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

2015 Winter Meetings (Day Two)

Update 2: In a related move, Castro heads to the Yankees for RHP Adam Warren and IF Brendan Ryan.

Update 1: Zobrist signs with the Cubs for 4/$56m.

Cahill is back and Baez is rumored to be on the block.

Meanwhile, the Reds have a bridge over the Ohio River they'd like to sell you.

Comments

ExCub Jason Motte gets 2 years $10 million from the Rockies. Way to go Jason. Good luck Colorado.

Cards continue tradition of oddly named infielders Acquire Jedd Gyorko for former phenom and chief justice John Jay.

"Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal Correction: #Cubs, #Dbacks not currently in mix for #Braves’ Miller. #Dodgers have talked to ATL. Where they stand is unclear."

Bullpen seems pretty full, although I guess you can never have too many: -Rondon -Strop -Grimm -Brothers -Travis -Cahill -Richard -Edwards -Ramirez

All if these Soler/Baez to TB or for Miller are beginning to remind me of Brian Roberts and Jake Peavey

How about...go with the MLB pitchers we have, trade some minor league hitters for some minor league pitchers, sign Heyward and roll out this lineup: - Heyward CF - Schwarber LF - Bryant 3B - Rizzo 1B - Soler RF - Castro/Baez 2B - Russell SS - Miggy/Ross C Yowza!

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

heyward at 25m-ish a year for 7-8 years gives me a bit of pause for resource allocation... those years of 6-ish WAR even with a lot of sub-.800 OB% seasons and sketchy ability with loss of power vs lefties looms. his D is good, but you'd think he's reinventing how to play the position and he's going to get a lot of money because of his D.

I hate that lineup... Now for a real lineup: - Heyward CF - Schwarber LF - Bryant 3B - Rizzo 1B - Soler RF - Castro/Baez 2B - Miggy/Ross C - Russell SS

"Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Ben Zobrist has a four-year, $80 million offer on the table." wow. 20m a year for age 35-38 of zobrist (who's not as flashy with advanced stats if he's not playing SS as much as he used to). that's 4m a year less than cano's "crazy" contract through age 39. also, why is that deal still on the table rather than rabidly being signed asap? how much better can he do than that?

Sun rises in the east, water is wet.... Baseball Prospectus ‏@baseballpro Dusty Baker addresses media in Nashville. Says he'd like to see more aggressive hitters. Deeper counts = more Ks.

Dusty giving a lot of wonderful old world thoughts today at his presser.

Mark Gonzales ‏@MDGonzales 2 minutes ago Lackey contract breakdown: Signing bonus - $7 million, $12.5 million in 2016; $12.5 million in 2017

It looks like crunch is not going to have Mike Baxter to kick around anymore. He's headed to the Mariners in a minor league deal. 

According to anonymous sources the Cubs are on the verge of signing Jason Heyward; AND trading Javier Baez along with Carl Edwards to the Braves for Shelby Miller; AND trading Starlin Castro with Jorge Soler to the Tampa Bay rays for Kevin Kiermaier and Bruce Boxberger. The team announced Tommy LaStella would play 2nd Base and leadoff.

[ ]

In reply to by Hagsag

i'll vouch for him. all that stuff is helluh true, brah. also, lackey's going to be used out of the pen as the new cubs closer, not the #3 starter as assumed.

multiple sources telling the press that the cubs/yanks are still working on a s.castro deal...and b.gardnder not involved. it's not a sure-thing, it's just being tossed around... also worth mentioning, w.flores (NYM middle IF) broke his ankle in winter ball, though he's expected to be good to go by spring training.

Muskat tweets: Theo said possible trade/free agent signing are interrelated. Still looking for CF fit. Willing to give up offense to get defense. MLB.TV guys discussing rumor of Castro to Yankees as the trade part of the Zobrist transaction. No names in speculation regarding Castro to NYY (but supposedly not Brett Gardner).

Tyler Flowers signs 2 yr deal at $5.3M (plus $1.5M incentives) with Braves. AJ/Flowers. Go figure.

"Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat #Cubs Theo: "We're trying to sync up a trade and a free agent signing at the same time." Stay tuned" IT'S AWWWWNNN.

zobrist is a cub...4/56m next stop, g'bye castro...hello CF? closer? SP? ???

cubs got older really quickly the past week... lackey 37-38 zobrist 35-38 at least d.ross will have people to talk to. both seem to be reasonable loot given their skill set. really interested to see what castro will snag...or baez if castro becomes a stopping point.

Joel Sherman says Castro deal to NYY is agreed upon, not finalized (Still need medical review, etc)

Ken Davidoff on Zobrist contract: $2M signing bonus, $10M/$16M/$16M/$12M

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Signing bonuses for contracts signed prior to the end of the calendar year are usually paid out of the $$$ left-over from a club's previous season's payroll, so the Cubs probably had aboutr $10M left-over from their 2015 payroll (allowing for a $7M signing bonus for Lackey and a $2M signing bonus for Zobrist).

NYY sending pitcher "Andrew" Warren (per Bruce Levine). Adam Warren? also a ptbnl to the Cubs

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

Players eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft are "frozen" on minor league reserve lists (can't be traded, released, or transferred from one minor league reserve list to another) beginning on 11/20 up through the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft, so the PTBNL coming to the Cubs could be a Yankees minor leaguer eligible for selection in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. 

Al Leiter on Warren: bowling ball power sinker, swingman for spot starts. 93-95 action down in the zone. Plays better in the bullpen as he keeps the ball down there. 2 1/2 pitches. Changeup, Slider.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

-1

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

i just hope the middle IF can stay healthy. b.ryan as a late-inning D replacement is awesome...b.ryan as an injury replacement is a bit of fear unless there's a ground ball pitcher on the mound closing the gap that his awful bat creates. that said, even if it's the worst thing ever they can just cut him and pay him a million. no biggie.

Shelby Miller to AZ per Rosenthal edit: for Ender Inciarte and 1st round pick SS Danby Swanson, RHP Aaron Blair

These are not the kind of moves I've been hoping for. Didn't get our ace, didn't get our CF yet. Spent a bunch of money and spent a significant trade chip. If they pick up a CF, seems like Baez is likely to get moved too. Anyone else find the Castro deal a little weird? Will they pick up a decent PTBNL?

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

Charles: It would seem as if Cubs got Warren, Zobrist, Ryan for a net $20MM (38MM to the Yankees). Its a lot of money (Zobrist made $7.5MM last year so its a 100% raise. Wouldn't we like that at our jobs!). Warren has some very good stats, but for sure, not sexy. I still think there is a trade and/or FA signing yet to go. Hang in there until Opening Day, 'bro. These guys are not Hendry.

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

i was hoping for something more, but every scenario i pondered for getting "something more" also involved one of the cubs expendable prospects joining castro in the trade. i don't mind the trade. i feel good about having him around for a few years and if he can make it as a SP then that's an extra bonus. plus, i think it lets the cubs trade hendricks...there's just so much going on for 2 SP slots and hendricks at least has value. it would be nice if the cubs could also figure the CF issue out without getting rid of coghlan...he would be one hell of a 4th OF'r. im liking how it's shaping up. i hope they manage to find a CF'r worth a damn. they have months to figure it out.

[ ]

In reply to by The Joe

same crunch...it's just people who have constant sticks up their asses about anything remotely going against the cult-of-theo seem to not be posting as much anger and driving up emotions because they read something that went against their religion and witches -must- be burned at the stake lest they infect society at large. ignore 10 "positive" things, fixate and foam at the mouth over 1 piece of criticism...fun times...fun fun times.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

"One" piece of criticism posted dozens of times. But don't let that affect your melodramatic narrative. That "cult of Theo" comment is very much like Rick Morrissey's "group think" nonsense he wrote when people, you know, were getting excited that the team wasn't going to be terrible anymore.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

It is not sexy. I don't know that much about him. Look at the advanced stats though. For comparison last 2 years... Jason Hammel: 4.6/3.2 % (2.3 for Cubs 2014) HR% 2014/2015 WHIP:1.28/1.16 ERA+: 127/105 Warren: 1.2/1.9 HR% 2014/15 WHIP: 1.10/1.16 ERA+: 128/120 Considering Castro was worthless 2014 for long stretches, and 2015 until the "Switch", who knows what he will do in NY? Some $$ is freed up for other stuff, imo, and with Zobrist/Warren, its making the team better should they make the playoffs in 2016 I think...

Steve Adams from MLB Trade Rumors writes: Warren, 28, will give the Cubs a right-hander that was one of the more valuable swingmen in the game last season. The former fourth-round pick appeared in 43 games for the Yankees, making 17 starts and 26 relief appearances en route to a career-high 131 1/3 innings. In that time, Warren posted a 3.29 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 45.2 percent ground-ball rate. Those numbers are more or less commensurate with the production he delivered from 2013-14 while working almost exclusively out of the bullpen (101 relief appearances, two starts) and can be a reasonable expectation for him going forward. (If anything, one could perhaps forecast slightly better results due to the move to the National League.) He can be controlled for another three years in arbitration.

supposedly Brendan Ryan is still a PTBNL until after the rule 5 draft. That frees up a Cub roster spot in the short term.

I assume this means Javy is staying, and will be used like he was this year -- backup for Russell, a little this, a little that...maybe get a shot in CF now that they have an OBP guy to lead off? But, man, if we could get Heyward...

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

they're yet to give up a prospect for anything...given there are some who are truly expendable all over the value scale and c.coghlan is also valuable/expendable, things could still go down. they've filled a lot of holes and they got 3+ months before pitchers/catchers report.

My guess is that Theo saw Javy significantly change his game to become a better player, while Starlin will always be viewed as something of a wild card who will eventually go back to his "pull everything', low OBP days.

Agree with you guys. Theo and Co. may still be aboard the Javy train. After I saw the haul of prospects for Shelby Miller, SHELBY FUCKING MILLER...I am glad (as of tonight, at least) they didn't bite.

Bruce Levine tweet: Cubs not done yet according to source. Big time OF next? Hayward, Gordon, Car Go?

Great pickups in Zobrist and Lackey so far, but there HAS to be more to this offseason. Still need a CF, could use more young pitching given lack of quality starting depth, and the buzz has been that they want another back end bullpen guy.

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.