Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

Last updated 10-2-2023

* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 22
Adbert Alzolay
Javier Assad
Brad Boxberger
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Tyler Duffey
Jeremiah Estrada
Shane Greene
Kyle Hendricks
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
Michael Rucker
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Marcus Stroman
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 8
# Jeimer Candelario
Nico Hoerner
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom
* Jared Young

OUTFIELDERS: 8
Kevin Alcantara
* Cody Bellinger
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
Brennen Davis
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

60-DAY IL: 6
Nick Burdi, P
Michael Fulmer, P
Codi Heuer, P
* Brandon Hughes, P
Nick Madrigal, INF
Ethan Roberts, P

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft
Minor League Free-Agents

Paranormal Activity at Wrigley Field.

So I bought this camera off a guy who works as a doorman at the Congress Hotel, which is supposedly haunted or whatever. Guy said he found it in a room in basement in a closet that hadn't been opened since 1908. Or maybe 1969 -he couldn't remember.

Anyway, really old. Uses film.

I brought it to Wrigley towards the end of this season and took some pictures. Just a regular day, nothing out of the ordinary.

Then I forgot about it.

Just the other day I had the film developed and... LOOK AT THOSE HORRIFYING IMAGES!

It captured actual paranormal activity at my favorite ball park.
Amazingly (and apparently), people or experiences just leave a "ghost" of themselves even if they're still alive.

(I'm certain I'll be contacted by ghost hunters and experts on the paranormal wanting to pay big dollars for my camera, but it was unfortunately destroyed in an accident involving fire, fly wings, a photo of Sam Zell and goat's blood.)

But come ON, what an amazing coincidence I got this photo developed right when Halloween is upon us!

And oddly, it got me thinking about Lou Piniella.

Time will tell, but years from now his legacy just might be remembered most in popular culture by two words that escaped his mouth while talking to Tribune beat writers: "Cubby Occurrence".

Sure I know the popular way to think about the Cubs any more is to steer clear of goats and jinxes and hexes and stuff. But the other day I'm listening to hugely respected Buster Olney on the radio, and he's talking about the weird "energy" around the San Francisco Giants. How every bounce is going their way. I think I even heard the word "karma" in there somewhere. There are different words to use when it's all positive, right Buster?

But if you're from Texas?

It's nothing but Cubby Occurrences happening to your favorite team, Rangers Fans, and I say "welcome to the club, ya'll".

Well actually, since it's Halloween, lets just call it paranormal activity and leave it at that.

What else?

The World Series continues this evening in Texas.

Lets see if the activity continues.

Comments

Recent comments

Childersb3 10/03/2023 - 10:46 pm (view)

I understand this is a cost saving and control idea. But I wouldn't be happy giving up ONKC or Alcantara for Hayes and/or Bednar.

I'm not saying they aren't good players. They are. They've never been "tested" with playing for a good team, but that isn't their fault. They produce good results. But not Jaguar and Big Red.

Canario won't get to play for the Cubs, just like Velazquez, so he should probably go. Same for Mervis and Vazquez. Wesneski can get better but Bednar would certainly help us.

But not to big power hitting OFs that are 21 yrs old and younger at AA already. I'm still holding out hope for the ONKC-PCA-Jag left to right OF. I'm just not giving up on that.

Hayes for Morel kind of stings. I'd love for Morel to get a full year at 3B. Even if he failed there miserably, I'd like to give him a shot.

Phil always comes up with common sense angles. This trade idea fills needs for sure and fills them with cost saving effective players.

I'm thinking Morel goes to NYM for Alonso.

We'll see what Jed cooks up.
Arizona Phil 10/03/2023 - 10:18 pm (view)

It used to be that teams did not want to trade within their own division for PR reasons, but I don't see that with Ben Cherington in Pittsburgh or with Hoyer / Hawkins in Chicago, so the Cubs might target Pirates 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes and closer David Bednar.

Hayes is a Gold Glove defender, a decent enough hitter (105 OPS+ in 2023), and he's under control at a VERY reasonable price ($8.75M AAV) through 2029 (with a club option for 2030).

Bednar is first-time salary arbitration-eligible post-2023 and under control through 2026.

One thing about the Cubs is that they can afford to overpay (which is what they would have to do to get both Hayes and Bednar) with a package consisting of a decent young MLB position player to replace Hayes in the lineup (like Christopher Morel, who could play LF in Pittsburgh) and prospects like outfielders Alexander Canario, Owen Caissie, or Kevin Alcantara (Pirates pick one, leaving the other two for the Cubs), a power-hitting 1B-DH like Matt Mervis or Haydn McGeary (Pirates pick one, leaving the other one for the Cubs), SS Luis Vazquez (who is MLB-ready but will never play SS in Chicago), 3B B. J. Murray (who could replace Hayes at the hot corner in Pittsburgh by 2025 if not sometime in 2024, and he obviously would be blocked in Chicago if the Cubs get Hayes), and an MLB-ready SP like Hayden Wesneski.
crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:02 pm (view)

boog and glanville calling the PHI@MIL game on ESPN2.
crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:59 pm (view)

bellinger is my #1 want, but i fear he's the #1 want of many teams and will get crazy money + years, with the years being the big sting. they need to replace bellinger's production if they don't get him no matter what position(s) played.
George Altman 10/03/2023 - 10:40 pm (view)

I hope their top priorities are Bellinger, 2 RPs better than Fulmer/Boxberger (ideally 1 LH), and a 3B (Chapman my 1st Choice). That will put them right up to $237-257M AAV limit, but I don't see a playoff berth doing anything less.

If they really want Alonso, Morel would be a good opening piece of that offer.

Unfortunately, Stroman will opt in ($23.7M) and Smyly ($11.5M) will be back. Steele, Taillon, Assad, Wicks will be rotation pieces. Would love a SP2 FA but don't see how they keep an effective offense and improve their bullpen while adding that.
crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:03 pm (view)

i cannot imagine getting a legit 3rd, whether signing or via trade, isn't the highest priority for the team. it's almost obvious they don't see morel there.
Dolorous Jon Lester 10/03/2023 - 10:19 pm (view)

I’m just hoping they have an actual 3B next year so we don’t need to worry about the M boys, Bote, and P Whiffy eating all the 3B at bats next year.
Dolorous Jon Lester 10/03/2023 - 10:13 pm (view)

Willson was a OF/3B when we signed him too.

On a less successful but still got to the show note, PJ Higgins was another college IF converted to C
crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:03 pm (view)

truth...and personally, i'd give him ABs (especially at 3rd) over the 2 singles-hitting-ceiling guys that got the shot. i'm sure he can cover the ob% and defense while surpassing the power of anything masterboney and madrigal brought to the team.

i don't view bote as a solution at 3rd, but i find it hard to believe he couldn't outperform either of the main options they had there for a huge chunk of this season.
KingKongvsGodzilla 10/03/2023 - 10:47 pm (view)

Color me impressed by this assignment for Trice right out of the draft as a convert. Seems worth following after the success of Caratini