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, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* 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
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs Rumor Round-Up: Zambrano, Chapman, Capps

Submitted by Rob G. on

- The Yankees called the Cubs about Carlos Zambrano according to NY's finest and most respectable newspaper, the NY Post. The article says the Cubs' asking price was high...too high for the Yankees apparently. Bruce Levine says there's nothing to it and adds that Z has been living in Chicago this offseason and seems to dedicated to getting in shape.

- The Cubs are "exploring" a deal with Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman says Phil Rogers. So far the Red Sox have offered 5/15.5M and the Marlins 5/13M. At 21 years old and capable of throwing a 100mph, even with sketchy control, I would think the Cubs could offer something in the 6/21.5M range and at worse end up with a really good reliever. Let's see how serious the Ricketts are about shoring up the farm system and boosting the young talent inventory of the team.

- The Cubs seem to be one of the finalists for the services of Matt Capps. Apparently him, Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow were all pretty good friends or at least their wives were and she could be suggesting that Chicago might be the best fit for him and her shopping habits. Wittenmyer's article suggests that it's between the Nationals and the Cubs with the Nationals offering a closing job and the Cubs possibly offering a multi-year deal.

- Wittenmyer says the Cubs are actually getting $5.5M from the Mariners this season as part of the Silva for Bradley swap, opposed to the $3M per year we read about earlier. The second installment of $3.5M would presumably come next season.

- The center field candidates at his point seem to be Marlon Byrd, Scott Podsednik, Rick Ankiel and possibly Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera via the trade route.

Tags
Cubs rumors

Comments

Submitted by Sweet Lou on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:20 pm

The problem with Zambrano is that many Cubs fans consider him an ace. Unfortunately, I think most other teams consider him a #2 or even #3 starter. I don't know what the Cubs could get for him, but my guess is that if the Cubs got what he is really worth, most fans would be disappointed/upset.

Submitted by DJH on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:44 pm

I get sick every time I hear that we are entertaining Scott Podsednik or Rick Ankiel. Sloppy seconds from the White Sox and Cardinlas makes me nauseous. Also, Big Z is a #1 starter, a #3 starter, and a DH all in one. We just need a good psychologist to figure out how to suppress the #3 and DH feelings that he has.

Submitted by Jordan on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:30 pm

As a Seattle resident, I get sick every time I think about the Cubs now even remotely thinking about trotting Silva out every 5th day. Even long-relief makes me throw up in my mouth a little. Silva isn't worthy of a ML roster, in my opinion.

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Submitted by The Joe on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:34 pm

http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/nmaps/fullcity.htm I found this neighborhood map. If you're going to sitesee, you'll probably only want to go as north as the University District, which is where U of Washington is, but you might not even one to got that far. It's good for shopping, bars, imo, though. Capital Hill is another area that might be nice for restaurants and shopping. Most stuff is in the Downtown area. Safeco Field, right next to Qwest is in the southern most area and you won't want to go any further south than that. Pike Place Market is there and is famous, for some reason, for the fish tossing. My dad loves it, I wasn't so impressed. I think there's also the restaurant from Sleepless in Seattle here, but I forget. There's also the Seattle Center where the Space Needle is. You can take a monorail from downtown right to this area. It's a nice area with a fair, shops, food court, fountain, etc. It's also where Key Arena is. Don't pay to go up into the Needle, though. It's expensive and doesn't offer much a view, imo. If you go into the gift shop, don't buy anything from Lantern Press as that is the company that just layed me off. Chinatown is near Safeco, which I like, but it's pretty weak when compared to SF, NY, Vancouver. Plus their bootleg dvd's are too expensive. Good food, though. Seattle is great for Asian food, especially Dim Sum, Thai, Sushi, Pho. I'm not sure where the best places to stay are, but if you stay in one of the above neighborhoods, you'll be near the action. I live in the northernmost park, Lake City, which is where the hobos, liquor stores, and strip clubs are. Other things to try: the sculpure park, Seattle Art Museum. [edit] To get around, you'll need to use the buses. Most of the drivers are helpful if you have questions about how to get around. You can buy a daypass which is probably your best bet. You can plan trips here: http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/cgi-bin/itin_page.pl?resptype=U.

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Submitted by Jordan on Wed, 12/23/2009 - 12:39 pm

Would suggest staying either in downtown, Belltown, or Queen Anne. Really depends on your price range though. Nightlife/food/non-shopping: Belltown, Cap Hill, Ballard, maybe Fremont. Would recommend against U Dist. Downtown isnt great for nightlife or dining, but it is solid for shopping if you're into that. Otherwise, I'd suggest the other neighborhoods listed, especially Cap Hill and Ballard. Get around via bus or cab. Cabs arent cheap, but will be more direct. You could rent a car too. Get a GPS. What are you looking for? Seattle literally has everything. Drop me an email if you need some advice.

Submitted by joshb on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:28 pm

i view the Silva issue differently. I like the move. I'm not expecting jack squat from Silva. But at least we won't have Bradley anymore. That guy couldn't even regularly go out on the field to stink it up. I was hopeful last winter when we got him but those hopes were pretty quickly dashed when he started not playing. I think too many people underestimate what an effect a disgruntled person can have on the rest of the players. One bad apple can really influence the whole lot. I don't know any details of his club house behavior but one thing is pretty clear. The Cubs players didn't really enjoy trotting out onto the field everyday. Whereas 2008 it seemed like they were ready everyday for a fight. (until they coasted into the playoffs and forgot there were more games to play) Anyway, maybe Silva can actually turn things around as a Cub. You never know. I thought Dempster was a lost cause and he turned out ok. But like I said earlier, if he sucks then we can kick him to the curb. At least he isn't a crucial part of our offense.

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Submitted by artskoe on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:25 pm

"The Cubs players didn't really enjoy trotting out onto the field everyday. Whereas 2008 it seemed like they were ready everyday for a fight." Oh, I didn't realize this was part of MB's responsibilities. Thought it was Lou's... But why not blame him for Sorry Sori dogging it in left? Soto reporting overweight and high? D Lee thinking about home instead of home plate? Z pinch hitting and getting hurt? Gregg tossing straight fastballs, Miles poor year, no 2nd baseman, hitting coach firings??? This trade SHOULD turn EVERYTHING around, in other words?

Submitted by Rory on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:13 pm

What about second base...calling Jim Hendry - Orlando Hudson is available assuming you don't do something crazy and bring in DeRo for a second tour of duty now that you admitted to screwing up the situation last year.

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Submitted by crunch on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:02 pm

"Where Silva lost the Seattle fanbase, though, came off the field during that dismal 2008 season. After a pair of losses at Yankee Stadium in May and at Safeco Field in August, he decried the inability of the Mariners to police themselves within the clubhouse. He complained that, unlike his past Twins teams, who knew what the post-season was about, some Mariners were more about personal stats than winning and had no idea how to be accountable to themselves and their teammates." oh...the irony. he may be a waste of space, but at least he doesn't hurt water coolers. "It's nice to advocate dealing with stuff internally, as former manager Jim Riggleman, outfielder Raul Ibanez and others suggested. But from what we know now, that internal policing just wasn't taking place. At best, Riggleman and company were putting band aids on gaping wounds and praying the season would end. Theories are great, but at some point they have to be put into practice. Nobody did that in the Seattle clubhouse. And now, a year-plus later, just about everybody from that team is gone, including coaches, management and players. Judging by how the team has done since, those were the right moves to make." really? hmmm....

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:18 pm

I don't think Chapman is likely to sign any six year contracts, at least for that little money. Not that he's got real agents, they realize what he could make in his 5th and 6th years (even if that's just the first and second years of arbitration). I'd expect the starting point is four years and $20 million, and if you want a year that's going to buy him out of arbitration, then it will cost a lot. When Lincecum gets his contract next year, heads are going to be spinning, and the Hendrix Bros are going to try and argue one year of arbitration on Chapman can be worth $10 to $15 million. To get the money for Chapman, the Hendry could scale back the overslotting they've been doing the last few years. He cleverly manipulated free agency to make sure that he didn't get any extra picks, and though he hasn't signed away any draft picks, there's still time. Imagine all the fun that Chapman, Marmol and Zambrano can have showing each other their nasty pitches they can't throw for strikes.

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Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:34 pm

I see your point about 6 years, although if you're a pitcher, you should probably take all the security you can get. maybe Boston will change their offer or Yanks will do what the Yanks do, but at the moment 5 yrs and $3m per is the guideline so I was going off of that. We'll see what it ends up...

Submitted by Dmac on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:28 pm

I agree that this is really all about addition by subtraction - anything that gets you some money back while getting rid of the all - time head case that is Bradley is still a plus. Now, if we could just get something for Fonzie...

Submitted by George Altman on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:10 pm

This is really not directed entirely to you, Crunch, but when can we stop lamenting what a productive hitter the Cubs are giving away in Bradley. The last thing this is about is what a f'n amazing hitter MB is. He's a world-class pud-whacker who will be joining his 8th MLB organization in 10 years, and that's the f'n story. Nobody with eyes for baseball talent ever questioned whether he could play the game, but it's the galactically immense chip on his freakin' shoulder he brings to the park every day that has always been the 'problem'. It's not the manager's job to undo what Milton and his personal history has created in his head for the first 25+ years of his life. Lou and others wrote his name on the lineup card as often as they could (averages 96 games played/year over his career). He wants to continue to bring his inner demons to the clubhouse everyday instead of getting the professional counseling he needs. Most baseball managers don't have degrees in clinical psychology, so I don't know who is really going to 'get to' Milton and give him the 'understanding' he needs. Grow up, Milton, and/or get the help you need to be a productive member of society much less part of a professional baseball organization - or don't. I don't really give a crap. But he's exactly the profile of the guy in 5-10 years who we'll read about who killed his wife and then swallowed his 9mm. This was easily the worst signing and move of Hendry's tenure as a GM here - and that's saying something with all the examples to choose from. Manny couldn't be more correct about Hendry.

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Submitted by artskoe on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:09 pm

George said: "Most baseball managers don't have degrees in clinical psychology, so I don't know who is really going to 'get to' Milton and give him the 'understanding' he needs." artskoe sez: Billy Martin, George. Lou is no Billy Martin. There were 25 (or more?) malcontents in that Yankee dugout who wouldn't talk to each other outside of the ballpark and probably still don't have reunions - but they have rings. Ryno is showing signs of becoming a Billy Martin, maybe? I'd take a 3 hour trip to Round Rock (near Austin) to see him manage. Won't go 20 miles to Arlington to see SantaLou fall asleep walking to the mound to take Silva out of the game in the 2nd inning.

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Submitted by Sweet Lou on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 12:06 pm

Billy Martin managed for 16 years and compiled a 1253-1013 (.553) record. His teams won two league pennants and one World Series title. Lou Piniella has a 1784-1639 (.521) record in 22 seasons. His teams have won one league pennant and one World Series. I think it’s fair to say that Billy Martin did not hold his Yankees teams together. He fought constantly with several of the players. He didn’t coddle anyone. No one got special treatment. Although we’ll never know, I think Billy Martin would have ripped Milton Bradley’s head off. Martin was not one to tolerate the weak.

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Submitted by crunch on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:30 pm

"This is really not directed entirely to you, Crunch, but when can we stop lamenting what a productive hitter the Cubs are giving away in Bradley." bradley = can hit and field silva = nothing yes, it's hendry's worst move, but why should i be happy a good hitter is gone because the 3-4m a year manager can't make his clubhouse work. silva is trash. there's no "wait and see" with his stuff. if you want a manager to just fill out a lineup card you can get that for 1/2 million bucks and spend the savings on keeping derosa or wuertz...or whatever. bradley may not be a lot of fun, but there's 23 other guys and support staff to chat with if you're bored. bradley wasn't out there setting anyone's locker on fire even if his respect level by his peers was low in the cub locker room. babying his baby ass might have kept us from getting to this point of giving away a guy with upside for a guy with nothing and pretending "saving 6 million bucks" is actually saving anything.

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Submitted by George Altman on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:19 pm

I know Bradley can play baseball. I know Silva is for shit. I just said that above. The point is that Bradley is an emotional lost cause. It isn't how much Pinella makes; not one of the last 7 organizations have gotten through to MB. Texas tolerated him in 2008, weren't about to give him a multi-year contract, and were happy to take him back for 2010 if the Cubs picked up about all of his remaining guaranteed salary. My God, don't you get that Bradley looks good until he spends a couple of months in your clubhouse and then every team he's been with wants to get rid of his ass. That isn't my opinion - that's Bradley's factual history. Hendry fell into the same false trap as all the organizations MB played with before the Cubs, and Seattle will be the next to make sure the door doesn't hit him in the ass in the very near future. This has nothing to do with how good a baseball player Bradley is and how much Silva sucks. This is about how our favorite team's GM was a monumental dumb-ass to sign Bradley at all, let alone for 3 years, $30M guaranteed. He spent valuable payroll on the wrong player when better alternatives (Ibanez, Dunn) were available for less money and less years. Then trying to clean up the pile of crap he created, Hendry handcuffs the 2010 roster with a crap player in return and not enough payroll flexibility to fix the mess he created in 2009. That's the point. I hope to God this is what finally causes Hendry to lose his job, and I wish I had confidence that Ricketts will put a lot better baseball people in top management roles after he's gone. You know, people like who run BOS, LAA, PHL, ATL, and STL - teams that seem to be in the World Series a lot more often than the rest of the league.

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Submitted by artskoe on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 12:41 am

George sed: I hope to God this is what finally causes Hendry to lose his job, and I wish I had confidence that Ricketts will put a lot better baseball people in top management roles after he's gone. You know, people like who run BOS, LAA, PHL, ATL, and STL - teams that seem to be in the World Series a lot more often than the rest of the league. artskoe reply: George, above all this is our hope: More than changing out Hendry, changing ownership is the way this team had to go. Tribune had too many corporate unwritten rules to allow any GM here to slice and dice to come up with a good recipe. It has been frustrating for decades to see Braves, Cards, Marlins, Tigers, etc, make lineup changes and come up with new guys who could impact the game and managers who knew how to get the best out of them. Hendry and Lou will now come face-to-face with ONE man to give account. They only thought they had ulcers before! The Trib let the stadium fall apart, the farm system and last year, the team. Let's hope this team, now with a family crest at stake, begins a new era - like a Frank Kapra movie. If the Trib was the last paper in the nation, I wouldn't spend a dime (or 25 cents on Sunday) to see what's printed in it. Let's hope Hendry surprises us. Lou needs to be hooked up to life support. As for TR, the Honeymoon begins...

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 12/23/2009 - 12:03 am

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 4:18pm. I don't think Chapman is likely to sign any six year contracts, at least for that little money. Not that he's got real agents, they realize what he could make in his 5th and 6th years (even if that's just the first and second years of arbitration). I'd expect the starting point is four years and $20 million, and if you want a year that's going to buy him out of arbitration, then it will cost a lot. =================== REAL NEAL: If the Cubs (or any club) sign Ardolis Chapman to a minor league contract (no matter the bonus), he would be under club control for at least seven seasons (or more if he's added to a 40-man roster somewhere along the way), just like any other player. But because of demand, Chapman will probably want (and get) a major league contract (and an immediate slot on an MLB 40-man roster), just as happened with Jeff Samardzija a couple of years ago. And what Samardzija got (MLB contract - 5 yrs/$10M) is probably similar in structure to what Chapman will ultimately get, although Chapman will probably want about 50% more money. If Chapman does sign a Shark-like deal, he would get four minor league options instead of three, would probably get "no trade" rights, and would probably have a player option to opt out of the deal (but NOT the option to become a FA) once he's eligible for salary arbitration in a few years.

Recent comments

  • 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!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Pro teams have to play their "big money" guys if they are healthy and not "locker room" issues.
    The Cubs wanted to deal JHey off well before they bought him out. They just didn't want to pay him to play for someone else for that long. Jed did give him 20+mil to play for LAD last yr.
    Jed might also let Kyle walk at some point this year. Similar scenario to JHey, except Jed thought Kyle was going to be good/solid in '24!!
    You'd think Smyly is in the same book as well. Same with Neris (he's a 1yr vet RP, so he's not really in this convo too much).
    That's ~35mil between those three and those three are going to get opportunities until at least late June) over younger guys even if their performance is "iffy".
    But, Jed is going to play Taillon a lot. They have to try and justify that contract and hope a veteran works out.
    So, Taillon, Imanaga, and Hendricks are locks for the rest of April and probably May.
    Assad, Brown and Wicks handle the last spots until Steele is ready.
    Now, you're question has real merit when Steele comes back. That will interesting if Brown is still good and Hendricks is still bad. But Taillon is entirely safe as long as he's healthy.

    And the bullpen moves were "money" based as well. Smyly has actually been okay. But he hasn't been clearly better than Little. Little had one bad outing. But Smyly makes 9mil. If they needed another RHRP and one of Little and Smyly had to go, it was going to Little. But that doesn't mean Smyly is one of the best 13 arms for the team. 

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