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

Cubs Peace On Earth Card

Peace, everybody.

Comments

Merry Christmas! I asked Santa for an NL pennant, so as not to sound greedy.... Oh, and for Greinke to either blow out his elbow or get depressed again. Just temporarily though.

"It may be difficult to find a job at the age of 49," Moyer said. "Then again, it may not be. I know where I stand. I'll probably get a spring-training invitation, and rightly so. I don't have a problem with that." you go, girl. evidently he's willing to play even if he has to take a non-guaranteed contract to prove it in spring.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

So Cutler "costing us" 10 points is not offset by his scoring a td running, or several td's thrown, and, playing a terrific game last week in bad conditions? He also had several passes dropped and Robbie Gould missed a an "ez" FG for him. 38-41 pts. should be enough points to win a football game with the Bear's D. He did a nice job today, yet all you say is he only cost us 10 points? Stick to baseball. Something you actually know something about. Or, your great Houston Texans.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

You realize that there are quarterbacks who know to throw the ball away when they've been in the pocket for 8 seconds and they're standing on their own 6? No, actually you probably don't. Why don't you stick to something you know about... once someone identifies what that may be? Since all you watch is Bears' football, it's obvious why you know so little about playing the QB position. Ever heard of a guy named Steve Young? He was talking about Cutler and said paraphrasing "His lows are much too low for him to be a premier quarterback," I supposed you know more about football than him too, huh? He had good/great protection on both of those plays and he turned them into 10 points for the other team... you realize that the QB is only supposed to score points for his team, don't you? Stick to fantasy football, and leave actual analysis to people who can be objective.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

As a BEARS QB, Cutler in two years has set a Record for back to back 3000yard, 20 TD seasons. A fact Steve Young clearly did not mention to be sure. I have maintained all along he is not Tom Brady, but the best Bears qb in decades which is generally an opinion shared by most of the Chicago sports media (you would not know living in Houston) which have watched the garbage at that position for years - something that Young probably does not know about. He certainly is inconsistent, but has had two different offensive coordinators in two years. and a bad offensive line thay has played together as a group for less than a year. this matters too. I can counter your opinions with articles in The Sporting News and NY Times today agreeing that Cutler played an excellent game. Yet, you want perfection and "Steve Young, who knows more than me - and also picked the Colts to win the Super Bowl last year - says something I know already: "Cutler is inconsistent". No shit Sherlok! Like you said, we'll "wake you up" when Cutler stops making mistakes even when he plays well and his team wins. You can watch your hot Texas teams if its too painful b/c he's gonna make more, no doubt. Maybe you still want Grossman, Orton, P.T. Willis, or Steve Stenstrom? And no, I don't play fantasy football as my brother is a Season Ticket Holder and I would rather watch the games in person from the 50 where his seats are. GO Texans!!

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

Let's see if Cutler can get as deep into the playoffs as Grossman, since the only standard you measure a QB by is whether his team wins or not. You just finished whacking off last week because Phil Simms was complimentary about your pinup model, so I pointed out that a better QB wasn't quite so high on him and, amazing you didn't say "well, maybe I don't know everything", instead you went off on some stupid tangent. If you don't think the Bears would have been better off with Orton and two first round draft picks... well... like I said, you don't really know what you're talking about, but you're sure you're right, so what's the point? The guys' a dumbfuck. Watch him fold in the playoffs (or probably Sunday) when he plays a team with a pass rush. He made some nice throws today. A couple of his TD's Knox got away with some Shennaigans, and his long TD last week was under thrown and off the mark, but the receiver made a nice adjustment to it. But you wouldn't know any of that, because you didn't watch the games.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

The "whacking off" comment was mis-directed as the last game Phil Simns covered was Bears-Pats, and I do not recall any of what you say. Perhaps you have not been watching the Broncos this year? Cutler is better and has more talent. This is not just me but myriad scouts, NFL players, and national media point out the talent the kid displays (as well as his faults). No matter. My entire argument that most long-time Bears fans and the above examples agree on is that Cutler is the best the team has had in many years, and Top 10-12 in the NFL and still young by Favre standards. Yep, he is inconsistent, and makes mistakes that are maddening, I concurr. 3000 yards and 20 TDs back-to-years which is historically Bears significant. Steve Marriucci just now stated on NFL network that Cutler can make any throw on the field, and it has taken him time with Martz and the group of receivers to catch up at the right time. Its gonna come down to him in the Playoffs, regardless. I am not the most confident in him honestly, and would love to have Aaron Rogers if we could. But...Cutler is an uprade from the usual mediocrity, warts and all. Like Rob G says, I hope we get the "good" Cutler, as well as the "good" Big Z for the rest of the year.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

So Cutler throws for magic yards and Orton doesn't? I thought yards were yards. If Cutler is so much more successful on the deep balls he throws, isn't that counterbalanced by the turnovers and the incompletions he throws on six yard outs? (hint, it's a rhetorical question).
Majority of Orton's "long" passes were ramped up with RAC-run after catches. 10 yard outs to Brandon Marshall went for 40-50 yards. Cutler hits receivers in stride, something Orton can't do.
If you can't figure out how stupid a sequence of statements that is, see if one of the Pro-Cutler (and his $20 million paycheck) minus 2 first round draft pick brethren will explain it to you. If you seriously think that Brandon Marshall and Brandon Lloyd are better in the open field than Devin Hester, really there's no help for you.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Yeah, for 89 yards. Since the Bears offensive offensive line showed long ago it can't protect Cutler enough for him to drop back and throw the ball downfield, that's not going to change this year, unless some wide receiver catches one in the flat and breaks one open. This is a short yardage receiving corps right now because of the pitiful blocking of these guys. Quick, Jay, pass while you're still standing, or run for your life.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

Maybe you missed "How to Appl Logic in the Real World" around 3rd grade, but let me bring it down to for the "Obama is going to pay for health care with windfall taxes on Exxon level for you": If the theory is that one QB benefits more from YAC than another QB, the QB with the receivers who are better at YAC than the other has an advantage.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

If the theory is that one QB benefits more from YAC than another QB, the QB with the receivers who are better at YAC than the other has an advantage. Which, of course, doesn't logically mean that Marshall or Lloyd are better than Hester in the open field. But hey, logic was never your strong suit.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I don't know how much truth there is jacos comment, but I'll say it's a lot different for Marshall to break a tackle after a reception and pick up some yards then Hester setting up his blockers and finding a hole on a punt or kick returns. Hester for all his speed has been a very mediocre receiver, although he's broken a few slants and bubble screens this year. Cutler's pretty well regarded as one of the strongest and accurate arms in the game. But as you said, 10-cent head. Most of us seem to think he's vastly improved of late, you disagree. So be it...

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Well I'll watch Orton again this week to see how he does. Oh, that's right he'll need Tebow and Quinn to get hurt so he can play. Those 30 yard + passes, in the air, that Cutler throw to receivers in stride are passes Orton couldn't throw in his wildest dreams.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Actually Steve Young's opinions on Cutler are much more complex than what he indicates on national TV. There is a sports radio station in San Francisco that has something called the Steve Young show and I was fortunate to hear him talk at length about Cutler the last time I was out there about a month ago. Young actually likes Cutler quite a bit, and he thinks he can be an elite quarterback if he works out his kinks. He is a pretty big believer in the notion that QBs are often a work in progress, even excellent ones. He's fun to listen to because he gets so pumped up when his co-hosts ask him specific questions about a QB. He's very passionate, and went into detail about Cutler's flaws. His biggest critique was how sometimes Cutler will throw off his back foot. However, he mentioned in his show that Cutler has an almost impossible situation with the offensive line the Bears have put in front of him. He admires his guts and tenacity. His guts and tenacity are something I myself did not expect to see. He keeps getting his head cracked open but just keeps stepping back up, and in fact seems pretty fearless to me when he starts to scramble. Young mentioned in his show that he doesn't think there's a quarterback in the league that is better at threading the needle than Cutler. Most of his bad decisions, according to Young, are things that are teachable. I mentioned this in another post, not because I'm an expert, but because I basically stole a Steve Young quote and just didn't give him credit. I wouldn't be surprised if Young said what he said to motivate Cutler a bit, since I'm sure that the quarterback fraternity is close enough that the quote got back to him. Regardless, if that's the same quote I remember, it was made during a game before the bye week, when Cutler was really sucking. Just as aside, I used to live in the bay area and listened to Young a lot on the radio station, and he HATED Grossman. He was especially appalled when Grossman through one interception -- I think it may have been in the super bowl, and just watched as the last man in the interceptor's way and had, according to Young, a chance to at least try to make a tackle. I didn't notice that, but Young was appalled. As a fan, Cutler reminds me a little of the Cub's Wild Thing, Mitch Williams. He makes me nervous every time he's out there. Not as nervous as Williams did, just in the sense of, "which Cutler will we get today." But he's young enough to keep getting better. His upside is still pretty high.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

I don't know about the "threading the needle" bit... I have to wonder if that was before or after the Pat's game. Maybe that's why he throws so many interceptions. He's physically talented, and he has got a nice arm, he's got a 10 cent head. Even when there's no problems, like Sunday he, still makes extremely stupid decisions. Superbowl quarterbacks don't do that, or at least not with the frequency that he does.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

You're confusing stupidity with arrogance/confidence. Cutler is not stupid. He's also improving, but you apparently don't want to see that. Lower interception rate, higher yards per attempt, etc., than last year. Before the bye, I partially wrote him off as a higher-paid Grossman, but that was wrong. Would I rather have someone like Brady or Rogers or P. Manning? Of course. But I'm happy with Jay and think he can get ever better.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Young's point is that he gets the ball into places he hasn't seen other QBs do in a long time (he wasn't specific about how long - 1 yr, 30?). I think the problem you identify as stupidity just has more to do with his cockiness -- because he can often get the ball just about anywhere, he thinks he can throw in traffic that he shouldn't be throwing in. As a Bears fan, I just know that I've watched a gazillion quarterbacks who couldn't even find secondary receivers (must less a third one). Sounds like you're not a Bears fan so you probably just have no appreciation for the utter misery we Bears fans have had to endure with watching Chicago quarterbacks. I think Cutler will just keep getting better. Whether or not he becomes a super bowl quarterback this year really depends on which Jay Cutler shows up for the playoffs. And which defense.

since the bye week 117/186 62.9%, 1471 16 TD, 5 INT 104.9 rating seemed to coincide with them electro-shocking Martz into running the ball and slightly better pass protection. glad he's with the Bears over Neckbeard. And maybe in another GM's hands those 2 first round picks would mean something, but not so much for Angelo.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

haha - "Neckbeard". Indeed. Re Martz and his cardio-pulmonary of the playbook, he admitted to the beat reporters that he has been persuaded to "change things up". In the each 11 wins Cuts P-Rating is 100+. Not the case in the losses. ROB G nails it: Angelo fucks up high draft choices anyway for the most part.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

After the trade: 0.69 ERA I think Kerry Wood is going to be the best reliever in the game from here on out. Watch the game objectively, and you'll see that Cutler still makes poor decisions. Look at the opponents "since the bye", the Bears have put up a lot of points against one good defensive team and got held to 22 points by the worst defensive team in the league. Cutler has been running up his QB rating by not throwing as many picks (which is good), taking sacks and by throwing 5 yard TD passes - which is not particularly useful.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

he had 3 TD passes over 25+ yards on Sunday, his yrds/A is 5th best in the league. Jets and Eagles both have decent defenses anyway, not a lot of folks really think Bears are Super Bowl contenders this year as is, but he's been a lot better since the bye week. They played shitty opponents before the bye week too.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

**Watch the game objectively, and you'll see that Cutler still makes poor decisions.** So does Brees, and Rogers, and Manning(s), and Brady, and Rivers, and ... All QBs make bad decisions. Cutler is continually getting better at making less bad decisions.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

I agree it was a bad decision, at least it was under duress. He did the exact same thing last year, according to the replays. The interception and the sack he took at the six were bad decisions Cutler made - while not being under duress. I'd argue that both of the TD passes to Knox were not good decisions either - they did have good outcomes, however. Now, what happens this week, and in week 2 of the playoffs when he has to face teams with a pass rush? If you give up a capable starting QB, and punt your draft for two years for a QB and pay him $20 million - yeah, I think it's OK to expect that the guy is an elite quarterback, not just a good athlete who's a work in progress. Call me crazy, I don't mind. The guy also seems to have the mental toughness of a ballerina.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Here's the trade with draft picks (as ultimately selected): BEARS GOT: QB Jay Cutler Broncos 2009 5th round (#140) - WR Johnny Knox (Made Pro Bowl as KR in 2009) BEARS GAVE UP: QB Kyle Orton Bears 2009 1st round (#18) - DE Robert Ayers (selected by Broncos) NOTE: Could have had WRs Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin, or Hakeem Nicks, OLB Clay Matthews, TE Brandon Pettigrew, CB Vontae Davis, OT Michael Oher, or C Alex Mack Bears 2009 3rd round (#84) - WR Mike Wallace (selected by Steelers after trade with DEN) Bears 2011 1st round (#11) - OT Anthony Davis (selected by 49ers after trade with DEN)

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

AZ PHIL: This is what Robert Ayers has done: 2009 14 Tackles, 5 assists 0 Sacks 2010 28 tackles, 7 assists, 2 sacks Brian Urlacher 2010 94 Tackles, 27 Assists, 4 sacks Without bothering to look at the rest of the front 4 up on the Bears, not to mention the LB's, I'd take any of the current Bears - with the exception of Tommie Harris - over this guy. NBD. And, in my mind, a 1st round pick in Jerry Angelos' hands is a disaster waiting to happen.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

E-MAN: I wasn't saying the Bears shouldn't have made the trade, because I think acquiring Jay Cutler was probably worth it. I'd certainly take Cutler over Orton, and Johnny Knox is probably equal to Mike Wallace. So it's the two #1 picks that are at issue, and there is no guarantee that a 1st round draft pick will pan out, especially when it's the Bears making the pick. Actually, it was the Broncos that botched it, because they could have had some REALLY good players (Maclin, Nicks, Harvin, Matthews, Pettigrew, V. Davis, Oher, Mack, et al) instead of Robert Ayers, and the multiple picks they got back for trading the Bears 2009 3rd round pick to PIT (used to select Wallace) and the Bears 2010 1st round pick to SF (used to select A. Davis) did not produce anything much for Denver, either. No wonder the Broncos are one of the worst teams in the NFL.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Now, what happens this week, and in week 2 of the playoffs when he has to face teams with a pass rush? his ratings vs. teams and their current sack ranking (I'm sure there's a better way to define pass rush, but that's what I got) Lions (5th in sacks) - 108.3 Dallas (16th) - 136.7 Packers (5th) - 82.5 Giants (1st) - 40.7 Panthers - DNP Seahawks (13th) - 69.4 Redskins (22nd) - 54.3 Bills (28th) - 97.6 Dolphins (8th) - 64.8 Lions (5th) - 117 Eagles (10th) - 146.2 Patriots (16th) - 32.9 Vikings (16th) 106.6 Jets (10th) - 104.2

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

You're really a stupid mother fucker. I'll take that as a compliment from you, considering everything you say is full of shit. What happens when a quarterback holds onto the ball indefinitely? It depends. Sometimes that quarterback gets sacked. Sometimes that quarterback scores a touchdown. Sometimes that quarterback accomplishes something in between those two options.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

You just refuse to acknowledge, in spite of all of the absolutely solid and factual reasoning (not to mention historical records), objectively as you like to throw out so much - that Jay Cutler is a better QB - right now, with more upside - than any other BEAR in the last 30+ years, save one short career of McMahon. Either you have not watched Bears games for as long of a time as many of us "old timers" have - or you believe that not having Tom Brady = failure. Period. Or, like TITO says, you just look at the NFL ticker and don't bother to watch when you're at the Texans games. IS it too hard for you to admit that you are outnumbered in your opinion by everyone else here?

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

Don't count me in your discussion! Not everyone agrees with you. Cutler is a dumbass. He will make Bears games interesting, because he is very capable of making good plays. He will NOT get them where they want to go. Just wait until next year, when they have a tough schedule again... Anyone else notice the Bears' cycle in the past 10 years or so??? good year, followed by disappointing year, followed by good year, followed by disappointing year...repeat... repeat...

[ ]

In reply to by Jace

there's only 2 games a year now decided by records, everything else is on a yearly rotation, every 4 years for AFC, every 3 years for NFC I'm sure most folks thought getting the AFC East and NFC East would be tougher than it ended up being this season. For 2011, Bears should get the AFC West 2010 - AFC East 2009 - AFC Central 2008 - AFC South 2007 - AFC West and the NFC South (ouch!) 2010 - NFC East 2009 - NFC West 2008 - NFC South their 2 flex games will be against the winner of Seattle/St. Louis on Sunday and Philadelphia and 6 games against their own division so opponents for 2011: Packers, Lions, Vikings x2, Raiders, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Saints, Falcons, Bucs, Panthers, Eagles, Rams or Seahawks

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

it's based on regular season schedule, It's revolving divisions and then 2 games decided against your conference against the teams that finished in your slot in their division in the 2 divisions you're not playing all of the teams. last year Bears finished 3rd in Central so got 2 other 3rd place teams, Panthers and Seahawks this year while playing all the NFC East teams. I don't know how they divide the home/away of it, I'm guessing it's essentially random. -edit- draft pick slots though aren't determined until after the playoffs for those teams that make it

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

Oh, I agree he's better than most of past QB's, I've never said he wasn't. What I have implied is that he'll never win the Bears a title, which is the point. He's too stupid. You're argument is the same thing in that saying that because Theriot is a better shorstop than Cedeno, we should all be happy with Theriot. Let's let him complete one good season before annointing him the best QB in franchise history, though, OK? Have you figured out that turnovers are the single most important (non-point) stat in the NFL, and that Cutler is reigning king of the turnover, and has a shot at retaining his title?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Let's let him complete one good season before annointing him the best QB in franchise history, though, OK? I have never said that he is the "best QB in franchise history" ever. Just like I never said anything regarding Phil Simms. Don't infer shit or say shit others don't say. The record shows, and with all the names mentioned here, that unfortunately the Bears just have had a combination of horrible draft picks plus poor free agent acquisitions over a long time period at the QB position. It is frustrating and maddening. However, while I don't believe Cutler is the second coming, I certainly have the sense to know that he is a cut above what Bears management has given us since Jim McMahon. And, Jerry Angelo, as ROB G mentioned here, has not done well with first round picks anyway. It was a ballsy move that got the team in the Playoffs - where Cutler will shine or stink. I can live with it for another year at least based on what I've seen here in my life. He has upside and is still young. They have plenty of other problems other than him which you do not allude to: Offensive line, no number 1 receiver, Tommie Harris. He is the least of these things, imo.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

This is what you're not getting. "It was a ballsy move that got the team in the Playoffs - where Cutler will shine or stink." Not it wasn't. The Bears did not make the playoffs this year because of that trade. Kerry Fucking Collins could have gotten the Bears to the playoffs this year.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

The best squad on this team is the special teams. The second best squad on this team is the defense. The third best squad on this team is the offense. With a game managing QB, the Bears would still be in the playoffs. Did you catch the Carolina game? If the Bears had signed Cassell, they may be undefeated. Because you haven't watched the Bears since 1987, you wouldn't know that. All you look at is the box score and see that Cutler threw for 3TD's and think he's the greatest player ever. Here's some objective analysis of where the Bears offense would rank, if not for thier competition, and the benefit of the good units on the team: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamoff (28th) The defense ranks 6th, and the special teams 1st. Let me know what you don't understand, and I'll be happy to try to explain it. I should also point out, that I wrote that first paragraph without even looking up the rankings.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

The fact that you even mentioned Kerry Collins for this year, Bears, and "Playoffs" in the same sentence shows you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. How appropriate you live in the armpit and sewer of the country. You argue in circles changing, and diffusing from the main point that the Bears are tremendously upgraded with a Jay Cutler. Let me know what you don't seem to get. If you want Kyle Orton, and think that the team is better with him and the draft picks, so be it. You are in the vast minority when compared to current Bears players, network commentators, sportswriters, and sports radio. If measured exclusively in your mind with playoff success this year, we will have to see what happens. I will let you know when I get home from the Playoff game I will be at, sitting at the 50. Again. You can continue whacking off with your posters of Matt Leinart now and your "NFL Power Rankings" for the week. Go Texans!

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

"You argue in circles changing, and diffusing from the main point that the Bears are tremendously upgraded with a Jay Cutler." OK, that's your main point? I have shown you that the Bears defense has been tremendously upgraded with a healthy Ulracher and the FA signing of a game changing DE. I've shown you that the Bears special teams have been the best in the league. Those are the areas where the Bears excel. You know the area where they don't excel? Holding onto the ball on offense. You know why? Because their starting quarterback turns the ball over. 2 times a game. 32 times a seaon. That's Jay Cutler. The first year with their new teams, Orton did better than Cutler did, and Cutler did worse than Orton. Why is that?

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

serve yourself better if you didn't make up shit, you're like the manny of football arguments at this point 27 turnovers last year 20 this year The first year with their new teams, Orton did better than Cutler did, and Cutler did worse than Orton. Why is that? new pass-happy system in Orton's first year in Denver, terrible way to compare. FO's stats have Orton as 21st ranked his last year as Bear, then 13th and 12th. Cutler was 5th ranked his last year under Shanahan, then 36th last year and 23rd so far this year. think everyone agrees Cutler was awful last year, but he still has no offensive line and 3 #3 receivers to throw to. But at least in my opinion, he seems a lot better since the bye week. as for your earlier comment about turnovers, Favre, Warner and E. Manning have rings, all have been prone to give it up in a variety of ways. They had good seasons when they won their rings and I don't think Cutler is incapable of having a good one with better talent around him. But Bears wouldn't win the Super Bowl this year with Brees or Manning as their QB either...maybe with Brady.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

My mistake. I was looking at Fumbles+Interception as turnovers. Now mister smarty pants, has any of your analysis of QB's taken into account sacks? Did they add sacks taken to QB rating this week? So, the fact that Cutler has been fortunate in not all of his fumbles result in turnovers is now his saving grace. It's really embarrassing that you can cling so desperately to sabermatic statistics when looking at baseball, but totally ignore it when it comes to Football.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

yeah, I'm embarrassed. your analysis essentially makes every offensive line the same, mr. smarty pants. Cutler was the 8th ranked and 5th ranked QB before joining the Bears. Maybe, and I'm spitballing here, football analysis has a lot more team, coach and scheme variables then baseball.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

So, the Bears traded two #1 picks, and the #21 ranked QB to get then #23 ranked QB, and that's what made the team good? I am not denying that a large part of the QB's success rate can be attributed to how well his O-Line plays and the skill of his receivers (and the play calling), but it seems that you are in denial that sample size issues don't apply to football and Cutler still does stupid for no reason at all.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

So, the Bears traded two #1 picks, and the #21 ranked QB to get then #23 ranked QB, and that's what made the team good? interesting summary of an argument not being made. They 2 traded 2 #1's and whatever else they gave up, for a 25-year old QB that was the 5th and 8th ranked QB over the previous two years and generally thought of as heading towards becoming one of the elite QB's in the league. They proceeded to surround their franchise QB with nothing the first season and Chester Taylor and a an offensive system that historically scores a lot but gets sacked and turns the ball over a lot. Why does "objective" analysis ignored when it doesn't suit your argument? Is Cutler worth $20M and has he become one of the top 5 QB's in the league? nope Would the Bears be better off with those #1 picks and Orton? not in Angelos' hands Did he play like shit last year? yep Do I personally think he's playing a lot better since the bye week? yep, actually I'd say for most of the year. His particularly brutal stretch coincided around his concussion. Are the Bears going to win the Super Bowl? not this year, their defense is overrated and a good team will take apart their offensive line.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

"Cutler has been running up his QB rating by not throwing as many picks (which is good), taking sacks and by throwing 5 yard TD passes - which is not particularly useful." This is also known as being a good QB. So you think 5 yard TD passes are not particularly usefull? Last I checked they were worth 6 points.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Actually... it is 4.8 and 5.5, at least according to the numbers at yahoo sports. But guess what. You didn't say Matt Forte. You said the team was averaging 5 yards a carry. The Bears have averaged 3.8 yards per carry this year. And 3.71 since the bye. And 3.97 over the last 5 games. So no, the Bears are not "averaging 5 yards a carry." Aren't facts a bitch?

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

Seriously, why are 5 yard TD passes not useful? Here in Dipshit Land touchdown passes of 5, 3, 47, 7, 14, 97, and 37 are all useful. Why are they not useful in I'm Never Wrong Land? ESPECIALLY when combined with a good running game. Play action is most effective in the red zone.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

im still wondering what pissed off billy wagner so badly that by the time the season ended last year he was determined to retire and lamented about being bitched at his whole career about how he could have done more. 69.1 ip - 38 h - 22 bb - 104 k - 1.43 era - 0.87 whip ...time to go home. go figure.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

continuing with the wagner thing... he did announce he was going to retire back in april/may of 2010, but it was much more peaceful and family oriented then. by the time it got near year-end it was a lot more nasty about how he was sick of people requesting he be superman and not being appreciated etc etc whatever... also, he said this when asked in august if he was still retiring... "I'm retiring. ... Until I don't show up next year, nobody's going to believe me. Brett Favre's f-ed it up for everybody," he told the Journal-Constitution. ha.

Cubs still talking to Tampa about Garza according to Espn Levine.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

That's the first mention I'd ever heard of Lee pushing Castro to 3B. I guess most just assumed he's push to 2B, where his range would be better utilized. Third base is not a very tough defensive position IMO - all you need is a strong arm and a quick first step.

... so you probably just have no appreciation for the utter misery we Bears fans have had to endure with watching Chicago quarterbacks. ---- What wasn't to like about the great Jonathan Quinn? Bear QB's since 1992: 1992: Harbaugh, Peter Tom Willis, Will Furrer 1993: Harbaugh, Willis 1994: Erik Kramer, Steve Walsh 1995: Kramer 1996: Kramer, Dave Kreig 1997: Kramer, Rick Mirer 1998: Kramer, Steve Stenstrom, Moses Moreno 1999: Shane Matthews, Cade McNown, Jim Miller 2000: McNown, Matthews, Miller 2001: Miller, Matthews 2002: Miller, Chris Chandler, Henry Burris 2003: Kordell Stewart, Chandler, Rex Grossman 2004: Grossman, Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzel, Chad Hutchinson 2005: Kyle Orton, Grossman 2006: Grossman 2007: Grossman, Brian Griese, Orton

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

I already covered this in my previous rant against TRN about a week or more ago, 3/44. However, thanks, and I have seen all of these guys both in-person and on tv. I went back further I recall and also included Mike Phipps, Vince Evans, Bobby Douglas, Bob Avallini, Jack Concannon, and Virgil Carter. A whole pile of crap, generally, which is why most reasonable "Bears fans" should be encouraged by the positives of Jay Cutler. Not just emphasizing the mistakes exclusively.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

Even Bill Wade, QB of the '63 championship team, was terrible. Wikipedia:
Chicago's offense did not come close to the Giants offense in terms of points scored or yards gained. The group only scored 301 points, ranking 10th out of the league's then-14 teams. Led by quarterback Bill Wade, the number 1 overall pick in the 1952 NFL Draft. Wade ran a simplified game plan, nicknamed "three yards and a cloud of dust", in which they would play it safe by running the ball in almost every play instead of giving up an interception. Occasionally Wade would throw short passes to tight end Mike Ditka and wide receiver, Johnny Morris.
Only McMahon and Cutler in the past--what, 55-60 years?--have been serious NFL quarterbacks, and McMahon quit on the team after '85. So, yeah, Cutler is a breath of fresh air even if he turns it over a few more times this season.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

* Not on Active Roster ** Not on 40-Man Roster
A quick check just now from the mlb cubs 40-man roster has 41 names, no asterisks or double asterisks. I'm calling the 40-man roster police, hoping to get a whistleblower award fee to help cover the cost of those Platinum tix.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 12/28/2010 - 4:10pm. I know, it's been at 41 for 2-3 weeks now. The move has certainly been made by now, just nothing announced. =================================== ROB G: When a club signs a free-agent to a major league contract, the player must be added to the club's MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) by November 20th or within 15 days (whichever comes first), and the player's contract must be filed with the MLB office within 20 days. Also, a player signed as a free-agent cannot play in an MLB Spring Training game until he is added to the club's MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), and a player signed as a FA cannot play in an MLB regular season game until he is added to both the MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) and Active List (25-man roster). That's why the Cubs had a slot open on their 40-man roster going into the Rule 5 Draft, allowing them to select RHP Mason Tobin from the Angels (subsequently traded to TEX), even though Carlos Pena was signed the previous day, making it appear that the Cubs 40-man roster was full going into the Rule 5 Draft even though it wasn't. So Kerry Wood does not need to be added to the Cubs 40-man roster until January 1st (at the latest), although they probably will have to make a roster move prior to Friday, since this weekend is a holiday and Friday is New Year's Day (observed) such that the Cubs office will probably be closed. BTW, the Pirates had a similar 40-man roster situation recently with Kevin Correia, who was signed on December 17th but apparently not added to their 40-man roster until December 22nd (when RHP Joe Martinez got Designated for Assignment). The Cubs might be waiting the maximum amount of time to add Woody to the 40-man roster in case they make a two-for-one, three-for-one, or four-for-one trade (for Matt Garza, for example) where two or more players presently on the 40-man rostert are traded, so that the Cubs would not have to outright anybody to the minors to make room for Wood.

[ ]

In reply to by tem99

Yeah, there were so many stupid statements in there it's hard to just pick out a few. It's got to be good work if you can get it, though. Soto's OPS did get a bit of an artificial boost by being batted 8th. Piniella didn't want him clogging the bases infront of the fast guys like Ramirez and Lee.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Just another perspective, but I felt like Levine meant Soto was "OK" from the standpoint that his offense wasn't anything to worry about. As in, he's fine in that regard but not defensively. I didn't take it as he "just did OK" last year or is "only OK" offensively.

Just spent an hour screwing around with a demo for Out of the Park Baseball '11. First time I'd ever tried anything like that. Overall impression - meh. Anyone have experience with it, or a competitor's program, and if so, any thoughts? I doubt i want to spend $40 on this.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

I played Out of the Park Baseball several iterations ago when it was first released up through version 6 I think it was. I absolutely loved it back then, but as time went on I felt like it got into too much micromanagement for the time I had available and more for people who wanted to simulate a season or two at a time (I always preferred to play out some games). Not sure how much they progressed since then. Also back then one of the best experiences was to join an online league and compete against 20-30 other GM's.

[ ]

In reply to by hellfrozeover

I played versions 6 and 7 and absolutely LOVED them back in 2004-2005. Really addicting. Then parenthood sharply cut into my Video game time and I didn't play any versions beyond. Until I downloaded 11 as a time killer when I was on Vacation last summer. It wasn't nearly as fun as the previous versions had been. Too long to get through a season. WAY TOO much data to scour through. Far too much day to day management required. If you have a PS3 I'd recommend getting the MLB series. The Road to the Show gameplay is pretty fun. Plus you can play it in 10-15 minute increments.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

MLB The Show (Road to the Show mode) is also good on PSP, and better than 2K. I was huge on MVP Baseball on PS before EA lost the rights. '03-'05. Liked '03 best, it was simplest, '04 and '05 got into too much roster crap, eventually having all 3 levels in the minors.

/sells soul

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

ozzie's kid crossed some severe lines and in this case is going to trip his dad up because it was most likely his dad being casual with conversation that got this info to oney. he is way too old to act this spoiled. you don't share this kind of player info with the public. this stuff is very off-limits.

[ ]

In reply to by Tito

That and another of Guillen's kids was available in the draft and Kenny took him in later rounds and offered him $50k to sign. The whole family, including Ozzie, went off on him about it. Didn't help Kenny took his own kid a few years earlier high up in the draft. This stuff can be over looked, but like I said good luck keeping the club house intact if no one can trust the manager.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • 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.