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

Feeding the (Blue) Monster, Part One

This was my original thinking, the only reason I'd read any book about the Red Sox would be to gain insight into Theo Epstein's approach to roster construction and player acquisition. Still, I'm a sucker for a good baseball story and I have to admit that learning about the Cubs sister AL team that suffered from the 'Curse of the Bambino' had it's appeal, if for no other reason than  this old Billy Goat's misery loves company.

Seth Mnookin's 2006 book, 'Feeding the Monster' is an in-depth look at the Red Sox, focusing on team management and the eventual 2002 ownership change as the reason their drought ended. The Red Sox truly overcame urban legends created by the Boston press with their constant harping on eight decades of Epic failures and generations of fan misery.

Something I understand (except for the "overcame" part).

Now with the Theo "Compensation-gate" mostly completed, this book is filled with insights into the personalities behind what should have been a simple and quick front office only transaction (with no compensation as you will soon read). Why it became a bollixed, vitriol filled, press inflated, word-slinging mess that only Boston is known for makes more sense to me after this read.

There is a lot of story to set up before Theo Epstein jumps in, so prepare for the first part of the world's longest book summary.  Most of Theo's story will be in part deux.  Part one, after the jump...

The Red Sox history dates back to the 1870's when they were mostly known as the Bean-eaters. Jump forward to the more important history of the sale of Babe Ruth's contract to the Yankees by Boston owner Harry Frazee, in December 1919. The real story wasn't about Frazee having financial difficulties or needing cash to produce a Broadway Play (No, No, Nanette...as the press would subsequently create the urban legend in the 1980's). Mnookin relates it had more to do with Frazee wanting to build up a substantial war chest to do legal battle in his longstanding feud with AL President Ban Johnson fueled by media hatred for the owner once Frazee halted perks like free food and liquor for the writers. Even back then, the Boston sportswriters were a noisy, whiny, manipulative lot.

The Red Sox owner of longest duration was Tom Yawkey, who at age 33, bought the team and Fenway Park in 1933 for $1.2 Million. His ownership spanned five decades of major baseball history. Ted Williams was awesome but pennant-less. Considering Jackie Robinson became a Dodger in 1947, the Red Sox were to last to let that barrier go, until Pumpsie Green was brought up in 1959. The 1960's teams were lead by manager Dick Williams and Yaz and included a World Series appearance. In 1974, Yawkee died of Leukemia and his estimated $57 million net worth was left to his wife Jean who would with one of the team executives, Hayward Sullivan (who also acted as GM) and John Harrington (who started as team treasurer but ultimately ran the team for 8 years after Jean Yawkee's death in 1992) would steward the team up until the John Henry era began in 2002.

Once again the Boston press came into the spotlight, creating the Yawkee mythology that he was a rich benefactor:

"a gentlemanly, sporting owner who was more interested in winning than turning a profit"

The author points out that Yawkee was also prone to alcohol fueled rants, unwillingness to break down the racial barrier and hot and cold interest in the team over his years, but it was tough to tarnish a legend when the press wanted to be protective of the long standing illusion.

The Red Sox on the field heartache gets painted along the way. The 'Impossible Dream' team of 1967. The Carlton Fisk HR in the 1975 World Series. The crushing Bucky Dent HR in 1978. The 80's were defined by Roger Clemens and playoff runs in 1984 and the Bill Buckner World Series gaffe in 1986. I had to smile when Calvin Schiraldi was written about as a surprising factor in the '86 Series. Manager John McNamara wanted Buckner on the field to celebrate the final out even knowing that he couldn't bend over because of his arthritic knees and didn't go to a defensive backup (Dave Stapleton) on the bench when Mookie Wilson hit his squibber down the line leading to more crying over spilt milk.

It was this loss that lead to the New York Times columnist George Vecsey writing about the "Babe Ruth Curse Strikes Back". In 1990, Boston Globe writer Dan Shaughnessy wrote a book, "Curse of the Bambino" which masochistically focused on Red Sox misery "as he repeated many of the inaccuracies that had hardened into perceived fact."

I loved this quote about Shaughnessy's book:

"it (Curse of the Bambino) served as the unintentional primer on the the ways in which the Boston press was able to inflict itself on players and fans alike. Forever after, every Red Sox fumble, misstep, or mistake would be attributed to a curse that had been popularized, if not largely invented, by a cantankerous sports columnist."

The sale to John Henry's group was incredibly complicated. Remember that Henry bought the decimated Marlins after Wayne Huizenga sold off the 1988 World Series team with the intention of getting a new stadium (they might get one someday soon). Obviously, that effort failed to get past the politicians in Florida. There was talk of contraction of a team (possibly the Marlins) and with the help of Commish Selig, Henry was promised a "put" for the Marlins. MLB would guarantee Henry $158 Million for the team (his original purchase price) if he bought another team and couldn't find a buyer for the Marlins. Ultimately MLB used the put on the Expos and the Expo owner Jeffrey Loria bought the Marlins. The Angels were available and Henry was negotiating with them but Disney Corp was too difficult for him to nail down a deal with. So when the Red Sox went for sale, several of the moving part owner-wannabee's that were swirling around started to take shape and looked to the crown jewel and large market ownership that the Red Sox represented.

The original group formation involved players Les Otten (a ski resort mogul), Tom Werner (a TV producer with mega-hits like The Cosby Show, Roseanne, 3rd Rock from the Sun and That 70's Show and in the early 90's the Padres owner) and Larry Lucchino (who gets a chapter called, 'The Baseball Visionary').

Lucchino's baseball career started with the Orioles when his mentor and Redskin's owner, Edward Bennett Williams bought the O's in 1979. When Williams died in 1988, Lucchino was named team president and CEO (NY investor, Eli Jacobs bought the team) and during his time in Baltimore, Camden Yards was created with much credit given to Lucchino's vision. Eventually Jacobs had financial problems and the team was sold to current owner Peter Angelos in 1993 but Lucchino made $10 million from his 9% ownership stake. Lucchino soon went to the Padres when Werner sold them to John Moores. His Padres stay was definitely successful and included 2 division titles and an NL pennant (1998). He learned how to run a club in a small market but profitability was still difficult and his relationship with the owner became strained as Mnookin's reports, "possibly because of Lucchino's combative and abrasive management style". With Lucchino out, Bud Selig tasked him to help see if Henry had exhausted all options to get a new stadium in Florida...and the connection between those two was made.

Finally, the Red Sox were put on the market in October 2000. As ugly as the Tribune purchase and bankruptcy by Sam Zell was leading to his unloading the Cubs, the story of the Red Sox transaction had my head spinning. Once again the Boston press ruled court. The 'hometown' bid came from home grown Joe O'Donnell (owner of Boston Concessions) and Steve Karp (a real estate developer) plus the feverish and a powerful local entourage that was pushing for this group (ranging form Boston's mayor Menino and the Globe columnists Will McDonough and Dan Shaughnessy). Conversely, they were pushing hard against what would become the Henry led group.

McDonough blasted away in his column:

If Harrington (the last of the Yawkee Trust, selling the Red Sox) wanted to do the "right thing," he would "chose the O'Donnell group, because their local roots and financial stability combine the best of what (the Yawkee) tradition wanted to champion. Maybe I'm old school, but the O'Donnell group has been positioning itself in a way I'm much more comfortable with: staying low-profile but still putting together a substantive financial and business package for the Red Sox"

Musical chairs ensued. Near the finishing line, Henry and O'Donnell had joined forces then fell apart over a dispute on controlling interest. Other competing groups were in the $700-plus million range but had financial contingencies and could not prove they had full financing in place. Ultimately John Henry's fairly liquid net worth of $1 Billion and Bud Selig's input that Henry was likely to get speedy approval of ownership sealed the deal.

Of course, this didn't sit well with the whiny press. Boston Herald headlines:

"Visitors 1 Boston 0"

because the hometown press favorites didn't get the team,  articles included:

"The fix was really in."

Shaughnessy vented:

"Selig can be forgiven. It's OK with him if we become the Royals of the East."

GM Dan Duquette wanted to stay but Lucchino was made President and CEO. The Duquette front office was known to be combative including a rough 2001 season having a September swoon and major communication issues between players, staff and the press including a public dispute between manager Jimy Williams, volatile OF Carl Everett and Duquette. Duquette publically sided with Everett and Williams was fired in August. Star hitter, Manny Ramirez was unhappy with interim manager Joe Kerrigan, plus he complained of a poisonous clubhouse and a press corp that wouldn't leave him alone. In his first meeting with Henry in spring training 2002, Ramirez said, "I hate the pressure...I gotta get out of here."

On Feb 27th, 2002 the Red Sox sale was finalized. 24 hours later, Duquette was fired and replaced by assistant GM Mike Port who was given the interim GM title. Five days later Kerrigan was fired. Eventually Lucchino picked Grady Little to manage because he was expected be a calming influence in the volatile clubhouse.

Several more hirings came shortly after, as Lucchino was getting his team in place and both were Boston natives. Sam Kennedy (with expertise in Corporate sponsorship development) and his Brookline High School baseball teammate Theo Epstein (they became known as "the Brookline Two"). Lucchino knew Epstein dating back to his Oriole days in 1992. Theo had landed a summer internship in Baltimore with Lucchino. After Lucchino had moved over to the Padres and Theo had graduated from Yale, Epstein applied to work in the San Diego front office.  In fact while with the Padres, Lucchino encouraged Epstein to get his law degree from the University of San Diego. In 2000, Theo was named the Padres Director of Baseball Operations.

Epstein coming to Boston needed approval from Padres owner John Moores but as previously mentioned the relationship between Lucchino and Moores was strained.

Here is the ironic part. Mnookin writes,

"In baseball, there is an unspoken rule that clubs will allow their employees who are under contract to interview for positions with other teams if the new job would be a promotion."

Quoting Lucchino:

"I was pretty determined to press John (Moores) to request permission to talk to them. These were not just promotions, but opportunities for them to return home to a sort of dream job they had always hoped for. I couldn't imagine someone standing in their way."

Moores relented and on March 24th, 2002. Theo Epstein joined the Red Sox front office as assistant GM. Clearly Lucchino's plan was to gradually groom Theo for the GM job. No compensation was required. That precedent of no compensation for management personnel movement by Boston was never mentioned since Theo was hired in Chicago.

Two more events took place before we get to the good stuff. Godfather of Sabermetrics, Bill James was hired and he even gets his own chapter. It was a beautiful fit philosophically with owner John Henry's road to riches as a futures trader. John Henry is quoted:

"Usually when making investments, it is implicit that investors believe they have some degree of knowledge about the future. I've had an advantage over the years because I am clear about  a couple of things: 1) it is a part of the nature of life itself...to trend, and 2) I will never have a complete or full understanding of anything. Therefore, all investment decisions should be based on what can be measured rather than what might be predicted or felt. People in both baseball and the financial markets operate with beliefs and biases. To the extent you can eliminate both and replace them with data, you gain a clear advantage...Many people think they are smarter than others in Baseball, and that the game on the field is simply what they think it is, filtered through their set of images and beliefs. But actual data from the market means more than individual perception/belief. And the same is true in baseball."

Event two? Billy Bean didn't take the offered Boston GM job. Moneyball meets a simple twist of fate.

Finally, the stage is set for part two. Larry Lucchino and Theo Epstein battle (the Yankees and themselves) all the way to the top. To be continued...

Comments

More whiny stuff from Boston. Sounds like it might hurt less if someone takes the sticks out of their butts...and this stuff comes after John Henry just apologized over comments for throwing Carl Crawford under the bus (publicly said he was against the Crawford signing)... Jon Heyman tweet:
Henry doesn't sound thrilled w/ theo compensation, but says that's how tough negotiations go. (maybe he can apologize to carpenter now)
Tim Britton (Providence beat writer) tweet:
Henry said there was a "basic misunderstanding" with the Cubs over compensation expectations
Gordon Edes tweet:
Lucchino on Theo comp: We have a saying: All's well that ends. Period. That's our view about this thing. Let's move on. Next issue
this link has a video (from WEEI) of the above quotes during the presser with the 3 Red Sox owners: http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2012/02/25/joh…

Tom Werner's on the right, Lucchino (left) and Henry (center) talk to the Boston media: http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/02/25/dQWKAgs0KVgs0htKPTMTBK/vid… ...and a more detailed Henry quote from this article by Dan Shaughnessy (note the use of the word "bollixed" (I borrowed it for the writeup) and the parting shot (about Henry's inattentiveness).:
Regarding the bollixed Epstein compensation issue, Henry said, “If it’s a tough negotiation, both sides generally are a little unhappy with the way it worked. The Cubs probably aren’t happy with it. We probably aren’t happy with it. Given the amount of time that was spent on it, it probably was the appropriate result. “I think there was a basic misunderstanding between [Cubs owner] Tom Ricketts and I when we first spoke about it. I really admire Tom Ricketts as an owner. We probably had a misunderstanding, at least as far as expectation. There was no real agreement. We probably had different expectations based on our first conversation.’’ Not the first time Henry’s inattentiveness has cost the Sox.
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2012/02/26/chatte… P.S. Nick Cafardo's weekly baseball column...not a Cub related whisper. To quote Big Z: "Thanks God" http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2012/02/26/ryan_b…

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/10879374-573/tv-deal-could… In the case of the Angels — who announced their deal with Fox Sports West within days of the 10-year agreement with Pujols — the entire $317 million commitment to Pujols and Wilson is covered by roughly two years of the value of their TV deal. It’s believed the Cubs receive about $45 million annually for TV rights on their WGN and CSN deals combined. says WGN contract expires in 2014, CSN in 2019. I have a fear that games won't be on WGN much longer.

thanks for the article Dr. Hecht, interesting stuff.. I would say the promotion from whatever position Theo held in San Diego to assistant GM probably doesn't deserve much in the form of compensation.

The compensation although not spelled out in terms other than vague assumptions made on both sides was based upon a conversation between John Henry and Tom Ricketts. There must have been some mention of compensation...it was just a question of what and this was the mistake not to make this more concrete. Some of the problem was the organizational mismatch at the time. The initial interaction was between owners and not CEO or GM's (or in the Cubs case there was only a new interim GM and no Baseball CEO as Boston had). I recall Crane Kenney got some more bad press at the time for any involvement (another unclear issue as to whether he also promised any compensation) in this mess because he was the closest comp to Lucchino at that point....and would have been like putting a lamb (wearing Kenney's Cub uniform) in a tigers cage. Until Theo was actually on the Chicago side of the fence to counter the Lucchino factor where CEO vs CEO could take place.

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In reply to by Cubster

USA Today reported: Chairman Tom Ricketts said, "2011 wasn't what we wanted it to be on the field, but off the field, we've added some people that I think will get the organization going in the right direction. And I think we have a bright future." **He said president Crane Kenney was the one who actually requested permission from Boston to speak to Epstein**, and after negotiations began, they flew him in for a clandestine meeting in Chicago.

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In reply to by John Beasley

the "guessing consensus" since they settled on this crew of talent is castro is moving back to the 3 slot again. though SWAIN hasn't said so, a lot of people are slotting d.barney into the 2 slot assuming SWAIN's a "contact hits 2nd" type manager (common, though usefulness debated). castro fits this definition for that 2 slot, but he also projects to be a #3 or #5 hitter eventually, anyway.

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In reply to by Rob G.

IMO, Castro in 2012 should hit in the spot in the lineup that management feels will best aid his long-term development. I just read some press where Theo or Sveum was saying they want him taking more pitches, so wherever he needs to bat to help him do that, is where he should bat. Honestly, he's probably our only shot at having a significant long-term asset on this offense until Rizzo or Jackson shows up. As for the prototypical No. 2, I think Sandberg is a solid example. I guess I felt like the ideal No. 2 is the hitter who could or would do anything that needed to be accomplished in the plate appearance - swing for contact, swing for power, hit situationally, move runners, sacrifice, work the count, and ultimately have a high OBP, preferably a high BA, solid ISO, and excellent K:BB rates.

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In reply to by John Beasley

I would think that leadoff would be a good place to help Castro work on seeing more patience. I would think at #3 he'll feel more pressure to drive in baserunners that are on in front of him, which may result in a slightly hack-ier approach. Seems like we would all hope that he his destined to bat somewhere between 1-3 during the prime of his career, probably #2 if the Cubs can get themselves a decent slugger or maybe #3 if Castro himself develops consistent 20+HR power.

Barney has everything you want in a # 2 batter except a willingness to take walks. If he improves a lot in this area, he will make a very good # 2 hitter. If he doesn't improve very much in this area, he is likely to be riding the bench, watching Cardenas play and bat second.

Arizona Phil gets mentioned in the CCO blog:
According to respected observer Arizona Phil, Del Valle throws a moving fastball, a plus breaking ball, and a change-up. He shows exceptional poise and a "nifty" pick-off move. However, there is some dispute over his fastball. While some claim he posted a 98 MPH pitch, others attribute it to a faulty radar gun and/or scoreboard. Whatever the case may be, Del Valle can bring heat and miss bats. The one concern is that at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, he may not be able to have the stamina to remain as a starter.
http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2012/02/cubsminors22712.php

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In reply to by springs

Meh...so the Cubs gave up a back up OF who hit .240, a back-up catcher whose "power" disappeared last year, a pitcher who can't find the plate, a tweener OF in Guyer, and a pretty good SS prospect that is still a season away for Garza. They gave up too much for Garza in quantity. Lee, Archer and Fuld or Chirinos should have been enough, but let's not gnash our teeth over losing most of those players. I liked Guyer and Lee especially, but the other 3, unless Archer rediscovers his one season of accuracy, I'm not too broken up over.

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Looking back, Fuld and the Fuld clone from Tampa were just a change of scenery swap. I don't miss Chirinos or Guyer much - backups on the ML level. Archer has a good chance to be a solid MLB reliever, and Lee could be an exceptional SS. If we could go back in time, I would certainly have kept Lee and Archer, but obviously Hendry thought the team would have a chance at the central. It sure would be nice to have Lee and Archer in the system. Makes me wonder where the farm would rank compared to present. Moving Castro to 2B next year would sure help the defense with Lee at SS.

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In reply to by springs

the point at the time was to try and compete, i.e. the band-aid approach that so many are advocating on here this offseason. But having him for 3 years is kind of nice. I have to agree that with the direction the new front office is taking, they'd probably be better off with some of the prospects now. But Cubs still have Garza for 2 years or can sign him to an extension or trade him before we can fully evaluate if the Cubs got any real value in the deal.

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In reply to by Rob G.

Maybe it's just a case of having a guilty conscience, but... I think the term "band-aid" approach is far too simple and derogatory to describe what I and others have advocated for in the past. To me, a band-aid approach is foolishly throwing money at a weakness, which I don't think anyone is in favor of. What I (and others) have suggested is that the Cubs can begin building now for the future with MLB-ready players. For instance, Prince Fielder would have fit as a player who could improve the club now and in the future. Edwin Jackson may have been that type of player as well (although I'm not completely sold on him). I know I sound like a broken record, but the only point I have been trying to make all off-season is that it is not necessary to sacrifice a season (or more) of the big league club in order to build up the minor leagues. The Cubs could be competitive now AND in the future.

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In reply to by Sweet Lou

People are not proposing that the Cubs sacrifice a season anymore than you are proposing applying a band-aid to their problems. I would instead characterize the discussion as a disagreement over resource allocation, with both sides disagreeing over the weight the team should give to short term and long term assets. Fielder is a good example. I would have been perfectly happy for the Cubs to sign Fielder to a contract so long as the terms were reasonable. That said, I am not unhappy they didn’t sign him and instead traded for Rizzo. The fact that Fielder will likely outperform Rizzo in 2012 doesn’t mean that the Cubs have sacrificed 2012 by trading for Rizzo instead of signing Fielder. Now the money that they saved by not signing Fielder can be used to fill other holes either this off season, in future off seasons, on improvements to the park that will help generate additional income, in the draft, or on international free agents.

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In reply to by Sweet Lou

9 years, 200M+...fat guy in the NL? you don't see the problem? only the U.S. government and the Yankees can get away with overpaying at that kind of astronomical rate and paying it down later. Cespedes, Darvish and Fielder made some sense for the Cubs this offseason, but minus getting all 3 and then some, hard to see them competing this year. Then once you commit to them, you feel the need to fill some other holes with other FA's that are overpriced and then you don't trade Marshall, etc, etc.

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In reply to by Rob G.

You're looking at this from present day, but the Cubs were out on Fielder long before he signed with Detroit. I agree that his contract was for too many years. I would not have wanted the Cubs to sign him for that long. However, the point I have been making all off season pre-dates Fielder's signing. Theo & Co. admitted that they were never in on either Pujols or Fielder. They had decided to basically give up on the 2012 season at or near the beginning of the off season.

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In reply to by Sweet Lou

why, because they told LaHair they were never in on those guys? What do you think they should tell him? they're just pumping up his ego. And maybe, oh just maybe, knowing Boras and baseball, they realized pretty quickly that Fielder wasn't coming at a price they were comfortable with, but probably maintained some cursory interest at 5-6 years. They may have even struck a deal with Boras that if you're sure to make Pena decline arbitration, you can use our name as a bargaining chip for the deal you want and we'll keep up the facade. I don't get how just adding Fielder is competitive in 2012 either? You seem to think the Cubs would have the pick of the litter of just the good, young free agents. Obviously other teams are going to compete for those guys and overpaying is still overpaying and generally a bad idea unless you really are close to a WS caliber team. Surely you know they would need more than Fielder to compete in 2012 and that means probably overpaying for the likes of Ramirez or Beltran (band-aids) or some starting pitching. I think they decided early on, they weren't going to overpay for past performance. Besides Cespedes, I can't imagine any deal this offseason that ended up making a lot of sense for the Cubs. And Cespedes is no sure thing of course, he could pull a Fukudome. Also the A's were allegedly the only team offering a job right out of spring training w/o a trip to the minors and willing to go 4 years rather than 6.

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In reply to by Sweet Lou

I have to agree with Rob here. Fielder, Cespedes, and Darvish were the only potentially star quality players in an age range appropriate to what the Cubs should be looking for in long-term contracts. Meanwhile, Cespedes and Darvish have never played in the U.S. and may turn out to be (as Rob G. noted) Fukudome and Dice K. redux, and Fielder at 9 years would have been absurd for an NL team. Edwin Jackson would've made some sense as 3rd piece to go along with a couple of elite acquisitions, but would you really want to give Edwin Jackson a long-term contract? They didn't like the return on the investments required for the free agents and they didn't have an enormous farm system to deal from. There wasn't any way to turn this around quickly and build for the long term. That said, time will tell whether they are successfully building up the franchise.

Len Kasper ‏ @LenKasper Reply Retweet Favorite · Open They got it right. The Artist was by far the best film of the year.

3+ years, signed through 2015. guess he's comfortable not getting a chance to start.

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In reply to by Rob G.

Your use of terms like closer and set-up man are obfuscating the value of dominating relief pitchers who can be employed in high-leverage situations to save games, whether or not they are actually credited with a statistic for doing so. GMs know this, and closers' agents are fighting it, but gradually, MLB payrolls are increasingly reflecting this. Sean Marshall is absolutely worth 60% of Heath Bell over the next three years.

Y. Molina 5 year extension, ranging between 60 to 75M depending on the report. We'll know soon enough. Salvador Perez of Royals signs 5/7M deal with 3 club options.

what Trout, M. Moore or Harper would get if they were FA's like Darvish. Goldstein calls a bunch of execs... http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16114 Average and Best Offer Moore: (A)6/83 - (B)8/144 Trout: (A)8/102 - (B)8/120 Harper: (A) 8/113 - (B) 8/150 “Based on our organizational assessments, all three would be ahead of Darvish and Cespedes.

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In reply to by Rob G.

i know trout is a high-end prospect and plays CF and etc...but i still don't get the love for the guy on the level he has. i don't understand the high-end love...guy reminds me a ton of darrin erstad, really (the young/good one). it's not like i think the kid won't have a good carrer with all-star-like numbers, but a lot of people lump him with the cream of the crop for a couple years now. last year people were in love with him and this year the love hasn't faded even though the power isn't showing up (yes, playing over his head). he's a true 5-tool player, but i'm not a fan of his stroke leading to power.

Did anyone hear the full interview of Jed Hoyer talking about how the Cubs in their current state are not ready for "Big Game Hunting" [FA's] yet, and need to develop a better foundation? I mean I know its obvious, but why not just come out and tell the fans the "R" word? This is just a pile of shit it looks like, they they have assembled.

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In reply to by The E-Man

Listening to Kenny Williams on WSCR today and this TheoJed-speak, I've come to the conclusion they must all have a clause in their incentive/MBO's that using the 'R' word significantly decreases that yearly payout.

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In reply to by The E-Man

I still think (hope?) they aren't done yet. Byrd, for example, is a waste of space. If they are really rebuilding, bring up Jackson and throw him to the wolves. I'm sure the fact they haven't gotten any worthwhile offers for Byrd has something to do with it.

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In reply to by Old and Blue

Obviously, teams aren't scrambling to give up a prospect to pay $6.5M for one year of Byrd, especially after his post-beaning performance last year. Now consider the end of July. With only 55-60 games left, he only costs $2.5M or so. And with 5-12 teams realizing they're in a position to eek into the playoffs, there are likely to be at least 2 suitors. So maybe teams will cough up a B prospect for Byrd's services at that point. First things first, he has to show he's over whatever was messing him up after he got beaned.

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Why does it have to be so black and white? Don't rush Jackson .... therefore, woot Byrd? The guy only has like 210 plate appearances at AAA. He OPS'd pretty well in that timeframe, but his K rate was higher than his minor league average, and his BB rate was lower. So let him chill there for 2 months, play every day, master the level, and guess what? We save a year on the arb clock. Look at Rizzo. He had even gaudier AAA numbers in even more PAs, and he still belly-flopped in SD last season. From what I understand, there's a big jump between AA and AAA pitching, so let Jackson see the league a couple more times and learn to adjust to hitting those better guys.

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In reply to by John Beasley

Rizzo was also playing in a bandbox stadium with a rock hard infield. Jackson was smoking the ball in AA before hurting his hand. He'll have to adjust to MLB pitching anyway, regardless if he starts in AAA, or in Chicago. I know I'm in the minority opinion..so fine. The Cubs are punting the season anyway, so I "get" the arb clock BS. But if he's a better option in CF, I don't get "saving" the 150-200 PA's. This is a team shooting for 2013-2014. I'd rather see him work through some issues now, rather than then.

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In reply to by The E-Man

Pile of shit has nothing to do with rebuilding though. They had a pile of shit last year and they weren't rebuilding. I'm sure they also don't use the rebuilding word because people freak out on them then.

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.

  • 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.