Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

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

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Hendry on XM Radio

Jim Hendry was on XM radio with Rob Dibble and his co-host...Stern something or other. The completely uninteresting highlights:

  • trading DeRosa was the toughest trade he ever made 
  • too right-handed
  • Fontenot and Miles at second base
  • No talks at all with Baltimore for "the player" (Brian Roberts)
  • couple of deals expected over the next few weeks, in 7-10 days they expect to add a left-handed hitting outfielder
  • seems content with the bullpen, Lou and Rothschild will figure out the closer between Gregg and Marmol in spring training
  • not going to the hockey game, currently visitng his brother in Louisiana
  • Soriano's just streaky, not worried about his playoff performance or wilting under the pressure
  • Sale completed within next month he hears
  • Payroll is set until new owner is named, had to move money to add money
  • humorous bit about not caring what the Yankees spend and he's spent plenty on his part and if he didn't, he probably would have been fired by now.

No mention of the Jason Marquis trade, but you have to assume it's one of those deals expected over the next few weeks.

On another note, this Stern fella sounds like a bigger idiot than Rob Dibble, which I didn't think was possible. He keeps harping about Brian Roberts and just called Mike Fontenot a "punch and judy" hitter.

Dr. Hecht's simulcast after the jump...

Hendry: plans on picking up another LH outfielder
sings DeRosa's praises for versatility, good person, etc.
but move (implying adding Miles?) was to get more left handed and DeRosa was RH.

Stern asks about Brian Roberts to play 2B.
Hendry: No talks with Baltimore at all this offseason. Andy's not interested in dealing him. Cubs will go with Fontenot and Miles at 2B.

Hendry: expect a couple of deals in the next 7-10 days including an OF bat.

Stern: how about the bullpen?
Hendry: Even without Woody, Marmol and Greg can both close. Also mentions Shark, Guzman, Cotts
...says Stevens may help in the pen.

Stern: Any concerns about Soriano struggles in the postseason?
Hendry: He's a streaky guy, a 270-280 hitter, not the model of consistency but he had 3 bad games in the playoffs but played well in the 2nd half last year.

Dibble: what about the economy?
Hendry: our ownership situation is unique. What we have/haven't done this winter is more affected by the ownership sale rather than the economy.

Stern: Yankee's exorbitant spending, Salary Cap? Where do you stand?
Hendry: I've spent alot of money in the last few years. I've no animosity toward the Yankee spending. I try not to be critical of others. Every GM would like more money on the payroll.

Dibble: where are you? It sounds like you are hunting?
Hendry: I'm in my brother's neighborhood, play a little golf here but I'm not carrying a gun.

Comments

Anything it takes, Jim, to replace Cedeno (who had ONE good AB in '08) and Marquis (who gave up Sosa'a 600th among many) is OKay with me.

Jim, the players you've subtracted so far (Edwards, DeRosa, Marquis, Blanco, Ward, and EPatt during the season) accounted for 50 of the Cubs 184 HR's which was good for fifth in the NL. Joey Gathright hit 0 and Aaron Miles 4. The most HR's Milton Bradley has ever hit in a season is 22. So how are the Cubs going to replace those 50 HR's??

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

I have no idea how we could possibly ever do that. We're so screwed, dude, since baseball is only a home run hitting contest. Bradley had the 3rd best OBP in baseball last year. I think Hoffpauir will hit more. I think Fukudome may hit more. Fontenot would have hit almost 20 if you project out over 500 AB's. I'm not concerned about our power. We still were 2nd in runs, 4th in doubles, and most importantly, second in OBP. The runs will still come.

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Edmonds - 19, DeRosa - 21, Blanco - 3, Ward - 4, Marquis - 2, Epatt - 1 (why he's included i have no idea)

so I'm sure everyone else is going to be like me and ignore the bottom 4 guys and concentrate on Edmonds and DeRosa. I think it's not too big of a stretch to assume Bradley can come close to matching Edmonds. I don't think it's too big a stretch to assume that DeRosa wasn't going to hit 21 homers next year either, from a guy who never hit more than 13 before.

I think Fontenot/Miles can probably get near that...so your point?

plus if Soriano can stay healthy, that'll probably make up any other shortcomings...

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Jim, the players you've subtracted so far (Edmonds, DeRosa, Marquis, Blanco, Ward, and EPatt during the season) accounted for 263 of the Cubs 1186 K's which was good for sixth in the NL. Joey Gathright had 40 and Aaron Miles 37. The most K's Milton Bradley has ever had in a season is 123. So how are the Cubs going to replace those 263 K's? *** Seriously, though, it wouldn't shock me if Aram, Lee and Fukudome all add 5 HR's to their totals from last year. Plus we'll now, on occasion, have three guys who can steal some bases in the lineup.

I saw archer play at Lake County (about 5 minutes from my house) i liked his stuff the day i saw him throw, but it was against low A ball players...so who knows... this is where we need AZ Phil

God, all this angst over these deals.......help me out here. This is the Cubs team that was World Champions in 2008, right? Oh, right just NL Champions in 2008 right? I won't belabor the point, but this collection of Wood, DeRosa, Marquis, et al never won a championship so I'm not emotionally invested with any of these guys. I get that some of these moves are payroll-related. Hello! Are the Cubs and Chicago exempt from what's going on in the world today. I'd prefer Abreu over Bradley because of his track record of playing over 150 games every year. However, in the new 'OPS-crazy' world isn't Bradley an upgrade? This team WAS too RH the last 2 years and if these deals allow JH to get Peavy then so much the better. I can't prove this, but all evidence over the past 2 years points to the fact that Pinella is pretty involved with who comes and who goes around the roster. Whoever remains when they break camp in April must be the guys Lou wants, and this is the only guy in my lifetime who has gotten a Cubs team into the playoffs in 2 consecutive years. My wish list still includes a leadoff hitter to push Soriano down in the lineup. For now, I'm just going to watch the crap fly from the sidelines.

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

I agreed George! We have not won anything with this current team. Wood was obviously not an option at 10 mil a year...if we kept him people would be bitching about how we aren't spending any money to improve...so stop the whole wood complaining. If we didn't sign Dempster and signed Wood people would be complaining that our pitching would be weak! The window of opportunity with this team is 2009 and 2010, thats it. So you have to make all the moves to win now. If that means Vitters, Hart, Pie, and two of these prospects for Peavy you do it. This Central division is going to be a lot easier in 2009. We won by 8 games and that was with CC and Sheets in Mil...they are considerably worse, the Cards are without Carpenter and a closer. This team needs to be built to win the first round of the playoffs! With a starting rotation of Peavy, Zambrano, Harden and Lilly (i'm not to keen on Dempster repeating last year) it is tough to beat. Even with Bradley and his injury proneness, let's hope that Fuku can be better this year and spell Bradley for some games while having Johnson in CF. Marshall can spell some of Harden/Peavy...for the plan of keeping them ready to go for the playoffs. Yes not ideal but the loss of DeRosa, Marquis and additions of Bradley and Peavy would be a considerable upgrade. Let the Miles vs. Soriano lead off debate begin.... Let the New Year bring the Cubs a second round playoff game and hopefully a World Series Championship!

[ ]

In reply to by spongebob

So basically, the Cubs didn't win the world series in 2008, therefore any change is good? Who cares if the changes actually will improve the clubs? BTW, yes the tide will turn dramatically if Hendry does land Peavy, but where is the evidence that these trades were done to land Peavy? It looks just as likely that he is simply cutting payroll, and hoping it won't hurt him because the rest of the division is also getting weaker.

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

George, I don't think it's so much that people have angst over these deals as opposed to people having been bored and hardly anything to talk about in the Cubs off season so far. Chalk it up to finally having something, anything to talk about.

Hey George, I'm with you. DeRosa was a very popular guy and had the best year of his career but in order to get more flexibility someone had to go, and why not sell high on DeRosa? There really is no one else to move on this team that would generate a lot of interest besides Soto and some of the younger guys. Remember that when the Peavy talks were at their peak, DeRosa's name was mentioned when Hendry tried to bring a third team (Phillies?) into the mix. This deal could be that third team swap that leads to Peavy. I also agree that Lou tends to put his feelings out there for management to get the players he wants, and he uses who he wants. He was the one who wanted a veteran catcher in '07 when they got Kendall, he didn't want to throw Soto into the fray. I am sure he was the one who wanted Barrett gone. I am just as sure he wants Fontenot to get 90-100 starts in '09, he loves no-gripe players who know how to play the game. Miles is one of those too. Unfortunately I believe he has no problem batting Soriano leadoff, otherwise we would have seen someone else in that spot last year. But he has his ideas and plans and he sticks with them. I think trading DeRosa straight up for Miles and three prospects in itself is not a bad trade considering Fontenot will get more starts. It's replacing him on the bench that bugs me. I'd still like to see the Cubs kick the tires on Ray Durham. Miles/Fontenot, Durham and Hoffpauir would make for pretty good late inning hitting and some depth.

it would appear that Miles has a little better patience from the right side (considering he'll be the righty platoon for Fontenot) but loses even more of his "power". .284/.352/.352 career vs lefties. .290/.321/.368 career vs righties. Casey Stern came over from MLBam. He's bright, Boston U grad, but not real bright in the baseball sense. Usually his time is devoted to talking about playing hours of video games on his shows. I crushed him in a fantasy league too.

[ ]

In reply to by dB

doesn't look like his power goes down really at all, 6 pt drop in BA, 16 pt drop in SLG, which is really just a 10 pt drop in iso SLG and that's probably about a double or two for his career.

I assume he sees the ball better against lefties to attribute for his higher iso OBP.

Ok. I am going to say that, after this shuffling of deck chairs, the Cubs don't land Peavy or the mythical all world Milton Bradley, they will look foolish. Trading your mosr versatile player for 3 prospects not even rated in the Indians top 20. Great. Go get 'em Mike Fontenot.

Sullivan: "The Cubs have been Bradley's preferred choice from Day One of the off-season, but the mercurial outfielder knew they would have to clear some payroll before signing him." - hadn't heard this before. "Paul Bako, another left-handed hitter, is expected to sign a one-year deal for around $500,000. The Cubs don't want a backup who costs much or expects to play a lot. Bako certainly fits the bill, and is considered a good clubhouse presence." http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-01-cubs-mark-der…

I'm sure it's occurred to more than a few people that it might not have been Hendry who chose the 3 prospects from the Indians, but it was Towers?

[ ]

In reply to by 10man

The team that is getting the prospects usually gets to say which ones they'll recieve since they are the ones taking the risk. The trading team might offer a list and say pick any three guys from this list or something like that, but they don't get the final say. If Hendry did let Towers pick the prospects, he's either even dumber or more desperate to cut payroll than I could imagine.

I don't know the inner workings of the Cubs clubhouse, but it seemed to me over the past two years (especially 2008) that Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa were the clubhouse leaders. With both of them gone, I'm afraid it's going to leave a void in the clubhouse. I don't think Bradley is the guy you want filling that roll. It would be nice if DLee, ARam, or Soriano would step up, but I just don't think it is in their nature. That's not to say that letting Wood walk and trading DeRosa were bad ideas. Just from the "clubhouse leader" perspective, I'm afraid it is going to hurt the team.

[ ]

In reply to by Sweet Lou

I think that "Club house leader" is an excuse for teams that don't win. There are a lot of stories about teams that couldn't stand each other and still won. And a lot about teams that had great "chemistry" and lost a lot. I hate to see Wood and Dero go, but I want a World Series win in my lifetime. If these moves get us the players who can win, then I am all for it. I think the last two years have shown that the leadership of this team knows what they are doing. I am also confident that JH knows the personnel of this team better than any of us and makes the moves that he can accordingly. Would we all have made the same moves? NO, but if I were in charge I would have stuck with Choi a few years ago. I agree with those who are saying lets wait until spring trainging is over to judge the off season moves.

[ ]

In reply to by JohnT

I think Bradley is exactly the kind of clubhouse leader the team needs. For one thing, he's older now and probably won't be quite as volatile. The one thing I've been reading about him is that he's a competitor who hates to lose. I say give this guy a shot. This team laid such a huge ass egg during the playoffs. It was a waste of a good year.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

he's actually pretty damn quiet if his past is any indication. he tends to keep to himself, but not disconnected from the clubhouse. he's not off in some corner watching TV ignoring everyone or anything...he just tends to keep to himself.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Somehow the conversation went from clubhouse "leader" to good clubhouse guy. DLee is a good clubhoues guy, but apparently not much of a leader. I'm not talking about good team chemistry. I'm talking about a player or two that are looked to as the off-field leader. A guy outside the manager that can rally the troops. I don't see that on the Cubs right now. Saying that there are plenty of examples of teams where the players hated each other but still won sounds nice, but can you name these teams? There may be one or two (I can't think of any), but it seems to me that these teams are the exception that proves the rule, not the rule itself. Milton Bradley as a clubhouse leader? You've got to be kidding me. His former teammates have generally said he's a good guy, but I've never heard anyone refer to him as a "leader." I don't know if he's so committed to winning that he sometimes overreacts or if he is just a whack job, but a leader he is not.

Man, I couldn't agree more. How did these great clubhouse guys help us win Playoff games? They didn't. A bunch of crap imo. Nice guys, good players, but not all that.

from today's Tribune..."Paul Bako, a left-handed hitter, is expected to sign a one-year deal for about $500,000. The Cubs don't want a No. 2 catcher who costs much or expects to play a lot. Bako certainly fills the bill." ------------ Bako's another lefty bat, but he hits so infrequently it's not worth mentioning. Last year Dusty gave him 299 AB's (217 .299 .328). Hopefully he will see much less than half that amount. So here is my New Year's wish: May God grant Geo Soto excellent health in 2009. Just to remind everyone Bako's a .240 career hitter (nobody in their right mind would let him face a lefty...Dusty gave him 77 AB last year against leftys, with a predictable .197 result): Career vs Righty pitching: 2015 AB, 240 .317 .321 .637 Career vs Lefty pitching: 326 AB, 179 .227 .295 .522 Hank White's contract for 2008 was $2.8M and he had a $300K buyout. So it looks like Bako's return will save another $2M less payroll for 2009. ======= Henry Blanco signed 2-year deal worth $5.25M thru 2008 season on 11/15/06- + he receives a $750K signing bonus and salaries of $1.4M in 2007 and $2.8M in 2008- + the deal includes a team option for 2009 worth $3M or $300K buyout- + the value option could rise up to $4.5M- + the option becomes guaranteed if he reaches certain performance levels- + 2006 salary: $1.5M, 2005: $1.2M Agent: Steve Schneider

Bonds has hip surgery... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/31/SPS71528MQ… The article says it was a minor surgery but they've not been told much about what was done. Very few hip surgeries (including arthroscopic) are minor, as in recovery in a few weeks. Usually the timeline is months. For osteoarthritis, it might help if he had loose bodies to remove. Hip arthroscopy is still in it's infancy as the joint is much more difficult to access and requires a special surgical table to apply traction to the joint during the procedure. The knee, shoulder, elbow or ankle joints evolved arthroscopic techniques much earlier (the knee developed first in the early 1980's), because they are easier to access (entry portals are not surrounded by such thick muscles layers) and are therefore more common (particularly knee/shoulder). Thus, the hip has been the last major joint to get attention arthroscopically. Most of the work on athletes is to repair labral detachments/tears like Chase Utley and Utley will be an interesting case to follow to see how these newer techniques are evolving. Bonds outcome probably doesn't need him to run much though. At most he's a DH now, even if he can get past his albatross issues to find a job which is doubtful...so I don't expect we will see tangible baseball results to evaluate what this surgery did for him. This is an interesting area of development in orthopedics and I'll do a more detailed writeup on it in the future.

so if marquis goes to rockies does that mean the walrus(d. ward) will sign there also this way marquis can still pinch run for him?

Signing Bradley will end up as a disaster. Please don't give me the line he cares more about winning. He doesn't give a rats ass about anyone but himself. And if you cross him, watch out, because he will invent something stupid so he can keep playing the "Whole World Is Out to Get Me" victim lifestyle. He is of the mind set of the Terrel Owens of professional athletes. Fuck everyone else, only care about yourself. His #1 and only care in life is getting a large multi-year deal before he is too injured to play. That is all Milton Bradley gives a shit about. That is all he played for last year, and he openly stated it. Thats why he managed to will himself to get just barely over 400 AB's for only the 2nd time in his career. Slap a 3-4 year deal at Bradley, step back and watch the meltdown. Happy Times will be enjoyed by all.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

that's a little oversimplifying for a guy that grew up in an area where he was beat up for "playing with white boys" and shunned by those same "white boys" (aka, his baseball teammates). he sure as hell didn't get a lot of support from anyone but himself and his mom...and he "made" it to the bigs and got what he literally fought for in his formative years. ...not to mention growing up in the hood with a name like his...ha. he's got some issues and they've been explosive in the past, but his own twisted sense of self-determination probably shouldn't be classified as that extreme on the selfish scale. this is a guy who's cried a lot more than swung fists the past couple years and that's REALLY weird in itself. the "announcer thing" with KC gets a lot of press, but not the part where he came back to the lockerroom crying and being consoled by teammates afterward.

Mark DeRosa splits with the Cubs: 2007: RHP:.297/.373/.437 LHP:.283/.366/.379 2008: RHP:.275/.367/.475 LHP:.310/.398/.497 Sure...Fontenot is a lefty. DeRosa has been a good player for the Cubs. Last season may have been a career year. Let's not assume that he will even duplicate DeRosa's more modest numbers of 2007. I have been a Cub fan for 32 years. I was upset with the way the playoffs wnt the last 2 seasons, but I was happy that they got there. I've been through more 70-92 type seasons than I care to talk about. I am not against moving players to make the team better. Better...not the same, but better. If the best the Cubs could get for Derosa was those 3 "prospects," then so be it. But if that's the case, we gave a away a player who played wherever he was asked, and played capably at 2B, 3B, and OF for 3 middling relief pitcher prospects. Aaron Miles. Luis Vizcaino. Please excuse me for not rushing out to purchase my Cub playoff tickets yet. Milton Bradley....you know how I feel on that subject. Jake Peavy? Until he's here, who cares? I am not impressed with the Cub offseason yet. Not a bit. Oh..and I was wrong...Jeff Stevens was in the top 20 prospects for the Indians. That is a relief?

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Hard to argue with you. Aside from Hendry and/or Lou's obsession with being more balanced in terms of handedness, I'm not sure this is the offseason they would have envisioned, at least as it stands now. It seems clear that the budget constraints were more real than most of us had realized and the ownership clusterfuck hasn't helped alleviate any of the payroll questions that subsequently arose.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I understand these sentiments exactly, and I wasn't trying to minimize them in my earlier post. I too have been a fan since my namesake was ending his run with the Cubs in the late 60's. Maybe, however, it's these overwhelming number of 70-92 seasons that give many Cubs' fans satisfaction with a playoff season or two. I've just come to the point in my life and fandom where I want more and demand more from my team. The goal every year should be a World Championship whether it's baseball, hockey, basketball or whatever. This team is in a top 3 media/population market. There's a boatload of money and revenue streams available. There's enough baseball management talent to assemble and lead a team deep into the playoffs. The division we play in sucks. Now, get there and bring the hardware home. I root for the name on the front of the jersey, and could care less about 98% of the ying-yangs inside of them. After free-agency, arbitration for 3rd year players, and $2 million+ average salaries, I refuse to get emotionally invested in any of them. I respect the game, I loved playing the game, it's been a privilege coaching the game, and I love the game. That's why I watch the game.

and have received universally high marks from our scouts, notably Stan Zielinski. --------------- In Zielinski we trusty?

IMO we should be looking at Greg Zaun as an alternative to Bako. Zaun is 37 but still an effective player.

Clubhouse leaders are overrated. It's like Don Zimmer said, good team chemistry is a 2 run double in the 8th to take the lead, or a 6 game win streak in September. The Sox' leader is supposed to be the great AJ Pierzynski, who is almost universally disliked in the clubhouse and a moody clod. But he plays to win on the field.....like Bradley does. Not saying Bradley is the best option in right, but this "clubhouse leader" thing is just not all that important. The Cub 'house could use some shaking up anyway.

"I believe he has no problem batting Soriano leadoff..." I'm not sure where you got that opinion - I have the distinct impression that Lou would like him to bat way down in the order, but says nice things to the press in the guise of not upsetting his star. Perhaps I'm wrong, but he never came out with a ringing endorsement for Fonzie's batting position last year.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Agreed. Like I said, Bradley to me is not the best option. I was referring to Bradley's rep as a cancer (which only a handful of baseball people seem to espouse). This Cub clubhouse could use a little stirring up.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).