Cubs MLB Roster

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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

Tribe Trusts the Fungus, As Luigi Leads the Way

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Luigi Rodriguez belted a two-run HR, tripled, scored twice, and made a run-saving diving catch, leading the AZL Indians to a 10-2 thumping of the AZL Cubs in Arizona League action tonight at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in Mesa, AZ.

An 18-year old speedy, switch-hitting Dominican CF, Rodriguez leads the AZL in batting average, is second in OBP, and is 4th in SLG, after leading the Dominican Summer League in triples and stolen bases last season. He is the likely front-runner for 2011 AZL MVP, and if the Cubs do make a stretch-drive deal with the Indians, and if I'm Jim Hendry, I'll take Luigi Rodriguez, thank you.

box score

There weren't many bright spots for the AZL Cubs tonight, although Marco Hernandez did reach base three times (a single, a double, and a walk), Oliver Zapata (who was yanked out of Friday night's game after dropping a pop fly in the top of the 1st inning) reached base twice on a single and a walk (his AZL-leading 18th walk), and recently-signed 21st round draft pick LHRP Andrew McKirahan (U. of Texas) retired the Indians easily over his two innings of work, six-up and six-down. The 21-year old McKirahan was a lefty reliever for the Texas Longhorns, and pitched in the College World Series last month. No question he is WAY too advanced for the AZL, and in fact I would say he probably could handle a promotion to Peoria right now.

Another recently-signed collegian made his professional-debut in tonight's game, as 21-year old catcher Taylor Davis (2011 NDFA - Morehead State) got the start behind the plate for the AZL Cubs. He went 1-3 with an RBI single and a walk in four Plate Appearances.

Davis was an offensive force at Morehead State this past season (his junior year), putting up a staggering 414/510/736 line (with 13 HR) over 47 games, good for 6th in NCAA D-1 in SLG % (one spot ahead of current Boise 1B Paul Hoilman) and 9th in OBP %. However, Davis has a big leg-kick and an upper-cut swing that might not translate too well to pro ball, his receiving skills are just so-so (at best), and he has a weak & scatter-gun throwing arm. Maybe that's why he was not selected in last month's draft despite the rather gaudy offensive numbers at MSU.

Recently-signed 2011 13th round draft pick OF Trey Martin (Brookwood HS - Snellville, GA) is in uniform but has yet to make his game debut. The 18-year old Martin is a lanky (almost skinny) long-striding outfielder who gave up a chance to play college ball at Kennessaw State when he signed with the Cubs last week.

Tonight's game in Mesa was the last scheduled night game and the last home game at HoHoKam Park for the AZL Cubs this year. For the balance of the 2011 season the AZL Cubs will be playing their home games (and road games, too) at 11 AM (MST), and remaining home games will be played at Fitch Park.

Tags
AZL Cubs
Oliver Zapata
Marco Hernandez
Luigi Rodriguez
Taylor Davis
Andrew McKirahan

Comments

Submitted by TJ on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 07:57 am

Arizona Phil, you mentioned Trey Martin is in camp. How about Gretzky? Someone metioned he signed, but I couldn't find confirmation on Baseball America's web site or any place else. Has he signed? If so, I'm sure you'll let us know when he shows up anmd he probbaly was above slot. Actually if he did sign I'm a little surprised because he has an offer from San Diego State, he obviously shouldn't need the money and I suspect his parents might emphasize college.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 07:10 pm

Submitted by TJ on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 10:57am. Arizona Phil, you mentioned Trey Martin is in camp. How about Gretzky? Someone metioned he signed, but I couldn't find confirmation on Baseball America's web site or any place else. Has he signed? If so, I'm sure you'll let us know when he shows up anmd he probbaly was above slot. Actually if he did sign I'm a little surprised because he has an offer from San Diego State, he obviously shouldn't need the money and I suspect his parents might emphasize college. =================================== TJ: Trevor Gretzky is presently with the injury rehab group at Fitch Park, as he tries to get his shoulder into playing shape. Gretzky was a star QB at Oaks Christian HS when he suffered a torn labrum in a game last October, and he is still trying to rehab the injury. He decided against surgery, so he was used as a DH this past season at OCHS before getting drafted and signing with the Cubs. He may ultimately end up at 1B, but the Cubs would like for him to be able to play a corner OF spot (if possible), too.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 07:36 pm

If this is true, then LaHair will be given two months to show what he's capable of before the Cubs go shopping in the offseason for a cheaper version of Pena. Without LaHair around, I'm not sure the Cubs trade Pena just to bring up Ridling or Colvin. (If Colvin could hit, he'd be an outfielder.) The fact that Hendry has talked about hanging on to Baker suggests to me that Aramis will be cut loose also. Baker would be the incumbent at third while LeMahieu, Flaherty, Gonzales and Vitters are the challengers. With Aramis around, Baker makes little sense to me, since three of the names I mentioned have better gloves and are more versatile.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 07:51 pm

There are no bench spots for first basemen. That's why it's so hard to make the grade as a major league 1B. I'm merely saying that if the Cubs are looking for something less pricey than Pena for next season--and I think they are--then LaHair is the only option that they can plug in tomorrow. Why not do it? Why keep looking at Pena? You don't want to give LaHair a chance, for the usual reasons--career minor leaguer, too old, etc. But only one minor-league player has more HRs (29) than LaHair's 28, and that player--Goldschmidt--is in AA. LaHair is hitting 117 points higher than Pena, and his OBP is 81 points higher in spite of Pena's 54 walks. LaHair has 46 walks. I have said I don't know anything about LaHair's glove. That could certainly be an issue. Are you worried that he might crush the ball for two months? Chances are he won't, and they'll go out and find somebody else.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 07:29 pm

I am precisely worried that he will crush the ball for two months, be given the starting job for 2012, prevent the team from signing someone else, then hit terribly in 2012 and lose the team games. LaHair is 28 and has an OPS of 1.086 in AAA. Jason Dubois had an OPS of 1.019 in AAA as a 25-year old. Maybe LaHair could be an awesome first basement in the major leagues, but it is probably more likely that given an extended chance to play he would perform like Dubois did in the big leagues - poorly. If the Cubs had a $45 million payroll and were rebuilding with young guys, then whatever. But if you have a top 5 payroll there is no reason to play around with guys like LaHair.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 07:15 am

Not many righty-hitting first basemen in the majors. The reason is that you want a balanced lineup, and first base is one of only four positions where a player is allowed to throw lefty. (I realize that LaHair throws righty, but that's not the point--although there is a preference for lefty-throwing 1Bs also.) So no right-handed hitting first baseman is a good prospect, unless he's a stud like Pujols or Derrek Lee. That's one strike against Dubois. (The righty thing is a big obstacle for Ridling, whom I would not consider a real prospect at this point.) Dubois was also a klutz, which is strike two and strike three. LaHair may also be a klutz, I don't know, as I said. LaHair has a career minor-league FP at first base of .994. Dubois is .980. In left field, LaHair has one error and seven assists while Dubois has nine errors and seven assists. As I argued about Murton a couple of days ago, to be a good prospect it helps to be a two-way player.

Submitted by Koyies Bansaw on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 07:39 pm

Hey Phil, just wondering if you've heard/ seen anything of our unsigned draftees, which seems to be a lot of them considering the deadline is approaching. Also, have you heard anything about the guys listed as signed by BA, but haven't appeared in games (Ethan Elias, Arturo Maltos-Garcia, Casey Lucchese, and Scott Weismann)? Thanks as always Phil!

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 07:00 am

Submitted by Koyies Bansaw on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 5:39pm. Hey Phil, just wondering if you've heard/ seen anything of our unsigned draftees, which seems to be a lot of them considering the deadline is approaching. Also, have you heard anything about the guys listed as signed by BA, but haven't appeared in games (Ethan Elias, Arturo Maltos-Garcia, Casey Lucchese, and Scott Weismann)? Thanks as always Phil! ======================================== KOYIES B: Arturo Maltos-Garcia is on the AZL Cubs 60-day DL after undergoing TJS last month. Jhon Rodriguez and Amaury Paulino are also on the AZL Cubs 60-day DL. Tarlandus Mitchell (knee or ankle) and Eric Rice (post-2010 TJS?) are on the Boise DL, but Mitchell is throwing at Fitch Park and is probably close to getting reactivated. Scott Weismann is on the AZL Cubs Active List and has been since AZL Opening Day, but I don't know why he isn't pitching in games. He may have an injury but expects to pitch before the end of the AZL season, in which case he just stays on the AZL Cubs Reserve List. Rookie "A" league teams like those in the AZL have a 35-man Reserve List, and then each game 25 players (of which at least 10 must be pitchers) are designated as "Active," so only players on the 60-day DL (who do not count against the 35-man Reserve List roster limit) would be listed as being on the AZL Cubs DL. I don't know about Casey Lucchese. He's not on the AZL Cubs Active List or 60-day DL, so he might be attending school to finish his degree. If that's the case, he's probably either on the Boise Reserve List or the Restricted List, and then he'll make his debut at AZ Instructs. Or there's always the possibility that his contract was voided, although I haven't heard that. Ethan Elias just signed, so the Cubs have 15 days before they need to add him to a Reserve List. Generally speaking, the later a pitcher signs, the more-likely he will be held out until AZ Instructs. That's what happened last year with Ben Wells, Kevin Rhoderick, Casey Harman, and Brian Smith (all four signed right at the deadline). BTW, milb.com still shows Johan DeJesus, Max Kwan, Vismeldy Bieneme, Jose Valdez (rehab), and James Adduci (rahab) on the AZL Cubs roster, but Adduci was reactivated from the DL at Tennessee last week, Kwan, Bieneme, and Valdez were released, and DeJesus was sent back to the Dominican Academy.

Submitted by Jace on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 07:47 am

Just looked at the ESPN Trade deadline Blog. What a depressing read. A guy named Jim Bowden (who?) says that the Cubs are not sellers this year, and in fact are buyers. While I would say that the Cubs don't seem overly desperate to sell, I haven't heard anything about them trying to bring anyone in, either. I think perhaps this guy is just wrong...

Submitted by navigator on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 07:42 pm

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/7/26/2293839/chicago-cubs-2011-pre-… It's pretty depressing. Here's the first 5 1) Brett Jackson, OF, Grade B+: .256/.373/.443 with 15 steals, 10 homers, 45 walks in 246 at-bats for Double-A Tennessee, .175/.298/.374 since promotion to Triple-A Iowa. Broad skills base. 2) Trey McNutt, RHP, Grade B+: 4.33 ERA with 32/20 K/BB in 52 innings for Tennessee, 63 hits. Huge decline in strikeout rate is worrisome. 3) Chris Carpenter, RHP, Grade B: 5.11 ERA combined between Tennessee and Iowa, 30/24 K/BB in 38 innings, 35 hits. 9.2 major league innings with 12 hits, three runs. I felt he was capable of better. 4) Jay Jackson, RHP, Grade B: 6.18 ERA with 59/30 K/BB in 95 innings for Iowa, 122 hits. Ugly numbers, reports on declining stuff quality are disturbing. I have liked him a lot in the past but his stock has taken a big hit. 5) Hayden Simpson, RHP, Grade B-: 5.72 ERA, 46/27 K/BB in 61 innings for Low-A Peoria, 76 hits. Unimpressive performance, was sent back to Arizona Rookie League and has been hit hard in four starts. Right now the gamble doesn't look too good.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 07:29 pm

B.Jackson and Carpenter are fine and will be in Cub uniforms some time between next week and next season. McNutt may or may not be fine but he was a 32nd rounder. Jay Jackson was a 9th rounder whose Daytona numbers attracted the notice of Internet scouts like Sickels, who in Dec. '09 called Jackson "a personal favorite" and ranked him 4th on the Cubs. It's not terribly surprising when a 9th rounder can't get out of triple A, but Sickels has a right to be disappointed, I guess, since he was there beating the drum. Simpson will be a big bust if he doesn't get better fairly soon. Cashner, Barney, Samardzija, Russell and Campana are already on the team. Guyer is apparently a top prospect at TB. In addition to his customary offensive numbers I notice he has 16 outfield assists at Durham. Donaldson has turned into a catcher with an arm like W. Castillo's. I worry about Vitters but his offensive numbers compare favorably with the other four 21-year-olds in the Southern League, especially his 9 HRs, 47 RBI and .429 SLG. Relievers Beliveau, Rhoderick, Hatley, Kurcz and Harman have pitched consistently well this season. So have starters Loosen, Kirk and Whitenack (out with TJ surgery, or he might have been our 4th or 5th starter at some point). Struck and Rusin are holding their own--i.e., throwing better than Jackson--at Iowa.

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Submitted by MikeC on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:00 am

What the hell is Brett Jackson going to do for us? For a top prospect he hits like crap. He didn't exactly earn his promotion as he was hitting .256 in AA. He only hit .276 the previous season in AA and now in AAA he is hitting .205. That is our best hitting prospect? Really? Him? The only real defense you can give him is that he is 22 years old and should still be in A ball. But going back to what i keep on saying we have shitty scouts, and development people....he is being rushed through the system because the rest of the system sucks. He isn't ready for the majors he isn't even ready to take over AA ball.

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Submitted by springs on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:04 pm

On average, I would disagree. I would argue that the percentage of plays on which a runner advances a base or the hitter reaches when an error occurs is greater than, for most every player, the percentage of times that the player hits into a double play. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but know that Darwin Barney hit into his 8th double play last night. I am absolutely certain that he has made outs with runners advancing or reached on an error more than 8 times. Not saying if it is true for Barney, it is true for everyone. Rather, saying that the times runners move over on ground outs, advance/score on sacrifice fly and advance on errors appears from watching games to greatly exceed the number of times a player hits into a double play (for most players).

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:17 pm

Well since player B is imaginary, I will go with player A. Batting average is a much more important component of OBP than walks. Type of outs may not bother you, but if you have a guy who walks 15% of the time, and strikes out the other 85%, and a guy who hits ground balls 100% of the time, the ground ball hitter will have a higher OBP. But back to the original point. Jackson strikes out too much. Now that he doesn't have a unsustainably high BABIP (it's still really high) his OBP is way down. I can't agree that anyone who is striking out as often as he is, and homering as infrequently has control of the strike zone. He may only be swinging at strikes, but he's not hitting them, and that's not control. That's just waiting too long to swing.

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Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:50 pm

Szczur doesn't strike out much, and is willing to take a walk, though he doesn't seem to go up to the plate with the priority of taking pitches or working deep counts. He also has plus speed and some power is showing up lately. He's a lot farther from ready, but he looks like his upside might be significantly higher than Jackson's. I wouldn't be surprised if they both end up putting up similar OBPs, maybe .360 or .370-ish, but Szczur does it with a higher batting average. I don't think it would be fair to say Szczur doesn't control the strike zone as well as Jackson though. He hasn't proven to be an excessively aggressive hitter--or, at least, there have been no signs that his aggressiveness is getting him into any trouble yet.

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Submitted by Dusty Baylor on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:37 am

Of course, Jay Jackson is what...23? Early to be labeled as "not getting out of AAA." Agreed on Simpson...I get the whole mono thing....but some results..or even looking like a prospect would be good. It's hard to believe Vitters is still so young isn't it? Ah poor Whitenack...lol..figures yeah?

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Submitted by Paul Noce on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:39 pm

You can scroll through the Cubs draft classes season by season at BR, here's the link for the first year Wilken picked. http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?query_type=franch_year&team_ID…; I do have to say that while he hasn't picked, so far, any real impact players, he has done a far better job than any scouting director we've had since the Dallas Green era. At least we have some players who are starting to become major leaguers, but where are the pitching prospects? Wilken's record here has been very mixed without any real HR's yet. After 6 drafts one would hope to have more than just a lot of future major league utility players or replacement players. But let's look at the top 2-3 picks each year and any other notables: 2006: 1st Round: Tyler Colvin 5th R: Jeff Samardzija 7th R: Steve Clevenger Others: Marquez Smith (DNS), Blake Parker 2007: 1st Round: Josh Vitters 1st Supplemental: Josh Donaldson 2nd: Tony Thomas 3rd: Darwin Barney Others: Brandon Guyer, Marquez Smith (again), James Russell, Andrew Cashner (DNS) 2008: 1st Round: Andrew Cashner 1st Supplemental: Ryan Flaherty 2: Aaron Shafer 3: Chris Carpenter Others: Josh Hamilton (Pirates), Campana, Casey Coleman 2009: 1: Brett Jackson 2: DJ LaMehiu 3: Austin Kirk Others: Trey McNutt, Robert Whitenack, and a ton of guys still in minors, but no standouts so far. 2010: 1: Hayden Simpson 2: Reggie Golden 3: Micah Gibbs Others: Matt Szczer, no other standouts yet 2011: 1: Javier Baez 2: Vogelbach 3: Devoss Others: Gretzky, Dunston, etc.

Submitted by DavidP on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 07:02 pm

ArizonaPhil - I don't know the answer to this, and don't know where to go to find out. Perhaps you know. Do the scouts that do the international scouting (DR, far east, europe, etc) report to Wilken, or is he only in charge of domestic scouting?

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:03 pm

Submitted by jacos on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 3:18pm. "Do the scouts that do the international scouting (DR, far east, europe, etc)" Europe? That's probably Cubs problem should have not opened that French Baseball academy before the DR. ===================================================== JACOS: There is an MLB European Academy in Italy, and so far the Cubs have signed three players out of the MLB Euro Academy (Italian RHP Alessandro Maestri in 2006, Dutch 2B Dwayne Kemp in 2007, and 16-year old Italian C Alberto Mineo in 2010). Maestri and Kemp have since been released, and Mineo will probably make his U. S. debut at AZ Instructs post-2011. Bill Holmberg and Bill Froberg are the Cubs scouts in Europe, ande they report to Paul Weaver.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:57 am

Submitted by DavidP on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 3:02pm. ArizonaPhil - I don't know the answer to this, and don't know where to go to find out. Perhaps you know. Do the scouts that do the international scouting (DR, far east, europe, etc) report to Wilken, or is he only in charge of domestic scouting? ========================================================= DAVID P: Tim Wilken is in charge of scouting only in the U. S., Canada, and Puerto Rico (in other words, players eligible for selection in the June Draft). Wilken reports to Hendry. Paul Weaver is in charge of International Scouting, and Weaver reports to Oneri Fleita, and then Fleita reports to Hendry. But Fleita is personally involved pretty heavily in Latin America.

Submitted by jacos on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 07:05 pm

And the fun begins WSCR reporting Marlon Byrd was in shouting match with Cub fan during bp. ANd this gem from Paul Sullivan tweet- "Quade says Cubs can get back in race this trip, adds: "I'm not a lunatic." You are not lunatic Mike, just dumb.

Submitted by TJ on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:34 am

I'm also concerned they are rushing Jackson. This is the same thing they did with Corey Patterson and others, i.e., pushing them through the system without having much success at the stops on the way. I don't follow other teams systems like the Cubs, and I wonder if others handle it the same way and what level of success they have. Maybe it is simply a difference between real prospects and suspects. Castro was rushed and look at the results. I also wonder about guys like Vitters. He was highly rated when the Cubs drafted him, so it was not a reach like some others they drafted #1. Is it the Cubs farm system that failed to develop him and Harvey, Montanez and others that were highly rated. Might they have developed better in other systems?

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Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:20 am

Jackson isn't being asked to learn much at each stop offensively--he already has all the basic tools, including plate discipline, power, and baserunning. I think he's just being asked to adjust. I do think it would be a good idea to make sure that he stays at AAA or AA long enough to acclimate so that MLB isn't a huge jump from his last stop. I'd like to see him put up a .370 or better OBP at AAA or 400-500 PAs at AA (with his power numbers consistent) before they get him to the majors. Corey was pushed through the minors with completely inconsistent numbers, his only great success being at Lansing, and then OK numbers at AA (which would've been fine if he'd shown that he could do that consistently). The biggest difference between Patterson and Jackson is the patience, though, and I think that we've seen that be a huge factor in players transitioning to MLB except when, like Castro, they just have an amazing ability to put the good part of the bat on the ball.

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Submitted by springs on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 07:56 am

One other point...I thoroughly agree with your analysis of what they did with Corey Patterson. The Cubs were desperate to get something from their farm system (beyond Kerry Wood) and there developed a huge pr push on the surge of young future star Cubs. Corey, David Kelton (sweet swinging 3b seemingly similar to Vitters (though I've never seen Vitters live), though struck out more), Jeff Goldblach (catcher with some power), Hee Sop Choi, Carlos Zambrano and, a little later, Juan Cruz, were going to form a huge foundation for future Cubs success. As such, they were moved forward without much development. Kelton had a cup of coffee in the majors, but never stuck. Goldblach stumbled at AA and then was, I believe, released (possibly for something more than lack of development). Patterson, Choi, Zambrano and Cruz all made the majors. It is hard for me to say for certain that it was the Cubs failure to develop these players that was the problem; most minor leaguers do not develop into major league regulars, so the fact that Patterson, Z and Cruz had long careers and Choi spent some time in the majors (and may have been significantly limited by the injury) may actually say the Cubs did a pretty good job. Also, some players respond better than others to change; Starlin Castro is reputed to have been a very diligent student of the game always striving to improve, while I don't believe the same is true of Corey. That said, the Cubs had a long string of failing to develop hitters, so there could be some credibility to your suggestion that one or more factors in the way the Cubs handle their hitting prospects historically has hindered their development.

Recent comments

  • 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). 

     

    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.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Of course, McKinstry runs circles around $25 million man Javier Baez on that Tigers team. Guess who gets more playing time?

    But I digress…

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Seems like Jed was trying to corner the market on mediocre infielders with last names starting with "M" in acquiring Madrigal, Mastroboney and Zach McKinstry.  

     

    At least he hasn't given any of them a Bote-esque extension.  

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil:
    Rookie ball (ACL) starts on May 4th. Do yo think Ramon and Rosario (maybe Delgado) stay in Mesa for the month of May, then go to MB if all goes "solid"?
     

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I THINK I agree with that decision. They committed to Wicks as a starter and, while he hasn’t been stellar I don’t think he’s been bad enough to undo that commitment.

    That said, Wesneski’s performance last night dictates he be the next righty up.

    Quite the dilemma. They have many good options, particularly in relief, but not many great ones. And complicating the situation is that the pitchers being paid the most are by and large performing the worst - or in Taillon’s case, at least to this point, not at all.

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