Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

The Last Out.

Submitted by CubbyBlue on

It's the bottom of the 10th.
The Cubs are up by a run on the Indians in the last seconds of the 2016 World Series.
Joe Maddon has gone through every weird ass pitching change in the world, and after using up every last drop of every last pitcher he trusts, he puts in Mike Montgomery to get that last out.
Everybody in the country is bleary-eyed and staring with open mouths at this moment.
Michael Martinez, who was put out in right an inning before as a glove, is at the plate.
Montgomery throws a hook for a strike.
Martinez doesn't look like he should be the last gasp for a really good Cleveland team.
He just looks like somebody in a... baseball outfit (I didn't say "uniform" on purpose).
Montgomery throws another hook, and Martinez hits a dribbler towards Kris Bryant that's so badly struck it's just.. that side of a bunt.
It's moving so slowly that Joe Buck actually thinks Martinez might make it to first and says something like, "That's going to be a tough play".

You know how when you look at the sun and close your eyes, the image sticks behind your eyelids?
That happened next, only instead of the sun it was Kris Bryant.
He's smiling - goofily - ear to ear.
He scoops up the ball and throws.
Martinez is out and the Cubs win the World Series.
My head pops like a bubble, but I can't get Bryant's smile off my retinas.
He had such confidence in his baseball ability that he started smiling before he made the play.
By a couple seconds, he cheated the thing that has ruined our lives for all our lives.
I swear all the Cub things, the bad things, flashed in front of my eyes while the ball was taking it's time getting to Bryant's glove.
OHHH NOOOO HE DROPPED THE BAAAALLLLL OOHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO said Ron Santo.
MOISES ALOU IS POINTING TO A FAN IN THE STANDS said Steve Stone.
THERE'S A BLACK CAT ON THE PLAYING FIELD said somebody in the stands in '69.
But then I see Bryant's smile, and I think this is where it all changed.
The Cubs really aren't that team any more, and they knew it way before me.
They're the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs.

And we are finally free.

Comments

Submitted by Charlie on Fri, 11/04/2016 - 11:26 pm

This Cubs team makes me want to make art, too. I'm glad you're around to supply some artifacts of the event, Tim! But I'm even gladder you have the energy and sight to illustrate all the other moments.

Submitted by billybucks on Fri, 11/04/2016 - 11:28 pm

I had a vision of a bad throw followed by more bad things. I was absolutely stunned when Rizzo caught the throw.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 11/04/2016 - 11:41 pm

David Ross officially retired prior to 9 AM (Eastern) on Thursday (before he would have been automatically declared an Article XX-B free-agent) so that he could retire as a Cub, FWIW.

[ ]

Submitted by tim815 on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 11:56 am

Sideswipe a bit, but you'll know the answer. Can the Cardinals DFA Zach Duke, who presumably wants to rehab his TJS? Having a bit of a discussion elsewhere. I doubt they can pay him to go away, and free up a roster spot. Unless he agrees to a buyout. If he stays on rehab and the 40, it probably improves his pension status. TIA.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 11:54 am

TIM: The Cardinals can release Zach Duke at any time, but then they're still on the hook for his 2017 salary ($5.5M). There would be no reason for him to agree to a buy-out, and he has too much service time to get outrighted (he would have to consent to an outright assignment in advance, and he won't). 

What will probably happen is that the Cards will place Duke on their 60-day DL as soon as his 40-man roster slot is needed (a club can place a player on the 60-day DL beginning on the first day of Spring Training, but only if the club's roster is full), and then maybe he can return in September or in the post-season (if the Cardinals get there).  

Or he could be traded to offset the cost of acquiring another player with a substantial salary (as happened with Bronson Arroyo a couple of years ago), and then the club that acquires him would place him on their 60-day DL sometime during Spring Training and nurse him through TJS rehab and hope that he can maybe contribute in September or in the post-season.  

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Submitted by tim815 on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 11:08 am

Thanks. I thought the MLBPA might object to him losing his service time if he was booted off the roster while rehabbing an injury. They might be staring at some 40 Man concerns, especially if they have some players needing to be Rule 5-protected. Thanks, as always.

Submitted by CTSteve on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 11:23 am

Hitting a HR and being on the field for an extra innings Game Seven win to end a 108-year drought. Not a bad way to end a career. Well played, sir.

[ ]

Submitted by billybucks on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 11:00 am

Ugh. Although, if this was done Friday afternoon, Miggy may have a had a few with his teammates earlier in the day. This seems inconsistent with what he has said his whole time here -- time for the younger busy to play, he wants to help them, etc. May have been the beer/champagne talking.

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Submitted by Charlie on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 11:47 am

Eh. Nothing in the quotes seems all that bad to me. Mostly sounds like he's saying he was disappointed not to play more and that he's glad he got to play a big role in the final few innings, because otherwise he would've felt like he didn't really take part in the WS (which is kind of a more honest version of playing the humble type in an interview). The only part of it that seems like a baseball faux pas is when he talks about not getting the communication from management that he deserved--but if that's true, yeah, that sort of sucks. Not a trade-inducing offense, in my opinion.

[ ]

Submitted by Ryno on Sat, 11/05/2016 - 11:19 pm

There should have been some communication with him, but he can't really complain, in my opinion. In fact, I wondered if something medically was wrong with him because he had trouble with some very routine things- catching pitches in the strike zone. He would regularly drop them.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:47 am

after extending a QO to fowler, at least the draft should be interesting with a couple top-40 picks (pending losing one to an unlikely forfeit-signing), even if it's at the tail end of that 40. their 1st pick in 2016 was 104th overall in round 3 on the 2nd day of the draft. at least i imagine a QO for fowler will happen. hopefully there wasn't some under-the-table agreement to not offer him a QO...it was kinda weird how he ended up a cub out of the blue in the first place. as far as his value being 17m or not, i imagine there's a good amount of larger-market teams with a CF need that would bend over backwards to give him a 17m deal with only 1 year of commitment. i'm pretty much expecting a QO to happen and for it to be rejected by fowler. 2016 was the kind of bounce-back season he was gambling on. the bat improved and he went from "how long can he stick in CF" to "he can stick in CF for a while longer." he's in a much better position than last off-season with far less question marks about his ability. also, he doesn't turn 31 until the end of spring training 2017. it should be easy for any team with need to pony up loot on a 3-5 year deal for him without too much worry. as far as cubs upgrades this offseason, i can't imagine what's in store for the cubs as far as major moves that will impact the 2017 MLB roster. a high end reliever...the fifth starter situation...a possible CF/RF surprise...outside of that i have no idea how they'd make a splash on an outside signing that would be worthy of a headline. with a team like this that's not a bad thing. they're already good even if they don't do anything major.

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Submitted by Charlie on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:04 am

A QO offer to Fowler is no-brainer unless there was some gentleman's agreement. He would easily be worth 17 mil to the Cubs on a one-year contract next year. If he'd be willing to take a 3-year deal, I'd be happy to see the Cubs work something like that out with him too. But this is a great opportunity for him to cash in.

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Submitted by billybucks on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:06 am

There was a lot of buzz that there was an agreement -- that the QO hurt his chances of getting a contract last year. But, assuming Schwarber is healthy and the starting LF and Baez is at 2B puts Zobrist in RF and Heyward in CF. Plus, for now, there's Almora and Soler. Not sure there is a place for Dex, if everyone stays healthy (big assumption).

[ ]

Submitted by billybucks on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:10 am

Sorry -- double post. There was a lot of buzz that there was an agreement -- that the QO hurt his chances of getting a contract last year. But, assuming Schwarber is healthy and the starting LF and Baez is at 2B puts Zobrist in RF and Heyward in CF. Plus, for now, there's Almora and Soler. Not sure there is a place for Dex, if everyone stays healthy (big assumption).

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:20 am

rizzo, ross, fowler, and bill murray do SNL... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YreZRQupCYk as an aside...man...steve goodman (who wrote/recorded "go cubs go") would be absolutely blown away by what his corny ass song has meant to this team's fan base in the past decade and very especially this year. he died way too early in 1984, just days before the cubs won the NL Eastern division earning their 1st post-season appearance since 1945. his legacy faded then emerged out of the ashes like blah blah let's make a phoenix reference. the guy won a grammy award for willie nelson's cover of one of his song "city of new orleans" in 1985, 6 months after his death. it's amazing how much he's missed out on. he would be 68 if was alive today.

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:56 pm

his elbow must be in worse shape than was let on...at least i assume. 2m to cut him loose, 10m to keep him...basically 8m/yr for hammel after he put up 3.83era + 1.21whip if he's healthy he's one of the best FA pitchers in a historically poor FA pitching class. you got soon-to-be 37 year old rich hill and...umm...well, ivan nova is a FA...so is AARP member bartolo colon...and jeremy hellickson had a nice bounce-back 2016. there's risk gambles like doug fister and andrew cashner, too...

Submitted by Rob G. on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:32 pm

Cubs did put out a lengthy statement on not picking up Hammel's option which if you squint a little, pretty much reads that we could have picked up the option and traded him but wanted to give him a chance at the open market.

so either you hate the move for not being cuthroat enough or like them for looking out for a player that helped them win a championship. 

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:53 pm

given the market i have no idea how the cubs don't keep/trade him if he's healthy even if it's a little brutal on the business side of things...bryant and lastella have put up with it recently. hammel's value in this market is high at his cost...if healthy. fwiw, the cubs even went out of their way to say he's healthy in the release and hinted they had some "gentleman's agreement" to not pick up his option if they don't want him around in the rotation for 2017. i guess that's what they're going with. it's a lost opportunity, but at least it's not a major blow to the team. there's serious talk that jeremy hellickson is going to get a $17m QO for what he did last year. the market weakness for SP is hardcore advantageous for anyone looking to shift a SP, too. *shrug*

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Submitted by Rob G. on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:35 pm

"I'm guessing they read the market and decided the return was low enough to do the classy thing for Hammel."

That was my take. I think they like Montgomery and Zastryzny enough and believe in their ability to find some low-cost arms as they have done so well in past years.

We know they like guys who under-performed their FIP...a few names, many of which won't be available.

J. Gray, R. Ray, D. Price, M. Pineda, C. Archer, G. Gonzalez, J. Paxton, M. Andriese, M Wacha, J. Chacin

Archer would obviously be a helluva guy to nab to replace Arrieta.

Submitted by billybucks on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 11:47 pm

Barring a trade, and assuming the carry 12 position players and 13 pitchers next year, the position players look pretty set (?) Contreras C Rizzo 1B Baez 2B Russell SS Bryant 3B Schwarber LF Heyward CF Zobrist RF Bench: Miggy, Almora, Soler, Szczur I assume they will deal one or more of the extra OFs -- they need some bullpen arms and could maybe use a backup IF.

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Submitted by billybucks on Mon, 11/07/2016 - 11:46 am

Yep. I assume Soler has the most value. Just looking at that possible starting lineup vs. this year (assuming health): Schwarber replaces Fowler and more Contreras vs. less Miggy/Ross, plus hopefully more growth from Addy and Baez -- could be better than this year. Offensively, anyway.

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 11/07/2016 - 11:06 am

My bold prediction for Addison is that he posts a .350-ish OBP in 2017, provided he doesn't run into some sort of terrible BABIP luck. I'm less optimistic about offensive development from Javy, though we might see a home-run jump with regular playing time--probably due primarily to a hot streak or two.

Submitted by blockhead25 on Mon, 11/07/2016 - 11:16 am

Well, I was on a business trip in Lexington, KY for game 7. Not exactly what I had in my dreams. Raced off the plan to go find a hotel bar, that was completely empty, to watch the first few innings. Watched the last 6 or so in my room. That game was simply something else. and I ended the night in tears, just stunned by what just happened and really not sure what to say or do aside from cry. Anyway...just got back into town and watched the parade on TV and the game again. The parade was incredible and seeing that sea of blue is a sight I'll never forget. (That was NOT 5 million people) As for the game, being able to watch it again without the nerves a few comments: 1. It is amazing how many moments went wrong, yet we still won. 6 runs scored against after 2 outs, all 3 on Chapman after 2 strikes, the errors by Baez, the Ross error, the Wild pitch. Unlike other failures, in 1 year we will never remember those moments. 2. There is simply no excuse for what Maddon did throughout that game. Why put pitchers in the position that is least comfortable for them. He really didn't trust a pitcher with a 2 ERA to get out of an inning after a walk instead of putting in a starter mid inning? He really went to a closer who has stated he hates coming in mid inning. If the game went the other way, could Maddon have recovered from that in Cubs fans minds?

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

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