Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs 40-Man Roster Moves

The Cubs have put C.J. Edwards on the 40-man and that is the extent of their Rule 5 deadline roster moves. You can check out AZ Phil's full list of Rule 5 eligibles if you wish, but I don't see any obvious names that will get selected. Maybe Zach Cates or Ivan Pineyro or Starling Peralta, but there's certainly no one on there that folks should all be too worried about losing even if they do get picked.

Out of the rest of the league, I did notice ex-Cub Ronald Torreyes made the Astros 40-man today.

Not much else going down in Cubs-town, Cubs didn't get Russell Martin after he signed with the Blue Jays for 5/82.5M and no one should be too upset about that. The last I read was that the Cubs were willing to push past 4/65M and ended up a close runner-up. Rumors that the Red Sox are offering somewhere around 6/110-120M for Jon Lester. I think the Cubs are probably comfortable at those numbers, it'll just be a matter if some other team goes crazy and where Jon Lester wants to play. There were some Johnny Gomes rumors yesterday, vet leadership and short side platoon outfielder I suppose. I imagine that would mean the end of either Justin Ruggiano or Junior Lake as a Cub, but maybe I'm overthinking it.

Comments

on tools alone, hunter cervenka might be snagged by someone. lefty, pen guy, low-90s FB, 24 years old (though no experience past AA). andrew mckirahan might be another dark horse to be snagged...maybe even more attractive than cervenka...

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the Cubs, Dodgers and White Sox have talked to the Diamondbacks about a trade involving Miguel Montero

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In reply to by Rob G.

although I think the DBacks could do better than just a salary swap That makes sense to me, Rob. Cahill is younger and similarly due for a bounce back as Jackson is. I would think that La Stella, a solid and cheap reliever (at least Grimm), or a mid-level prospect (Vogelbach? McKinney? Pierce Johnson?) would be necessary to get it done. Alternately, a Cahill and Montero for Jackson and Castillo trade might be pretty close. That takes some but not all of the shine off of the proposal for me. Cahill seems like the kind of player this front office takes a chance on if they can haggle the price low enough. Wild speculation: A Lester, Arrieta, Hendricks, Wood, Cahill/Turner/Wada/Straily/Jokisch rotation would look relatively competitive in the NL Central. Montero provides veteran presence, for what that's worth, and maybe a defensive boost but without actually improving the offense. If they don't add a TOR pitcher, though, the incentive to take on the salary and risk of Cahill and Montero is diminished for me.

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In reply to by billybucks

~shrug~, good contact skills and post-season beast. Been a 2-3 WAR player and a FA at age 29 so I can see the 5 years, but I certainly wouldn't top 14-15M per year on him. And with his weight issues, I wouldn't go past 3-4 years.

Valbuena's offense last year was better than any of Panda's last 3 seasons with the bat. I really don't get Red Sox interest in it, unless he hits a lot of opposite field fly balls that they think will bounce of the Monster. Maybe he's setting up to be David Ortiz's successor.

Rays say no to Davey Martinez. 3 left in their search including Raul Ibanez, Whatchamacallit and Cash. Statement about Martinez says they are looking for a "new voice" Cubs might be getting a new bench coach.

2/25M for 35-year old Adam LaRoche to White Sox

guess him and Abreu will split 1B/DH duties

It would be a mistake, I guess, to keep weighing the offers made to free agents against that atrocious Russell Martin contract. But if the highest offer for P. Sandoval is really 5 $95, that Martin contract...

Hank White's back... Henry Blanco has been hired as Quality Assurance Coach (and pitch framing instructor) for the Cubs, replacing Jose Castro spot. Blanco had been with the Dbacks as bullpen coach/catcher. http://muskat.mlblogs.com/2014/11/22/1122-henry-blanco-is-back/ Muskat tweet: "Addition of Spanish-speaking Henry Blanco is a plus for Cubs coaching staff (and should be big help for Castillo)"

"Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Rangers have been in contact with the Braves regarding OF Justin Upton." pretty soon, 10-20% of all MLB teams will be made up of ex-TEX prospects that don't play for TEX.

Red Sox making an offer for Hanley Ramirez, a little odd with them pursuing Panda as well, maybe Hanley in LF and Sandoval at 3B. Or they trading Bogaerts for Hamels, but Hanley shouldn't be playing SS and I'm sure Red Sox know it.

"Athletics acquired 1B Ike Davis from the Pirates for international slot money." nice bargain.

RSox getting Hanley for 5/90 and possibly Panda for 5/102, probably puts Cespedes on the market

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In reply to by Newport

wonder what the structure of that deal will look like, he was 1st time arb-eligible this year. If I was Mariners I would have done something like 4 years with some vesting or team options or something. Seager is pretty good, especially what he's done in that park and quite young, but man, do you really need to commit to him right now for ages 31-33?

Steve Phillips on XM speculates that X. Bogarts will be the key trade chip for RSox to trade for Cole Hamels. Peter Gammons tweets Cespedes will be the trade chip for pitching and that this will push the Yankees to move in on Lester Rosenthal says that if Giants lose Sandoval, the money will go toward them going after Lester, Headley per Alex Spier (Boston), Sandoval's agent says Panda's weighing offers and no deal yet Oh, Domino... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXOdYeG7Nio

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In reply to by Newport

It wouldn't surprise me if they whiffed, but I wouldn't think it was a grand conspiracy to trick fans and make money. They have been pretty clear all along that they won't dramatically over pay for players in free agency. I'd rather then whiff than get stuck with contracts like Martin's or Sandoval's.

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In reply to by WISCGRAD

I have resigned myself to the idea that they may not get a top [i.e. expensive] FA this year. The concept or "model" of overpay is not the exception anymore it is apparent. IF you are paying someone for future performance, and you still have to eat a year or two of the "down" years, it just is part of the sunk cost. And, IF TheoJed are planning to play, they will need to spend, or take their money and go home. OR - use their prospects as cash. But I am excited because we MAY get Montero, Gomes, or this years' broken-down pitchers or two. Puke... Plus, I may add, if the "BIG MONEY LOTTO DAY" is supposed to be 2019, if they give a player a top offer that beats all for 6 or 7 years, that would mean supposedly they would have all the money they need at the latter end of the "down" part of the contract to eat the money or trade the player for another's garbage when the time comes. Or DFA him.

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In reply to by WISCGRAD

You have to overpay to get elite free agent talent. There is no way around that. Otherwise you just get the cripples and the PED players that are left over right before spring training. I just want one legit player added, that's not asking much for a team that currently has $35.5M on the books before arb and auto renewal. I'm genuinely happy they didn't sign Martin, even at $10M less than what the Jays paid it would have been a shit signing. If they go into April with a sub $80M payroll, It'll be another fucking embarrassing season.

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In reply to by Newport

You have to overpay to get elite free agent talent. There is no way around that.

sure, point being they rarely continue to be elite talent by the time you get to the point where you have the honor of overpaying them.

Cubs future is still a bit uncertain on when exactly they'll be good, not sure the idea of sunk costs is necessarily a wise move quite yet in the hopes of a WS run that is very unlikely next season. I do hope they land their top end starting pitcher, but I don't need them to hit a payroll number to make their offseason a success.

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In reply to by Newport

“We’re literally linked to every free agent it seems like,” Hoyer said on a conference call with reporters. “Some of that is agent driven. They’re trying to connect us to everyone because they realize we do have some payroll flexibility. We said all along that if the right things line up we can have an active offseason.”

~snip~

“We’re not going to force it, and certainly a lot of the reports we’ve read makes us seem like we’re going to have some supercharged offseason and I think that’s probably overstated.” Hoyer said.

Be weary of what sells clicks and papers...

They missed out on Martin so far, no great loss at that price. See what happens with Lester, Scherzer, Shields or a trade for a pitcher. I don't think they are or should be pursuing any other major FA's. I know some like Melky, but haven't seen where the Cubs were interested in him.

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In reply to by Rob G.

I just don't get that Toronto signing - I mean that motherfucker "Tire Kicker" GM up there, who has stayed put on trading his all-World prospects, and his teams have finished 3rd, last, 4th, 4th, 4th, and Last - 2014-2009, gets to NOW spend again??!! And THAT kind of money for a catcher? Just a head-scratcher for me.

I would love for Cubs to sign Scherzer or trade for Hamels, they're both very good pitchers and I'm all about getting very good players. And yeah, I like Lester too, but he's way overpriced but at not losing a draft pick, it might be worth it. But I bet a look back at the top free agent of every offseason would return a lot of mea culpas.

2013 - Cano/Tanaka (Cano had a decent start to his contract, gonna get ugly though by year 4-5 and then you'll have 5 more years left, Tanaka is already broken)

2012 - toss-up between Greinke and Hamilton, Greinke's actually been quite good, Hamilton has been a disaster

2011 - Pujols/Fielder (points and laughs)

2010 - Crawford/Werth (more laughing, Werth has really turned it around though after what looked like a disaster, still gonna get ugly soon on that deal)

2009 - Holliday/Lackey (not so bad actually, Cardinals...figures.  Despite Lackey's injury, pitched decently for them and big part of WS win)

2008 - Teixeira/CC (got them their World Series win, disaster since and CC's demise has been after he re-upped)

2007 - Arod/Torii (oh dear lord, Torii was pretty good for Angels though)

2006 - Soriano/Zito (I wouldn't classify Soriano as a disaster, but a disappointment, Zito though)

You're almost always better off looking for some value than paying top dollar.

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In reply to by Rob G.

stats help...

Lester career 35.4 fWAR in 1596 IP, Hamels 34.4 fWAR in 1801 IP, 11 days apart in age. Lester last 4 seasons (3.5, 3.2, 4.3, 6.1) vs Hamels (4.6, 4.4, 4.1, 3.8)

add Lester to my very good pitcher category and pay the man his money.

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In reply to by Rob G.

Exactly. Free agency sucks. Like I keep saying. Everyone wants a free agent, but who? For me, though, they shouldn't pretend to play if they're not willing to pay. So if they're talking about a guy like Lester or Scherzer, they need to go balls out on it and do what the big players like Boston do, and offer so much money it makes everyone wince. It sucks, but that's how it is today. No way around it. I don't mind the Cubs not being players in that kind of stupid game, but i dislike their sort of being in the game. That's deceptive, in my view. There is only one way to get a guy like Lester, and that's by dumping a huge pile of cash on the table. Offering the second or third most doesn't cut it. And, they have to do it knowing full well he may blow his arm out next year and never be good again. Which is one reason I hate free agency these days. It's worse than gambling. BUT, I dislike the charade of playing the game even more.

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In reply to by Old and Blue

Hypothetically, if the Cubs have no interest in signing guys, it is still in their best interest to negotiate and drive up prices as much as possible to weaken their competitors' payroll flexibility. As for being "sort of in the game," they are definitely in the game - but they are looking for players who they believe will provide greater value than they cost, whether that means nine-figure guaranteed contracts or waiver claims or something in between. If they miss on Scherzer and Lester, they will simply find a better value* at a lower price. *Does not necessarily mean better pitcher

why is there even a debate about overpaying lester or shurz or etc? yes, they're going to get overpaid. that's how it's worked for a very long time. free agents going for no-doubt contracts over 3 years generally are overpaid...make that almost always. it's not about getting a deal, it's about getting a player who's contract won't cripple your team's ability to field a team. this isn't even remotely an issue for the cubs given their value, their owner's value, the market, the team's youth pipeline, and especially the current payroll...and the money saved the past few years on payroll if you want to buy into the "we'll splash cash when it's wise to pay" saving-up-loot hopeful thinking conspiracy. ...and if losing a 2nd round pick even with a protected high 1st round pick is an issue then something is wrong with both the prospect pipeline and all it's evaluators heaping praise on them. heck, this may be the last shot the cubs have at a protected 1st round pick for quite a while given the promise of the in-house talent.

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In reply to by Rob G.

what isn't true about it? seriously. when is it time to pull the trigger and invest in the product on the field? what happens next season if they have the 17th pick in the draft? are all 1st round pick loss guys off the table next offseason if a 2nd round guy is that valuable this season? the list of 4-13 year contracts given out to free agents who are good deals...put that one together sometime. i have 1/2 a gum wrapper and a golf pencil you can borrow. we're talking about money to obtain a player...not talent given up to obtain a player. the cubs have payroll room, payroll flexibility, a prospect pipeline, a huge market, rich owners, and a protected 1st round pick this offseason. some people would say it's a perfect time to drop the bomb even if you don't plan on going dodgers/rsox/bjays crazy with it. ...and about my views on this issue... no matter how i approach this issue all you seem to see is "spend money, ugg, grunt, caveman good money spend"... how about the view that it's f'n stupid to have all this multifaceted flexibility and not use it only to find yourself choosing between giving up a 1st round pick next year or ignoring talent that would take that pick? doesn't that hold weight?

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In reply to by crunch

I would be happy to take a look at the "list of 4-13 year contracts given out to free agents who are good deals" but you would have to be far more specific on what kind of contracts and what "good" is. I've done this before for you and then you will come back and say "well, those were buying out years of arbitration, so they don't count" and "those were good seasons but not for the money" etc. If you come up with some specific criteria, I'll do some digging sometime and generate a table or something of contracts, years, $, and performance.

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In reply to by WISCGRAD

let's just skip over the work and jump to the conclusion that it's extremely rare and the bigger point that you're almost always not going to see a good deal out of these signings. ...and yes, i wouldn't put buying out years or other club-control player single-team negotiation contracts on this list if it existed.

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In reply to by WISCGRAD

okay fine...have fun making your list. as someone who's currently doing image analysis on 2000+ ears of corn in order to figure out what kind and size of pot leads to a better yields in a particular research setting i understand the point of gathering data...predictive analytics is occasionally fun. ...that said, some stuff is pretty damn obvious without scratching the surface too much. it's not like people are signing 4+ year contracts under the table without media announcements or anything.

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In reply to by crunch

No one is saying that the contracts are signed in secret. The part that is not "obvious" is how those contracts play out overall. We all can think of bad examples anecdotally. Think of the lab tech who says "I have this lucky blue pot I use and corn always grows well in this." Would you rush to advise the industry to adopt blue pots based on that? It looks like others have already beaten us to it, so we don't need to create our own list. Here is a good article that looks at $100 million dollar contracts--it collects the whole universe of cases and analyzes them objectively. Good stuff: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2256785-how-soon-do-mlb-teams-begin-… Here is another one that looks at 3-year free agent contracts (who stayed with their clubs for all 3 years) that is also pretty good: http://www.fangraphs.com/community/be-wary-of-long-term-deals-for-free-… So, overall, they don't seem to play out well long term and teams are far better signing their own young talent to long term contracts, which is how the industry is moving. Ironically, that means fewer big name free agents which may be driving up the prices of the few that hit the market. But we can always hope that one of the pitchers out there this year plays out like Randy Johnson's contract: Johnson signed with the Diamondbacks as a free agent before the 1999 season. Over the 6 years of his contract he earned $80 million, and put up WAR totals of 9.2, 8.1, 10.0, 10.9, 1.6, and 8.5, or 48.3 total, and that was over his age 35-40 seasons. Wait, not every pitcher is like Randy Johnson? Damn.

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In reply to by Rob G.

Thanks WISC. All of this taken in a vacuum makes complete sense. However, the new TV deals have made the owners and GMs of teams that have the money, just like Leo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street. IT DOESN'T MATTER if it's a "bad" contract if they can win a World Series with one or two seasons, games, at bats of what the FA can give. No analysis can mitigate this belief that is backed up with dollars. The Cardinals in contrast, who have been both very shrewd and very lucky, sit in the position of being a bullshit "small market" team, lucked into Pujols et. al., lucked into NOT signing him, have tons of money, and a KILLER farm system. They can pull the trigger on anything they need, so to them the model above is askew.

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In reply to by Rob G.

Have you ever tried the Bleacher Report iPhone app? It literally made me angry when I tried it. I've never seen such a piss poor piece of schlock. If you can swipe down stories without launching some crap you don't want at all, you're a better fingerer than I.

Top free agents are all overpaid, and not worth the price 90 percent of the time. Lester will sign for about 25 million per year. Hammel will sign for about 10 million per year. Lester does not provide two and one half times the value that Hammel does. The Cubs (and almost all other teams) would be much better off signing Hammel and Lirano rather than Lester. And are not likely to have the last two years of the contract generating massive loss in value.

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In reply to by Rob G.

The Giants did pretty well with one ace, although apparently he is a cyborg with a robotic arm. Pitching in general has changed. Get the team into the sixth inning or so with the lead intact and you're pretty set to go. Most teams now have power arms in the pen like the Cubs do. Nothing has convinced me the Cubs need to spend $300 million on Lester. Especially with Arietta around. He's going to be getting that kind of money, too, soon enough, if he keeps pitching like he did last year. I'd much rather see them score on a couple second tier guys and hope one of them has a career year in the next three years. It's a better gamble.

Arrieta, Hendricks, T-Wood, Wada and e-Jax/Turner/Doubront isn't going to get it done. While each individual decision to not select a pitcher in the first round of the draft or trading for top position players instead of top pitching prospects may have been independently correct; it has collectively created a situation where the Cubs now need to overspend in the free agent market or trade prospects to fill the void. As O&B says, free agency sucks, especially for front line pitching, but 6/$140ish for Lester with Bryant still seems better than 5/$100 for Panda and Jon Gray.

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In reply to by Sonicwind75

I'm all for signing good players, I'm not all for doing stupid shit just cause they may have the means to do so this offseason. Because that means next offseason they may not have that ability or maybe the offseason after, there's consequences to these deals and future missed opportunities. You figure out what you think is fair and stick to it, you don't chase just because fans think you should. There's always another opportunity.

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In reply to by Sonicwind75

One small problem is that Lester isn't going to cost 6/140, once the full roster of teams have had their say. If he comes in at under $200 million I'll be surprised. I don't like the Cubs going half assed on the bidding but I think that's what they're gonna do, and somebody else is going to make the offer Lester is looking for. But what I would like to see, after that happens, is the Cubs make really significant offers on a couple second tier guys. I actually don't know who is available at that level, but it's a better gamble to hope somebody else will end up with a career year or two with the Cubs than it is to spend the kind of money it will take to land Lester.

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In reply to by Rob G.

Second round draft picks are nice and all, but with the farm system the Cubs now have, a shift toward being competitive, and hopefully this being their last protected 1st-round pick for a decade at least, the draft pick loss alone should not stop the Cubs if they want somebody this year. That applies even more so if it means they get a better deal on $/year.

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In reply to by Charlie

if I thought it netted a better deal on money/years I'd be all for it, but I don't think it will in either case.

7/180 range for Scherzer, the worry about Scherzer is changing parks and his flyball tendencies

5/95 for Shields maybe need some sort of vesting option for that 5th year though, worry about Shields is age and all those innings. FIP isn't all that great (3.50 range).

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In reply to by Charlie

there's something to say about having all your draft pool money, gives you a lot of room to do things like they did last season. That being said, they wanted Martin, so I don't think they're against giving it up in the right deal.

If they don't sign Scherzer, it's because someone offered way more or they're worried about how he'll play in Wrigley vs. Comerica.

This seems so obvious now that I've thought of it - but I bet Mike Olt is a pretty damn good back of the rotation starter. He can do it all if they'd just give him a chance!!!!!! I think he can be TOR, but that's me.

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In reply to by crunch

Marcus Hatley signed a 2015 minor league contract with STL about a week after he was declared a minor league 6YFA, but because he signed a minor league contract prior to the Rule 5 Draft, he will be eligible for selection.  

Baseball America grouped Hatley with several other "flame-throwers" available for selection in the Rule 5 Draft who BA believes are "worth noting."

BA liked Marco Hernandez's glove but questioned his bat (and thus his ability to stick on a 25-man roster for an entire season), and liked Gioskar Amaya as a future MLB utility player (but said he is not ready for MLB yet), and failed to mention Amaya's recent conversion to catcher.  

 

@GDubCub Source: Report that Cubs offered Lester a six-year deal of more than $135m is "not accurate."

@thekapman I stand 100% by my source @GDubCub you're wrong on this one buddy.

Just wondering, given all the extra outfielders the BoSox now have: Shane Victorino for EJax and Vitters. (trading parts for unwanted parts)?

If we are looking at Red Sox spare parts I would look towards Allen Craig. Can play 1b,2b,3b and corner outfield is owed about 18 mill next 3 years.

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In reply to by rokfish

One Red Sox player the Cubs might try and acquire is catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who was Designated for Assignment by the Sox yesterday to make room on the their 40-man roster for Pablo Sandoval.

The Red Sox could wait until 12/2 and then non-tender Lavarnway and try and re-sign him to a 2015 minor league contract (he would never make it through waivers), but if he is available to be acquired in a trade before then, I would think the Cubs would be interested. 

Lavarnway was drafted (8th round out of Yale in 2008), signed, and developed by the Epstein regime in Boston. He was a two-time Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year and was rated a Top 100 prospect by both Baseball Prospectus and mlb.com pre-2012 after hitting 290/376/563 with 32 HR combined between AA and AAA in 2011.  

However, Lavarnway has struggled offensively when given MLB opportunities over the past four seasons (hitting just 201/249/315 in 97 games 2011-14) and he is out of minor league options, but the 6'4 240 27-year old right-handed hitting catcher could be a possible "buy low" target for the Cubs in the coming days, especially since he was one of the "crown jewels" of the Sox farm system when Epstein was there. 

BTW, if the Red Sox were to non-tender Lavarnway on 12/2 and then re-sign him to a  2015 minor league contract, he would be available for selection in the Rule 5 Draft, and the Cubs could get him that way. Knowing that, the Sox might be more-inclined to just trade him now.  

The Cubs have one slot open ion their 40-man roster, so it would not be a problem to add Lavarnway in a trade prior to 12/2. Also, John Baker will almost-certainly be non-tendered on 12/2, so that will open up another slot on the 40 for a free-agent. 

Other possible 12/2 non-tender candidates for the Cubs would be OF Justin Ruggiano (had season-ending ankle surgery in August and would be roster-redundant if the Cubs sign Jonny Gomes) and Joe Ortiz (would be non-tendered and then probably immediately re-signed to a 2015 minor league contract with an NRI to ST). And Donn Roach can be outrighted at any time (Roach has been terrible so far in the DWL).   

#Rays have signed RHP Ernesto Frieri to a one-year contract and have designated INF/OF Sean Rodriguez for assignment.

Rodriguez was Maddon's Neifi.

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In reply to by Old and Blue

My love for Olt is misunderstood. It was more a complete disappointment in Captain Happy. He wasted a fycking golden opportunity to see if Olt can play. While rotating in a bunch of journeymen. My happiness knows no bounds now that Captain Happy is gone. Oh and also Olt cannot be a Neifi ... He has an elite tool. Whether he has other things that make him a player in this league - that is what I'd like to know.

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In reply to by Rob G.

I could see the Cubs wanting to acquire Sean Rodriguez to essentially fill the role Chris Valaika had the last two months of last season.

Rodriguez can play 1B-2B-3B-LF-RF plus SS in a pinch and he has some HR power (he hit 12 last year), although he also doesn't walk much and strikes out too much.  

The only thing I can see standing in the way of the Cubs acquiring Rodriguez is the apparent animosity the Rays feel toward the Cubs in regard to the hiring of Joe Maddon. That might make the Rays disinclined to make any deal with the Cubs that doesn't also include "compensation" for the loss of Maddon.  

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In reply to by Arizona Phil

with the recent 2nd base addition and maddon's tendencies with erratic lineups, i see a whole lot of baez being shuffled all over the infield (and maybe the OF)...2nd/SS/3rd/??? i imagine he won't lose many ABs (if any at all, aside from rest) unless he makes a crap showing in 2015.

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In reply to by crunch

CRUNCH: If the Cubs don't trade any of their top position-player prospects, I think Baez will eventually end up in LF. 

Conversely, Baez would also have the best trade value to the Cubs among the prospects, because to most any other team Baez would be the fairly rare young, cost-controlled, power-hitting SS, meaning what the Cubs could get back for Baez (presumably young pitching) exceeds what value Baez wiould have if he were to remain with the Cubs as a LF. 

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In reply to by Arizona Phil

I'm still wondering if some that animosity thing wasn't blown up by the media. The Rays may just be trying to appease their fan base. I read somewhere that they gave the Cubs the go ahead to talk to Martinez for the bench role, unless that somewhere was full of it (always possible - it was probably Wittenmeyer).

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In reply to by crunch

That article is crap. Whoever wrote that cbs article may be illiterate. "Some snow and record string of days below zero in October were part of the problem." Did I miss this weather? This is from the real muskrat article. "The Wrigley Field bleachers MAY not be ready by Opening Day because of unseasonably cold weather and delays with related projects, but a contingency plan is in place for season ticket holders, a Cubs spokesman said Wednesday.

Chicago (303 points allowed) belongs to the ignominious 300 Club, created for teams that somehow allowed 300 points before Thanksgiving.

The other four members: Carolina (300), Tampa (300), Jacksonville (305) and the Jets (303).

Mel Tucker everyone...

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In reply to by Rob G.

Actually it's pretty lame on Detroit's part that they didn't score on every possession. If I was a Lion fan I'd be demanding changes. And their last drive was positively benign. Just keep running the ball, and don't even bother kicking a field goal. It was either merciful, or a slap in the face. Maybe a bit of both.

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In reply to by Old and Blue

They need a safety, an impact LB and someone on offense with SPEED -- plus a new QB who can read defenses and deliver the ball quickly and accurately. Big-armed gunslingers don't win (well, maybe Rothlesberger). The first pick was classic Cutler -- a back-foot floater that you knew was a pick as soon as he threw it. The whole offense seems to move in slow motion -- even getting in and out of the huddle. Man, could I use some Cubs news.

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In reply to by billybucks

The coaching is abysmal. And, it's hard to know what they should do with Forte next year. Running backs can die quickly on the field and it's honestly been hard to tell how much he has left in his tank just because he barely runs the ball and they use him mostly on pass plays. But it's probably time to start thinking about drafting a new marquee back, if only cuz of the age factor. And QB - god knows what they can do there. Emery really screwed the pooch on that contract. Even if they fire Trestman, who in their right mind will want to coach the coach killer? The only thing it seems they can do is get themselves the football equivalent of Joe Maddon and give him control over just about everything, including benching Cutler in favor of whoever they draft this year. John Madden, maybe? So not only do they have holes in the secondary and at linebacker - remember, Briggs is just about done, too, they have to really look at RB and QB again. But the McCaskeys won't eat all these contracts - Cutler, Emery, and Trestman, so what now? Will Bears fans stop going to games next year without the changes the team needs to make? I doubt it. Looks like we're in for a couple more years of crap. What is it now? One playoff appearance in eight years or something like that? I'd say there's no way they dump Emery yet but I think even this crowd will have to fire Trestman. The problem isn't just defense. It's just a badly coached team that misses assignments and does dumb things on the field. One thing I didn't like about the Cubs before Renteria was that the team just played bad baseball. It was really poorly coached. Renteria's team wasn't. I don't know if that's because the "Cubs way" started migrating upwards from the minors or if Renteria was just really good at the fundamentals but I noticed a difference this year. The Bears this year play like shit on both sides of the ball in really basic ways.

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In reply to by Old and Blue

So sad for all of us. I have said this before - but even the shittiest of the Abe Gibron-era Bears could have beaten this team in my opinion. I can assume only (from what I hear from the "experts") that the league adjusted to Trestman - and of course wait on Cutler's errors (and he never fails to disappoint), whereby none of this has managed to be corrected. And - the defense has only a handful of starters that would be in the first rotation with other "good" teams. As O/B states, Emery has fucked this team for the next couple years with his decisions, including the coach, Tucker, the $50MM Cutler deal, Shea McWorthless, etc. I as well expect that the Bears will not eat the money, and this will be the status quo for the next 2-3 years at least. You can bet that when the time comes and Aaron Rodgers retires, the Packers will draft another QB who will also be better than anyone the Bears could find.

Bears were 6th in league adjusted offense last yesr, 14th this year. 25th in defense last year,  23rd do far this season, neither of those include yesterday's game.

Guessing Tucker gets canned, Trestman stays, they spend more on D again this offseason.

Forte is still going quite strong, doubt they do much there, I also think RB's are pretty easy to find in draft and free agency.

This link pretty much sums up what they can do with Cutler, possible they cut him before March of next year, but if they do that, might as well trade everyone they can and tank the season.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/10/bears-technically-arent…

 

"White Sox signed OF Tony Campana to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training." also... "Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that, "as of this week," the Cardinals have no plans to bring in Jon Lester for a visit." also also... "Pedro Strop received 3-4 stitches in his left (non-throwing elbow) as a result of a car crash in the Dominican Republic on Thursday. He also was given precautionary X-rays, which came back negative."

Susan Slusser I am hearing rumblings that the #Athletics are close to a fairly significant deal that involves Jeff Samardzija. Ken Rosenthal Sources: Trade #Athletics are discussing does NOT involve Samardzija. Jane Lee Executive also tells me trade doesn't involve Moss. ...a'ite then. woo...offseason. no moss...no ninja...i guess all that's left to figure out is if j.donaldson is going to the yanks or the giants. =p

My guess is A's get their shortstop from the Sox this weekend. Shark comes to Chicago again for A. Ramirez and a promising prospect / young player or two.

John Hicks of the Bay Area News Group reports that the Athletics are talking to the Braves about Justin Upton and Evan Gattis.

rumor be that Ninja could be going to Braves.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • crunch (view)

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  • 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.