2nd) is so important.  

Players who cannot be outrighted during the off-season or who can elect free-agency if outrighted can be released at any time (but the player could be claimed off Outright Release Waivers, although a player claimed off Outright Release Waivers can reject the claim and elect free-agency, and once released the player cannot return to that club's MLB 40-man roster until May 15th), but non-tendering the player on 12/2 does not expose the player to waivers - AND - the player can be re-signed by the same club to a minor league contract (normally after the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft, so that the player would not be eligible for selection) and can be added back to the MLB 40-man roster prior to May 15th (perhaps by Opening Day if the player gets an NRI to MLB Spring Training and pitches or plays well enough to make the Opening Day MLB roster).    

So while the 12/2 contract tender date is often presented as the deadline to offer or decline to offer a contract to arbitration-eligible players, it actually isn't just about tendering or non-tendering arbitration-eligible players. 

It's also very important as the one off-season "roster oasis" as far as a club being able to remove a pre-arbitration (auto-renewal) player from the MLB 40-man roster who otherwise cannot be removed from the 40 during the off-season, except by Outright Release. 

Tags
Cubs Roster Strategy

Comments

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 11/03/2020 - 11:42 am

I expect the Cubs to make a lot of roster moves during the off-season. 

I expect several non-tenders on 12/2 (they non-tendered Addison Russell and Danny Hultzen last 12/2, although they re-signed Hultzen to a 2020 minor league contract after the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft). waiver claims (like C. D. Pelham last off-season) and minor trades (like acquiring Jharel Cotton for cash, the Tony Kemp for Alfonso Rivas trade, the Clayton Daniel for Casey Sadler deal, and the Jhonny Pereda for Travis Lakins trade last off-season), one or two Rule 5 selections (like Trevor Megill last December), and maybe a minor FA signing of players non-tendered by other organizations on 12/2 (like Dan Winkler, Ryan Tepera, and Steven Souza Jr last off-season).   

But to do that, the Cubs need to leave multiple 40-man roster slots open during the off-season (especially after 12/2 when they will no longer be able to easily remove players from the 40). 

For example, last off-season the Cubs acquired RHRP Travis Lakins from the Boston Red Sox for a PTBNL (turned out be C Jhonny Pereda) on 1/21 and then lost Lakins off waivers to the Baltimore Orioles ten days later after they signed FA OF Steven Souza and needed a slot on the 40 for him. And then Lakins ended up having a really nice year out of the Orioles bullpen, and the Cubs lost Pereda on top of it. 

That's why I believe the Cubs will add no more than three Rule 5 Draft-eligible minor leaguers to the 40 on 11/20 (and right now I would say those three will most-likely be RHSP Cory Abbott, INF Christopher Morel, and C-INF P. J. Higgins).  

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 11/04/2020 - 11:45 pm

CRUNCH: Christopher Morel isn't injured. He participates fully in BP, infield practice, and baserunning drills. He just isn't playing in games. That could be an indication that he is altering his swing and/or approach at the plate, and when players are doing that they usually don't play in games until they have mastered the change(s). 

I believe Ed Howard IV, Edmond Americaan, and Fabian Pertuz might be doing the same thing.

Felix Stevens was working in the cages with coaches for about three weeks before he finally started playing in games last week. (Stevens is a big dude ex-RHP from Cuba with plus-power and a plus-arm from RF). 

Jared Young (lower body) and Yohendrick Pinango (shoulder?) are definitely injured, though, They both got hurt running the bases (Young) or sliding into a base (Pinango) in games a week or so ago  (I can't remember which games). 

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I THINK I agree with that decision. They committed to Wicks as a starter and, while he hasn’t been stellar I don’t think he’s been bad enough to undo that commitment.

    That said, Wesneski’s performance last night dictates he be the next righty up.

    Quite the dilemma. They have many good options, particularly in relief, but not many great ones. And complicating the situation is that the pitchers being paid the most are by and large performing the worst - or in Taillon’s case, at least to this point, not at all.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Wesneski and Mastrobuoni to Iowa

    Taillon and Wisdom up

    Wesneski can't pitch for a couple of days after the 4 IP from last night. But Jed picked Wicks over Wesneski.

  • crunch (view)

    booooooooooo

    also, wisdom and taillon are both in chicago.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Tonight’s game postponed. Split games on Saturday.

  • crunch (view)

    cubs getting crazy good at not having player moves leak.

    taillon we 100% know is pitching tonight.  who he's replacing and any additional moves are unknown as far as i can tell.

    p.wisdom was not in today's lineup in iowa (rained out) and he was removed from the game last night mid-game, but not for injury.  good bet he's with the team in the bigs, too.

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

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