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

Cubs Prospect List-Mania 2009

Submitted by Rob G. on

For the third year running, I go through the various prospect lists. I've also started compiling them at Wiklifield.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Josh Vitters, 3B
Four-Star Prospects
2. Jeff Samardzjia,RHP
3. Jose Ceda, RHP
Three-Star Prospects
4. Hak-Ju Lee, SS
5. Andrew Cashner, RHP
6. Tyler Colvin, OF
7. Dae-Eun Rhee, RHP
8. Ryan Flaherty, SS
Two-Star Prospects
9. Welington Castilo, C
10. Donald Veal, LHP
11. Micah Hoffpauir, 1B

Just Missing: Matt Cerda, INF; Jay Jackson, RHP; Logan Watkins, INF

Sleeper: Kyler Burke

What They Say: The Cubs are a very tough team to rank. That said, the top three prospects on my initial snapshot never moved, and you see them exactly where they started. Everything after that is a bit of a mess however, as one could jumble up the players ranked fourth through eleventh in any order and make some kind of reasonable argument for all.


  1. Josh Vitters
  2. Jeff Samardzija
  3. Andrew Cashner
  4. Dae-Eun Rhee
  5. Welington Castillo
  6. Kevin Hart
  7. Starlin Castro
  8. Ryan Flaherty
  9. Jay Jackson
  10. Hak-Ju Lee

BEST TOOLS
Best Hitter for Average - Josh Vitters
Best Power Hitter - Josh Vitters
Best Strike-Zone Discipline - Sam Fuld
Fastest Baserunner - Tony Campana
Best Athlete - Brandon Guyer
Best Fastball - Jeff Samardzija
Best Curveball - Casey Lambert
Best Slider - Andrew Cashner
Best Changeup - Dae-Eun Rhee
Best Control - Esmailin Caridad
Best Defensive Catcher - Luis Flores
Best Defensive Infielder - Darwin Barney
Best Infield Arm - Junior Lake
Best Defensive Outfielder - Sam Fuld
Best Outfield Arm - Kyler Burke

What They Say: Promotions and trades have contributed to thinning out the system, and so have a series of uninspiring drafts. Chicago hasn't gotten long-term production out of a first-round pick since Kerry Wood in 1995. Soto, an 11th-round pick in 2001, was the first position player the Cubs have signed and developed into an all-star since they drafted Joe Girardi in 1986.



  1. Josh Vitters (B+)
  2. Jeff Samardzija (B)
  3. Ryan Flaherty (B)
  4. Andrew Cashner (B-)
  5. Hak-Ju Lee (B-)
  6. Jay Jackson (B-)
  7. Tyler Colvin (C+)
  8. Welington Castillo (C+)
  9. Dae-Eun Rhee (C+)
  10. Aaron Shafer (C+)
  11. Starlin Castro (C+)
  12. Junior Lake (C+)
  13. Dan McDaniel (C+)
  14. Micah Hoffpauir (C)
  15. Esmailin Caridad (C)
  16. Donald Veal (C)
  17. Josh Kroeger (C)
  18. Tony Thomas (C)
  19. Chris Carpenter (C)
  20. Mitch Atkins (C)

Others include Darwin Barney, Justin Bristow, Matt Cerda, Hung-Wen Chen, Dumas Garcia, Brandon Guyer, Josh Harrison, Dylan Johnston, Casey Lambert, Alex Maestri, Jovan Rosa, Drew Rundle, Marquez Smith, Logan Watkins, and Ty Wright. Most of these guys could rank anywhere from 14-20 depending on what you are looking for.

What They Say:  The Cubs system has thinned out, and there is no one with impact hitting potential at the higher levels. Guys like Vitters, Flaherty, and the AZL tools guys give hope that that could change in the future. Samardzija is completely unpredictable, he could be the second coming of Bobby Jenks or he could totally flame out. It wouldn’t’ surprise me if Cashner ended up the same way, alternating good and bad runs and leaving everyone scratching their heads.


1-10 | 2- 20

  1. Josh Vitters
  2. Jeff Samardzija
  3. Andrew Cashner
  4. Welington Castillo
  5. Jay Jackson
  6. Ryan Flaherty
  7. Mitch Atkins
  8. Tyler Colvin
  9. Kevin Hart
  10. Micah Hoffpauir
  11. Esmailin Caridad
  12. Brandon Guyer
  13. Marcos Mateo
  14. Jovan Rosa
  15. James Russell
  16. Dan McDaniel
  17. Chris Carpenter
  18. Aaron Shafer
  19. Ryan Acosta
  20. Matt Cerda

What They Say: The numbers above can be downplayed because of how dominant Cashner was in the Florida State League postseason with Class High-A Daytona. He was described by one scout as “lights out,” tossing six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts and retiring all but four batters faced. His fastball was clocked at 98 mph on several occasions with a top-out speed of 99 mph, and he featured a hard curveball that Cubs Scouting Director Tim Wilken said was registered at 87 mph. A changeup is in the works to give Cashner a third pitch, but the Cubs have said they’re going to let Cashner dictate his own future as either a starter or reliever.

 

Arizona Phil's Top 15

1. Jeff Samardzija
2. Josh Vitters
3a. Jose Ceda
3b. Andrew Cashner
4. Welington Castillo
5. Ryan Flaherty
6. Kevin Hart
7. Tyler Colvin
8. Jay Jackson
9. Micah Hoffpauir
10. Esmailin Caridad
11. Mitch Atkins
12. Donald Veal
13. Jovan Rosa
14. Brandon Guyer
15. Dan McDaniel

And finally Rob G's Top 15...

I get to bend the rules though, and instead of sticking to the standard Rookie of the Year qualifications that most folks use as a cutoff, I use a more vague, "hasn't really gotten his shot in the majors yet" qualification. I'll keep my descriptions short though to lessen the risk that I say something as dumb as I did about Carlos Marmol two years ago. I tend to put more emphasis on Double A and Triple A numbers which is dilemma since are better prospects seem to be in the lower ranks.

  1. Jeff Samardzija - Two fastballs with movement that can go 95+. You have to have faith he'll develop his change and/or slider considering how little time he's actually been dedicated to pitching.
  2. Josh Vitters - I guess I'm believing the hype. K:BB rate is a bit troubling.
  3. Andrew Cashner - Can throw 99mph, you say? You get a lot of chances to fail when you can throw that hard.
  4. Micah Hoffpauir - Loosely reminds me of Brant Brown coming up with the Cubs, just in that both were blocked at their position and were never truly considered top prospects in the system. Hoffpauir has shown more power than Brown in his later years, and being a serviceable back-up/fill-in is a better than a lot of prospects end up.
  5. Jay Jackson - I'm a sucker for a 5.53 K:BB ratio.
  6. Ryan Flaherty - Time to talk like a scout, could be a left-handed Mark DeRosa.
  7. Kevin Hart - Nothing too special, but he'll find a home in someone's bullpen one day. Had another nice run in Iowa last year after being demoted.
  8. Hak-Ju Lee - Compared favorably to Derek Jeter's toolset,  good enough for me.
  9. Jeff Stevens - He might not dominate the majors, but a 3.24 K:BB ratio and a .72 HR/9 rate in the minors is promising.
  10. John Gaub - 100 K's in 64 innings? Are you kidding me?
  11. Welington Castillo- Nothing too exciting in his minor league numbers, but he's been young for his leagues and you hope the bat catches up to the defense.
  12. Marcos Mateo- Scout.com says he can top 95 with a good hard slider, that'll give you plenty opportunities.
  13. Justin Berg- mid 90's sinkers are tough to come by and the Cubs wouldn't have put him on the 40-man if they didn't have some faith in him.
  14. Mitch Atkins - a nice three year run now although the numbers aren't overwhelming. He did add a cutter last year which could explain the jump in prospect status along with being just 23 years old.
  15. Tyler Colvin - the numbers suffered for the most part last year, but did put up a .983 OPS in August and nearly tripled his previous year's walk total while striking out at about the same rate.
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Cubs Prospects
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Comments

Submitted by Jumbo on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:20 am

These are my favorite write ups. So many promising players...hope for the future...the possibility of a new organizational direction. Most of these guys will never come close to reaching their projections, but it really makes me feel good to think of some of these guys being on the team instead of overpriced free agents Caution - the rest of this is based on nothing and will never come true, nor is it a statement of belief (based on the left handed Derosa comment) Vitters could be our 2005 DLee Berg could be our Brandon Webb-Lite Cashner could be our Joba Chamberlain Lee could be a real SS developed by the team! So exciting

Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:44 am

Is Mitch Atkins really that unimpressive? I must be missing the boat here. I saw him pitch a few times when he was in Peoria, and he looked like he was a pitcher who was starting to "get it" as far as throwing strikes, changing speeds..etc. The guy went 17-7 between AA and AAA. He struck out 132, walked 50. His ERA jumped to 4.47 in AAA...but isn't that expected a bit in the PCL? He's behind Justin Berg? Berg may have that power sinker, but walking 59 and striking out 59 last season, with a WHIP of 1.51 worries me just a bit...not to mention his 5.16 ERA. Hopefully Vitters will get a shot at Peoria this season, at age 19.

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Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:55 am

Definitely his future is in the Pen though. The game I went to where he started, he was throwing something like 85% fastballs. 94mph 4-seamers up in the zone. 90-92 mph 2-seamers that bounced in the dirt as much as they went over the plate. He had a Sloppy little breaking pitch that didn’t look like it moved much. But he couldn’t throw it for a strike anyway, and nobody really offered At it. Control issues aside, he does have an MLB arm. But only 2 useable pitches means he is bullpen depth.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:05 am

I haven't heard anything about Atkins having anything more than average stuff...sorry. Granted, he's shown more control at this point, but so did Mark Holliman for awhile.  While Berg has had all kinds of control issues, he has one plus pitch at least that is hard to find in a pitcher. But arguing between #13 and 14 on a relatively weak system isn't a big deal in my opinion.

I was going to leave them both off at one point to be honest and go with Sam Fuld and Caridad and move Colvin up, so that's how strongly I feel about them.

I'll also add that I'm sure guys guys like Matt Cerda, Starlin Castro and Junior Lake are probably better than some of the guys here right now, but besides what AZ Phil says, I don't know much about them and the numbers don't mean much to me until you get to at least Peoria and preferably Tennessee.

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Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:22 am

But the numbers in Iowa and Tennessee don't matter much then? I guess I'd like to see at least some credit given to a pitcher having success at AA and AAA rather than a guy who looks great..throws real hard...and just stinks. Yeah Holliman's 22-27 record with a 4.13 ERA is exactly like Atkins' 44-27 with a 3.83 ERA I don't mean to sound snarky here Rob..I'm just tired of seeing the Earl Cunningham's...Corey Patterson's....Mark Pawalek's of the world get all hyped to no end, and then see a guy who is getting results at A...AA...AAA...but because he isn't throwing 95+..or throw a splitter..or something...he's seen as a non-prospect. I'd like to see some baseball players, not just athletes.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:30 pm

Yeah Holliman's 22-27 record with a 4.13 ERA is exactly like Atkins' 44-27 with a 3.83 ERA

I can't fathom why you'd bring up win-loss record for a minor league pitcher. They mean little enough in the majors and absolutely nothing in the minors. ERA is okay, but generally it's strikeout, walk and home run rates as the leading indicators of future success. And before 2008, Holliman's numbers weren't all too different than what Atkins looks like. Nonetheless, it was a tenous comparision at best, just pointing out another guy with non-dominating stuff that started to flame out as he went up the ranks.

I wasn't expecting anyone to share my ideas about Berg and he'll probably flame out in Triple A, but as I said, you just don't hear too much about guys with mid 90's sinkers. If I was giving letter grades like Sickels, they'd both be C's with probably a 40/60 split that they'll do anything positive in the majors. 

The list of tools guys that have figured out eventually versus the list of guys with good minor league numbers that scout aren't as high on that go on to major league careers is about the same I'm guessing. Not to harp on Geovany Soto, but if you looked at his numbers he was a nobody until 2008 that a lot of people couldn't figure out why he was on the 40-man roster for all those years.

 

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Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:11 pm

I was making a point about players with tools versus players who can actually play the game. I apologize for using 1st round selections as examples. I think it's great that Berg has a plus pitch. I would like to see some results is all. Berg is a year older than Atkins, and in 469 innings in the minors, he's got a 4.81 ERA, walked 222, stuck out 294. Again...I'm just saying results are not necesarily a bad thing.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:21 pm

McClain had a career high 38 PA's last year and put up a 121 OPS+ Choi as we went over a few weeks back has a career 106 OPS+ Dubois had a 93 OPS+ on the strength of .472 slugging when the Cubs traded him. Our starting shorstop has a career OPS+ of 88 Why don't you ask how Jack Cust and Nelson Cruz are doing? All of those guys (when healthy) can hit MLB pitching.

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Submitted by crunch on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:16 pm

the diffence between 2007 atkins and 2008 atkins is not anything you can find in a stat or a spreadsheet. you talk to a human or watch the guy and discover he's got better control over his splitter fastball. this makes him an entirely different beast to scout...things like this happen a lot, especially in the minors...soto, for instance, getting his batting eye honed. a pair of eyes is all anyone needed to know jason dubois was practically doomed besides an occasional homer because of his strong/wild swing...no minor league #s needed.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:29 pm

I heard it was improvement on his cutter more than anything which he didn't start throwing until the end of 2007

“I’ve always been able to throw strikes, and recently I’ve been able to throw all my pitches for strikes pretty much and being able to mix up pitches and keep hitters off balance,” Atkins said. “Having a good strikeout pitch is probably the biggest thing, which usually is my curveball.”

Atkins developed a fourth pitch this summer and that two-seam fastball is what got his ticket punched to Iowa.

“I’ve been working on a cutter,” Atkins said. “I started throwing it last year when I got up here. I didn’t have a good feel for it last year. This year it came around, and I can throw it pretty much anytime I want to.

“My curveball is usually 75 (mph), my cutter is 82, my fastball is 90 and my changeup is probably around 78.” 

apparently he's also a pretty decent hitter

never saw a good picture of him btw, gonna have to rely on the baseball player status with the ladies...

Image removed.

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Submitted by crunch on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:50 pm

that's the thing, though...many people have a "cutter" that is a "splitter"...the phrases are tainted. as far as grip goes, they're identical for the most part. to add confusion...what many call a "split finger fastball" is not what more than a chunk of people call a "splitter" (including me). the fact he's throwing it at 82mph leads me to believe it's not a 2-seam fastball/splitter (i group both 2-seam fastballs together...some call 1 of these fastballs a split-finger and the other a 2-seamer...they're both the same grip, but a different plane of the ball is "on top" by a 1/4 turn). you gotta know who you're talking with and decode what they're actually doing...yeah.

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Submitted by crunch on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:42 pm

i need to throw a * on that comment... it really comes down to what HE calls the cutter...because being a trained professional is no automatic given that he knows the "proper vernacular" (mostly because it changes coach/to/coach and organization/to/org). either way the grip is identical to the people who throw the phrases around (top and bottom grip) and both have similar bat-breaking break to them.

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Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:19 pm

True, it is not linear. However I'm willing to also go out on a limb and say that the job market is flooded with guys who threw 95 mph+, and couldn't command their pitches, and guys who were speed burners who could hit the ball 420 feet, but couldn't make consistent contact or manage the stike zone. I heartily apologize for singling out Justin Berg, and for wondering why a guy who has had success in A, AA, and AAA is such a lowly prospect, while guys who haven't sone squat, but have plus pitches..can throw 95 mph....look like Jeter...are considerable prospects.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:48 am

I just got the John Sickles prospect book in the mail. According to him, the Cubs have 37 players worthy of write-up. All guys being Grade C or above.

Submitted by HendryIsClueLess on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:30 am

I have some hope for these prospects because they are mostly Post-Jim Hendry Drafts/Signings and more on the Tim Wilken side. My only concern is the Oneri Fleita Player Development aspect, that along with Hendry, counted on Corey Patterson, Felix Pie, Matt Murton, Ronney Cedeno, Rich Hill, and others to contribute to the ML roster when they could have and should have been dealt when their value was highest. I know some of you will say, what about Soto, Theriot, Fontenot, Marmol yada yada, but those guys werent highly regarded by Hendry/Fleita or they wouldnt have traded for Jason Kendall/Rob Bowen and told Theriot he's a utility player (even though he is), and not invite Fontenot to ST in 2007. Lets hope some of these new guys can off set the back loaded contracts that Hendry signed the last few years in 2010-2014. Many holes to fill in 2011.. 2011: C-Soto 1B-Ram/Vitters 2B-?? SS-?? 3B-Ram/Vitters RF-Bradley?? CF- LF-Soriano SP-Z SP-?? SP-Demp SP-Marshall SP-??

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:39 am

Nice lists by AZ Phil and Rob G. With the Cubs lacking pop in center and defensive depth at shortstop, I can't help thinking that a few guys who are mostly not on the lists might be called up ahead of these other guys. In center, Colvin/Robnett. At short, Barney/Sellers (better gloves than Theriot/Miles).

Submitted by kmokeefe on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:13 pm

Thanks for the info guys Perhaps I'm only speaking for myself here, but for those of us that have little to no exposure to the guys in the farm system these sort of reports are really valuable

Submitted by rokfish on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 02:55 pm

#28 rob that picture looks half way decent compared to last years picture of i do believe of s.gallagher now that was a bad one. hopefully he has a new one this year not just a new cap.

Submitted by mjmiller73 on Wed, 02/18/2009 - 02:51 am

Now how is a pitch allowed to be called a splitter and not be a split-fingered pitch? One less thing I know, I guess. "split-fingered has your fingers wider apart and a much later horizontal drop to the pitch" There's horizontal drop, too? Is that like what some people (including me) would call break? Because to me drop is a vertical thing. Yet come to think of it, break seems to be used as it can be either vertical or horizontal. Is there a term that exclusively refers to a pitch's break along the X/horizontal axis without drop (beyond the natural)? (I will not accept LaTroy as a valid answer.)

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Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 02/18/2009 - 02:55 am

Two common terms for the horizontal movement of a pitch are "cut" and "tail". These are primarily used for fastballs, though. Thrown by a righthander, a pitch is said to cut if it moves toward his left after he releases it, and said to tail if it moves toward his right. I think "horizontal drop" was just a typo, though I guess I should let Rob account for it. Splitters usually have significant drop, which is a word almost always used to downward vertical movement. I also agree with Rob's definition of the split-fingered fastball, though it is often hard to distinguish from the nasty changeups lots of guys throw now--and plenty of pitchers are throwing hybrid split-changes. Essentially, they're all about the same pitch though. Slower than the fastball, with a sudden drop about the time they reach the plate--"like the bottom falls out" as so many commentators say.

Submitted by SJS on Thu, 02/19/2009 - 02:46 am

I meant to post this a while ago, but just haven't gotten around to finding my old account info (SJS_Kenosha)... I played summer ball with John Gaab up in South St. Paul. The kid can throw, surprisingly lefty AND righty (and at 80+ w/ the right hand too). On a personal level, he's a turd, but if he can help this team somehow (preferrably as trade bait) all the better.

Recent comments

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s just kinda how it works though, for every team. No team plays their best guys all the time. No team is comprising of their best 26 even removing injuries.

    When baseball became a business, like REALLY a business, it became important to keep some of the vets happy, which in turn keeps agents happy and keeps the team with a good reputation among players and agents. No one wants to play for a team that has a bad reputation in the same way no one wants to work for a company that has a bad rep.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate it too. But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

    On that topic, I find it silly the Cubs brought up Canario to sit as much as he has. He’s going to get Velazquez’d, and it’s a shame.

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