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

What happens if Aramis Ramirez goes away?

Aramis Ramirez had just walked into the clubhouse and told reporters that he'd "probably" played his last game at Wrigley Field, when suddenly there was a loud rumble out on the diamond. 
A giant sink hole had appeared, coincidentally right at the spot Aramis had just vacated.
Fortunately, no one was hurt.
But alert Cub fans will remember this same phenomenon happening right after Ron Santo was traded to the White Sox in 1974, where the hole remained for the next 29 years.
Cubs staff plugged the hole in 2003, when they traded Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback and a player to be named to the Pirates for Kenny Lofton, Aramis Ramirez, and cash money.

Gazing down into the hole last night, Jeff Baker was heard to say, "Hey, Gary Scott! That you?"

Comments

I think the hole appeared before last night's game. He took a halfassed swipe at the Rickie Weeks ground ball that turned into a run-scoring single (should have been an error). Brenly correctly noted that ARam has the habit of leaving his feet when he doesn't have to. My kid does that, too. He's 12.

Well I suppose if A-Ram goes....it'll be a battle of: Jeff Baker DJ LeMahieu Marquez Smith Josh Vitters Blake DeWitt Steve Ontiveros Vance Law Luis Salazar

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

In terms of PAs, Flaherty led the Cubs' high minors. Flaherty 530 LaHair 523 Jackson 512 Vitters 488 Ridling 485 MGonz 465 If you think Flaherty is a utility player, it's because LeMahieu was being groomed for second and Vitters for third, and Flaherty had to find somewhere else to play. But he was in the lineup every day. Vitters will be in the minors next season while Flaherty will be due to graduate. LeMahieu doesn't hit like a third baseman and will have to vie with Barney. One thing that might be in LeMahieu's favor, even at third--also in Baker's favor--is that Flaherty hits lefty and the Cubs are starting to trend very left-handed.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

If you think Flaherty is a utility player, it's because LeMahieu was being groomed for second and Vitters for third, and Flaherty had to find somewhere else to play. But he was in the lineup every day. well I'm not sure I do, but ultimately my opinion doesn't matter, that's clearly what the Cubs are thinking. You just said it yourself, they were more comfortable keeping Vitters at 3B (and he could easily be moved to 1b, LF or RF) and LeMahieu at 2B, while shifting Flaherty around. If they felt better about Flahery, they'd be shifting the other guys around. I like Flaherty's offensive skillset, although he's a bit old for his leagues and tends to have a hard time initially adjusting, but he's certainly at the age where it's make or break it at the major league level. But he's clearly having some difficulties at 3b and he'd be certainly more valuable as a 2B-men if he can maintain an .800 or above OPS.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

The Cubs have always liked LeMahieu better than Flaherty for second base. At third, the hitting bar goes up too high for LeMahieu, but it's less of a problem for Flaherty. I'm not sure they still "like" Vitters at third, but they want him to succeed there, for Wilken's sake if for no other reason. If Vitters can't field the position at third, the hitting bar goes way up at first and in left. But the Cubs are in no rush to get Vitters to the majors, and he signaled his customary unreadiness by going 1 for 17 in the recent playoff finals. I don't think there is really a question about Flaherty's ability to field third base. If you can play short, you can play third. Flaherty has played 111 games at short in the minors, including 14 this year. Put it all together, and things could fall into place for Flaherty if there's a vacancy at third next season.

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

And yet you guys say that LaHair's numbers this month won't tell us anything because they're September games among non-contenders. So apparently some games are more significant than others. I suppose, then, that the importance of individual at-bats can be magnified. Interesting! I do like Elliot Soto, by the way, for what he did during the season, and I've been meaning to give him a shout-out, so thanks for reminding me.
"We just showed a lot of character," said Daytona manager Buddy Bailey. "We had a lot of changes and had to find the right formula. The front office getting Elliot Soto (from Peoria) was a huge factor. It allowed us to put Logan Watkins back at second.
I don't recall what Soto did in the playoffs. I do recall what Szczur did, also what Jae-Hoon Ha did for Tennessee. (And you guys thought I didn't like Soto.)

[ ]

In reply to by springs

The list of guys who don't contribute to the majors because of their bats is probably 20 times the length of guys who don't make it because of their gloves or baserunning. That's sort of like basing drafting a pitcher on their ability to hit. If you draft a hitter in the first round, you need to be pretty damned sure he's going to be able to hit major league pitching at some point. If he can't stick at SS or Catcher, you can move him down the defensive spectrum, but if he can't hit .250, playing center field like a 21 year old Andruw Jones won't mean anything. I work with a guy who could probably cover CF for a major league team... can't hit a curveball to save his life. Helluva softball player, though.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Simple arithmetic. If you grant that Castro and LeMahieu and Flaherty, say, can play shortstop, there are 7 positions on the field available to them, and 224 starting spots (including DL) on all the ML teams. If one of them happens to throw lefthanded, he's down to 4 positions and 134 spots among all teams. But if he's like Soriano or Dunn and can only play LF or DH, that's only 44 job opportunities. That's before you start to consider hitting. "The list of guys who don't contribute to the majors because of their bats is probably 20 times the length of guys who don't make it because of their gloves or baserunning." Well, you have a convenient category of 4A (AAAA) for all the 1B/LF/DH types who languish in the minors, many of whom could certainly hit well enough in the majors to stick at one of the more defense-oriented positions if they had the requisite skills. Dubois got 227 plate appearances in the majors. Pie has over a thousand, while Corey Patterson is just under 4500. It's all about hitting? There's not much that a slugger like Dubois can do with 227 intermittent PAs, but his OPS (.729) is still higher than Pie's (.673) and Patterson's (.690). But you would say that Dubois is 4-A and it's his bat that's the problem.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Interesting, but off topic. We were talking about A and B, and you went into a long discussion about B and C. All those guys you listed had a least some success at AAA, whereas Spring's real point, at least a I understood it was talking about decision like Baez versus Starling, where you can see a guy who has physical tools, and you can see a guy who is a good baseball player, and Springs likes the tools over skills. To a certain degree he's right, you're more likely to get the super stars drafting that way, but two all stars, three regulars, and five busts are worth a lot more than one super star and nine busts. I would say that Dubios is too old, and "mastered" AAA at a much later point in life than Pie or Patterson did, which would explain the vast amount of the difference in PT. Then there's also 2003 when Patterson played like a top 50 ballplayer for half a season, that kind of performance is going to get you a lot of chances. There's also a certain amount of organzational favoritism and investment that will get a guy some more PT in the majors. A point I previously argued when comparing LaHair to Pena. But you argument you're making is inherently flawed, because gold glove caliber Ryan Harvey (top of first round) and Kyler Burke (supplemental first rounder) never got any major league PA's and Jason Dubois (14th round, 1999 Colonial Athletic Conference All-Star DH) did. Why? Because you're 20 times more likely to wash out for not being able to hit as you are for not being able to field. You don't have to believe, me, you can look it up yourself. Find guys who could hit AAA pitching very well, and didn't get to the majors. The list will be very short. Then search for guys who could run and throw, but never got to AAA, that list will be much longer. Take any team or any year of the draft as your pool of players, and the answer is going to be roughly the same. Position players washout because they can't hit. Here's the position players the Cubs took before Dubois in 2000: Montanez SS Bobby Hill SS Nick Jackson CF Gary Banks SS J.J. Johnson SS Ryan Jorgensen C Blake Blasi 2B Antoine Cameron OF(?) Jeremy Flanagan OF(?) Lots of guys who could in theory move down the defensive spectrum (and in the case of two of them did). Only one of them got a legitimate shot at the big leagues, and he wasn't drafted for his glove.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Everybody is a shortstop in little league and, to a slightly lesser extent, high school. Did Montanez project as a major-league shortstop? Obviously not. After his first full year as a pro at age 19, he never played an inning of SS again. That just doesn't happen with Wilken shortstops. They don't slide down a greased "defensive spectrum" the way Montanez (and, I'm sure, other Stockstill picks) did. (Clevenger was supposedly a SS at some level at some point, but never with the Cubs, who put him at catcher right away.) Obviously the pre-Wilken Cubs couldn't discern that Montanez wasn't a middle infielder, and that doomed him as a major leaguer, since as you move down the defensive spectrum you have to move up the offensive spectrum. It seems clear to me that Dubois was a better hitter than Pie or Patterson but had almost no chance of reaching 1,000 PAs in the major, because he wasn't an elite hitter. Vogelbach--and probably at this point Vitters--had better be elite hitters. I don't even know what we're talking about at this point. Thanks for the news flash that you have to be able to hit to get to the majors. edit: Actually, I do know what we're talking about. I'm saying defense is necessary to make the majors and you're saying it's not sufficient. On that much, we can probably agree.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

It would almost make up for starting Soriano in LF and having the amazingly average Byrd starting in CF. almost, but not quite just add Beltran to RF and Sabathia to the rotation if he opts out!!!! i do wonder if they could get Reyes on a 6-year deal with a player opt out after 3, if it meant not giving him an NTC for the back half of his deal or some other team-friendly terms. Fans seem to hate those deals, but players like them because they can cash in on a bigger deal if they're doing well. Teams don't mind them too much because they may get out of a big money deal. And if Reyes did opt out, moving Castro back to SS at the ripe old age of 25, probably wouldn't be a big deal. just spit-ballin'

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

nah, going after Reyes instead of Fielder would not be smart, presuming it's one or the other. Cubs have a farm system of middle infielders and not a single 1b-men or OF that could move to 1B worth mentioning that isn't 5 years away. and as you said, Reyes has actual injury concerns, Fielder has hypothetical ones. but you know, if some savvy GM candidate can talk Ricketts into competing now while still committing to the farm system, it wouldn't be the worst plan. They also need a SP or two and some vastly improved defense. I have a theory, and one I admit I've not looked much into and could be proved bogus, that FA contracts for under 30's, prove to be far more fruitful to a club than the ones handed to 30's and over. Plus the aforementioned savvy GM will hopefully convince Ricketts that the value of FA contracts is in the front end, and you just have to be willing to absorb the loss of value on the backend. Hopefully you make smart choices and limit the backend (hey there Soriano), but essentially every big FA signing gets "too much money" and "too many years". It's the nature of the beast.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Similar article by Muskat: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110921&content_id=25… Best part of that article: Asked how he would grade himself as manager, Quade said he was "disappointed in the record." "I'm not disappointed in myself at all," he said... "I look at this as a variety of things, and no one escapes blame, and you understand that going in," Quade said. "But I also look at it as a realist and try to think about the things I could or couldn't control, whether it's the clubhouse or running the game. I evaluate it all. "You sit here and take the blame -- that's what you do." (sounds like he's not taking any blame at all) The only aspect of the team's performance he wasn't happy with was the poor defensive play. "One disappointment, if I had one, that would be it," Quade said. "It wasn't for lack of work on it or concentration or emphasis, from the beginning of Spring Training."

197hits6/DJL5/Johnson9/Baker4/Soto2/Byrd8/Soriano7/LaHair3/Garza1

for Castro appears he got thrown out trying to get triple #10

for Castro, an RBI single LaHair with a double off a lefty as well.

If Cubs don't blow this, Garza could still manage 10 wins on the season with today's game and a win Monday over Padres speaking of Padres up 4-0 in 5th, Pirates down 3-1 in 2nd

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Garza impressed me in the 9th inning today. Brenly and others have noted how fidgity Garza is, and I know there were (very) low mumblings about possible focus and competitiveness issues with him when we got him from Tampa. But when LeMahieu dropped that pop-up, Garza demanded the ball, gave him a pat on the ass, and threw four straight strikes to Kottaras, the last three of them curves, to K the extra batter he had to face to complete his game that ought to have been a shutout, too. (Even for someone who still isn't crazy about giving up Lee in the trade, I can't complain about Garza--you know, aside from his fielding and ability to handle the bat. Nothing wrong with the way he pitches or handles himself when he's on the rubber.)

[ ]

In reply to by navigator

Garza impressed me in the 9th inning today. Brenly and others have noted how fidgity Garza is, and I know there were (very) low mumblings about possible focus and competitiveness issues with him when we got him from Tampa. But when LeMahieu dropped that pop-up, Garza demanded the ball, gave him a pat on the ass, and threw four straight strikes to Kottaras, the last three of them curves, to K the extra batter he had to face to complete his game that ought to have been a shutout, too. (Even for someone who still isn't crazy about giving up Lee in the trade, I can't complain about Garza--you know, aside from his fielding and ability to handle the bat. Nothing wrong with the way he pitches or handles himself when he's on the rubber.)

Garza impressed me in the 9th inning today. Brenly and others have noted how fidgity Garza is, and I know there were (very) low mumblings about possible focus and competitiveness issues with him when we got him from Tampa. But when LeMahieu dropped that pop-up, Garza demanded the ball, gave him a pat on the ass, and threw four straight strikes to Kottaras, the last three of them curves, to K the extra batter he had to face to complete his game that ought to have been a shutout, too. (Even for someone who still isn't crazy about giving up Lee in the trade, I can't complain about Garza--you know, aside from his fielding and ability to handle the bat. Nothing wrong with the way he pitches or handles himself when he's on the rubber.)

Garza impressed me in the 9th inning today. Brenly and others have noted how fidgity Garza is, and I know there were (very) low mumblings about possible focus and competitiveness issues with him when we got him from Tampa. But when LeMahieu dropped that pop-up, Garza demanded the ball, gave him a pat on the ass, and threw four straight strikes to Kottaras, the last three of them curves, to K the extra batter he had to face to complete his game that ought to have been a shutout, too. (Even for someone who still isn't crazy about giving up Lee in the trade, I can't complain about Garza--you know, aside from his fielding and ability to handle the bat. Nothing wrong with the way he pitches or handles himself when he's on the rubber.)

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.