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

Laugh Your Troubles Away!

99% of the precincts in Mesa have now reported:

Prop 420 - 63% YES.

So the Cubs WILL be staying in Mesa, and a new Spring Training & Minor League HQ and "Wrigleyvile West" will be built at Riverview Park.

Somewhere Two Ton Baker is riding the Bobs and laughing his ass off.    

Comments

Cubs supporters gathered at the Hilton Phoenix East Mesa Hotel to watch election results come in, munching on Chicago-style deep dish pizza flown in from the Windy City.
Typical Ricketts. Did it not cross anyone's mind to maybe get the pizza locally? Believe it or not there are Chicagoans there making pie.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

Submitted by John Beasley on Wed, 11/03/2010 - 12:25pm. Right, Navigator. Another example of Hendry and Wilken not scouting for talent in the local market, right? ============================================== JOHN B: I don't know about Ricketts, but I think I can say without any risk of contradiction that Hendry and the other members of the Cubs front office know (probably within two) how many restaurants there are in Mesa, where they are located, what's on the menu, and what the special is tonight.

"Rays declined RHP Dan Wheeler's $4 million option for 2011." oookay. seems like a good enough deal to me considering TB is only on the hook for 1 year. ...and he has a 1m buyout. wonder if he's sore/injured? weird.

As far as I can tell, everything seems to be working. Let me know if there are any problems.

Shit like this gives me heartburn. http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5761615 Jeter, I guarantee if you were to get Dye'd out of baseball this winter, the Yankees would show up for spring training as favorites to make the playoffs, and the only people who would take notice would be some of your close teammates and hundreds of media assholes. Fans? Yeah, for a while, until your replacement got to a ball in the hole. Glad to see NY is going to con itself into paying too much money for overvalued FA's once again.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

Jeter, I guarantee if you were to get Dye'd out of baseball this winter, the Yankees would show up for spring training as favorites to make the playoffs, and the only people who would take notice would be some of your close teammates and hundreds of media assholes. Fans? Yeah, for a while, until your replacement got to a ball in the hole. Sorry... but this is bullshit. As much as I don't like Jeter, and as much as I think that he is overrated as a player, there is no question that he is an institution among Yankees fans. The guy has been the fact of the Yankees for years, and fans will be livid if Jeter is no longer there.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

For what it's worth, here is the assessment of Wood from the Yanks' beat writer on FoxSports.com: "RHP Kerry Wood was a lethal weapon in the bullpen for the Yankees after being acquired at the trade deadline, allowing two runs in 24 appearances as the team's primary setup man. The Yankees declined their $11 million option for 2011 on Wood, who will likely land a closer job with another team this winter."

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

yeah, but i don't think ishikawa is on the cubs radar...or uribe. adam dunn is the only FA bat besides werth on a near-top-tier of talent. the only thing people wanting dunn have going for them is NYY/BOS are probably not going to go bidding for them. i guess another thing is anyone wanting SP will have to spend more than they should because of the thin market. i'm waiting for hendry to tip his hand rather than a sentence in an article not based on a quote, myself.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

So, penciling in 40HR's and near 100RBI every year is not good enough? I agree, though, that with "Wild-Man" Castro and bottom-of-the-pack A-Ram on the left side of the infield, having ADunn at first base will be an adventure. I believe the Cubs are going to go after him. You are making a deal with the devil. But, then again, none of the FA's wield a bat like Dunn. There's always the Hoff (ducks!).

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

He's shown no dip at this point. He's likely only getting a 3-4 year deal. So all you are banking on is him maintaining his current levels for age 31-33/34 seasons. I'd say he's a better bet during that time than ANYONE on this current cubs roster. I really don't understand why there would be any opposition?

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

i'd be all for a 3 year deal...a 4 year if the loot is decently cheap. it's hard to handicap his situation, though. he's the #1 power bat on the market, but his only position is 1st and that is debatable. it helps that bos/nyy shouldn't be getting into the bidding for his services, though. it probably doesn't help the FA market is littered with B-tier 1st baseman who should come cheap on the gamble. i wouldn't be surprised to see glaus/berkman/pena or even dlee.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

The limiting thing (again, and finally) is $$. Ricketts is pulling the purse strings tighter and telling JH to f'n figure it out, that's what he gets paid for. I think it's very interesting, and fun to watch. I don't think the Cubs are even bothering to talk Dunn. I think the Nick Johnson thing sounds more right, or maybe Pena cheap. I think this year we see Hendry get creative or get fired.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

He's a better hitter, and will likely make less than either Lee or Rammy did in 2010. His defense at First was almost average by all metrics. So costing 2 games in the field jargon is straight hyperbole. Reggie Jackson and Fred McGriff had the same hitting skills. Their teams were thrilled to have their age 31-34 productions in the lineups.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Aaron, outright lies or ignorance? 1. The metrics don't take into account catching throws and three runs below replacement is not three runs below average. 2. For his career McGriff was a .284 hitter. Without his decline phase Dunn is .250 hitter. McGriff's most simliar season to Dunn's 2010 was his age 38 season.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

Batting average is relevant to the discussion of how Dunn will age. "There is an old adage in baseball that walking is an old man's skill. The hypothesis is that as players get older, they need to "learn" to walk more in order to compensate deteriorating abilities to get on base vis a vis hitting." http://gameofinches.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-walking-in-baseball-old-man… Dunn walks a lot. Is this because pitchers fear him and give him little to hit? Is it because Dunn doesn't make a lot of contact, but is able to compensate by taking walks and hitting the ball really hard when he does. I am sure it is a little from column A and a little from column B, but if it is more A he will age well, if it is more B he will not. His low batting average implies more B.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

It's pure speculation though Rob. Even if Dunn slipped from a 900+ OPS guy to an 850 OPS guy over the 3-4 years. Would that still not have value? Each player is their own individual case study. Just because random guy x faded out at 33, doesn't have anything to do with player z. For every Vaughn there is a McGriff.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

If you are saying that no one can predict the future with 100% accuracy you are correct, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to make predictions as accurately as we can based upon the information we have. I believe where we disagree is that I think in 2011 the Cubs will be worse than you do, and I think that Dunn will decline faster. Thus, I would not spend a lot of money on him or give him a lot of years. My crystal ball tells me that over the next couple of seasons the Cubs minor league system should generate some major league ready talent and that they will have greater payroll flexibility. Thus, I would not make a big splash in free agency in 2010/2011. Instead, I would move our expiring contracts to contenders while using our large market budget to take on salary dumps. If our farm system does produce and/or we make good trades, I would then move to acquire free agents in the coming off seasons.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

That is completely fair. I do think we can be a contender in 2011. Just going to take a huge bat and a bit of luck. I'd be completely fine if Dunn is the ONLY addition in 2011. I just don't think the minor league system can produce players fast enough for us to be sustained by it as an organization. Coupled with the fact that our athlete heavy drafting has left us with ZERO power bats anywhere in this system. That is why I'm in favor of Dunn. Someone who can anchor the lineup and fill First over the next 3-4 years. I think he'd be the best free agent bet that Hendry would have ever made. Though opinions are prone to vary.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

Do you think Billy Butler and Mark Teixera were $14 million players last year? Those are the two first basemen that came in around 850 OPS. Aubrey Huff, who could be had for less money and on a shorter deal had a .891 OPS (Dunn was .892). I'd take Dunn over him in 2011, but I'd take nothing over a $14 million Dunn in 2012- 2014. What if Dunn prevents us from signing Adrian Gonzalez?

[ ]

In reply to by Seamhead

It's nice to know that Ricketts is running the Cubs as if we are the Pirates. Shopping for bargain bin junk. May I point out that Nick Johnson is a white Milton Bradley in every way but crazy. Similar injury history, similar mediocre production, similar high OBP with poor SLG. And I'm sure Jimbo will take him out for dinner before signing him. Nick Johnson is not the middle of the order hitter the lineup needs, even if healthy. Laroche makes more sense, even on a budget. At least with Laroche you know what you're getting, he's consistently avg. at his position or slightly above average.

[ ]

In reply to by Paul Noce

Agree on Laroche vs. Johnson. I think they're definitely going bargain basement this year, and I don't blame them. If I'm Ricketts, I see the number-f'n-one payroll in the NL last year got me fifth place in my division. Time to try a new tack. There are plenty of other teams that figure out how to compete with a lot less money. If Hendry works for me, I tell him to start figuring it f'n out. The theory is essentially rebuilding the org from the bottom. Guarantee, unless the Cubs look like the team to win it all in 2011, Aram doesn't make it past 7/31 with the Cubs (unless he's hurt). If he's having a career/contract year, they'll trade him to "stock the system". If Hendry can't make it work within Ricketts' constraints, he will be replaced.

A day passes and Cubs Convention tickets are still available. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't they sell out in 15 minutes last year?

RIP Sparky Anderson. As a Cubs fan, I could appreciate his humility and his "hook." Wonderful man and baseball man. Condolences to the Reds and Tigers fans. Dementia SUCKS!

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

i recall a story, no doubt apocryphal, that one game when the bears played in wrigley, old man halas was quite disgusted with his offense and the refs. he was asked to depart the sidelines. he left instructions for his qb to run left on the first play, run right on the 2nd, run up the middle on the third, and punt on 4th. the offense was also pissed at him, so they gained 10 yards, then 15 yards, then 20 yards, and then punted into the lf bleachers.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.