Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus one player is 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 3-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# 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 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 1 
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 1 
Caleb Kilian, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

2017 Cubs Minor League Field Staff Assignments

The Cubs have announced Minor League Field Staff Assignments for 2017:

2017 CUBS MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT FIELD STAFF 

FIELD COORDINATOR & CATCHING COORDINATOR: Tim Cossins
PITCHING COORDINATOR: Jim Brower
ASSISTANT PITCHING COORDINATOR: Mike Mason
HITTING COORDINATOR: Andy Haines
ASSISTANT HITTING COORDINATOR: Tom Beyers
INFIELD COORDINATOR; Jose Flores
OUTFIELD & BASERUNNING COORDINATOR:Doug Dascenzo
LATIN AMERICAN FIELD COORDINATOR: Dave Keller
MENTAL SKILLS PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Josh Lifrak
MENTAL SKILLS COORDINATOR: Darnell McDonald
LATIN AMERICAN MENTAL SKILLS COORDINATOR: Raymond Fuentes
IOWA: Marty Pevey (Manager), Rod Nichols (Pitching Coach), Desi Wilson (Hitting Coach), and Mariano Duncan (Assistant Coach)
TENNESSEE: Mark Johnson (Manager), Terry Clark (Pitching Coach), Jacob Cruz (Hitting Coach), and Ricardo Medina (Assistant Coach)
MYRTLE BEACH: Buddy Bailey (Manager), Anderson Tavarez (Pitching Coach), Guillermo Martinez (Hitting Coach), and Ty Wright (Assistant Coach)
SOUTH BEND: Jimmy Gonzalez (Manager), Brian Lawrence (Pitching Coach), Jeremy Farrell (Hitting Coach), and Jonathan Mota (Assistant Coach)
EUGENE: Jesus Feliciano (Manager), David Rosario (Pitching Coach), Juan Cabreja (Hitting Coach), and Gary Van Tol (Assistant Coach)
AZL CUBS: Carmelo Martinez (Manager), Armando Gabino (Pitching Coach), Osmin Melendez (Hitting Coach), and Leo Perez (Assistant Coach)
MESA REHAB: Ron Villone (Rehab Pitching Coordinator), Ben Carhart (Rehab Coach), and Antonio Valerio (Assistant Rehab Coach)
DSL CUBS #1: Lance Rymel (Manager), Jose Cueto (Pitching Coach), Claudio Almonte (Hitting Coach), and Carlos Ramirez (Assistant Coach)
DSL CUBS #2: Pedro Gonzalez (Manager), Eduardo Villacis (Pitching Coach), TBA (Hitting Coach), and Carlos Rojas (Assistant Coach)
MINOR LEAGUE ATHLETIC TRAINING COORDINATOR: Nick Frangella
ASSISTANT MINOR LEAGUE TRAINING COORDINATOR (MESA REHAB): Chuck Baughman
LATIN AMERICAN TRAINING COORDINATOR: Jose Alvarez
ATHLETIC TRAINERS: Shane Nelson and Jon Fierro (Iowa), Mike McNulty (Tennessee), Toby Williams (Myrtle Beach), Logan Severson (South Bend), James Edwards (Eugene), Sean Folan (AZL Cubs), Adrian Pettaway (DSL Cubs #1), and Arnoldo Goite (DSL Cubs #2)
MINOR LEAGUE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COORDINATOR: Doug Jarrow
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACHES: Ryan Clausen (Iowa), Mike Megrew (Tennessee), Jason Moriss (Myrtle Beach), Ryan Nordtvedt (South Bend), TBA (Eugene), TBA  (AZL Cubs), Amaury Gonzalez (DSL Cubs #1), and Manny Estrada (DSL Cubs #2)

Comments

There were a number of coaches assigned to different affiliates than where they were in 2016, but the most-notable new assignments for 2017 are Lance Rymel (who was a Mesa Rehab Coach in 2016) going down to the Dominican Academy where he will manage DSL Cubs #1 (and AZL Cubs trainer Adrian Pettaway will serve as the DSL Cubs #1 athletic trainer), and Jacob Cruz was been hired to be the AA Tennessee Hitting Coach after serving as an Arizona Diamondbacks minor league hitting coach for several years (Smokies 2016 Hitting Coach Desi Wilson was promoted to Hitting Coach at AAA Iowa).

Ex-Cubs minor leaguer Ben Carhart began his coaching career at Instructs post-2016, and he will be replacing Lance Rymel as a Mesa Rehab Coach. 

The only Cubs minor league managers/coaches not returning in 2017 are AAA Iowa Hitting Coach Brian Harper, DSL Cubs #1 Assistant Coach Jovanny Rosario, and DSL Cubs #2 Hitting Coach Franklin Blanco. Harper will be the new Hitting Coach at AAA Toledo (Detroit Tigers AAA affiliate).  

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Brett Taylor at Bleacher Nation has a great piece on the Cubs and the Competitive Balance Tax (Luxury Tax) and what exactly it means. (Brett will be my attorney next time I'm arrested). 

link

As he explains (very clearly), it really isn't possible for an outsider not privy to a club's books to determine whether a club exceeded the Luxury Tax threshold. It isn't just payroll that determines whether a club must pay Luxury Tax, it's a lot of other extra miscellaneous expenses that get added to payroll to determine whether a club has exceeded the Luxury Tax.

Spoctrac lists the Cubs payroll outlays for 2016:

link 

So the Cubs actual payroll in 2016 was about $165M (or $175M if you add signing bonuses and use AAV of contracts to determine payroll), but the Cubs outlay (determining Luxury Tax) was about $205M (more than $15M over the 2016 Luxury Tax threshold, but about $30M-$40M over the club's actual 2016 payroll!).  

Was that Chris Conte on the field for the Packers game-winning 60-yard bomb? Talk about deja vu. Nice comeback, and Barkley, Howard & Meredith look like useful pieces for the future, and losing helps the draft pick, but, my goodness -- under a minute, GB has no TOs, 3rd and long from their own 30, and the Bears allow GB's best receiver to run by them for a 60-yard bomb? I've seen this Bears/Packers movie way too many times.

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

20th time changing his swing is the charm! i wonder how 'heyward's new swing' compares to 'sandoval lost weight' in the amount of times it's come up over the years. anything has to be better than the dumpster fire of last season. that would be nearly impossible to replicate without injury. also, i wonder if standing in the back of the box is part of his swing tweak or if he's just set up there for the hell of it. given how late he was on stuff last season, breaking stuff could be a new issue...though the fastball was what he was having the most trouble with. 2.something months til we find out...

John Heynan tweet Turns out, the mystery team in on Ziegler that was heavily involved was the Cubs. Mets, nats in, too, but fish got him

"Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports lists the Cubs, Rangers, Indians, Padres, and Pirates "among 20 or so teams" currently showing interest in free agent Tyson Ross." he's neat and all, but even when healthy he's a 5-6 inning guy...lots of Ks, lots of walks... still...wouldn't complain.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

The Cubs had an opening for a shortstop at AAA Iowa, and ex-Cubs minor leaguer Elliot Soto (sent to Miami as part of the Dan Haren trade in 2015) fits that need perfectly.

Ideally you would want minor league shortstops to be good fielders even if they are offensively-challenged with an unlikely MLB future (like Soto, Penalver, and Flete are) because it helps give young pitchers the confidence to throw ground balls, instead of feeling like they need to strike everybody out. 

AZ PHIL- Did you ever hear who the PTBNL for Edgar Olmos was from BAL or did it just end up being cash?

CUBBIES-4-EVER: There was no PTBNL acquired from the Orioles for Olmos, so it became a cash deal. If a PTBNL isn't named within six months of the trade, the cash option kicks in (typically $50,000 if the the player traded was on an MLB 40-man roster, or $25,000 if the player traded is a minor leaguer). 

Unless there is a specific raeson why a PTBNL can't be traded at the time of the trade (like if it's an injured player on an MLB 40-man roster who can't be traded between 7/31 and the conclusion of the MLB regular season, or if it's a minor league player eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft who can't be traded between 11/20 and the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draf), a PTBNL very often turns out to be cash instead, and the main reason a PTBNL would be a part of a deal instead of just making it a straight cash deal at the time of the trade is to give the club owed the PTBNL "first refusal" on any player who might be Designated for Assignment by the other club during the six months after the trade, or if the two clubs make another deal within six months after the first one, the clubs could agree to make the PTBNL from the first deal part of the second deal (the PTBNL owed from the first trade could be canceled by the terms of the second trade). 

"Rangers claimed LHP David Rollins off waivers from the Phillies." it won't stop. it will never stop. btw, today's his birthday.

I will miss Hollandsworth on the post-game. I think he did a good job of giving the players' perspective. But, he got a chance for a full-time, in-booth gig -- good for you, Hollie. Guesses on his replacement? Kerry Wood? Ryan Dempster? Bill Murray?

"Astros prospect right-hander Brendan McCurry has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for methamphetamine." bruh... he came over from OAK in a straight up deal for jed lowrie's cheap ass contract...high end setup type with an outside edge on being a closer thanks to his control. that said, bruh...

Haven't had a chance to get much involved with TCR lately - work has been crazy, but 30,000 points for all the great comments and the AZ Phil reporting, and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Festivus to y'all!!

Talk about a rollercoaster ride! The Cubs just claimed Rollins again. That is 5th waiver claim on him in a little over a month

[ ]

In reply to by twcoffee

He's probably at least annoyed if not flat-out traumatized at this point. For him, the Cubs are the last team that can claim him before he clears waivers, and they've done it twice now. I am still strongly in favor of a rule that prevents this nonsense during the season. The guy's just trying to be a baseball player.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

It's great to have David Rollins back with the Cubs. I really missed him. I can't believe it's been more than a month ago since he was claimed off the waivers the first time! David Rollins waiver claims may soon replace days, months, and years as a way to describe the passage of time. 

Matt Eddy ‏@MattEddyBA #Padres sign 3B Christian Villanueva to minors deal. He had been non-tendered by #Cubs after missing 2016 with broken right leg.

Padres GM A. J. Preller was Director of International Scouting for the Rangers when Texas signed Christian Villanueva as a 17-year old out of Mexico in 2008, so I figured he would end up in San Diego. 

Villanueva was rated a Top 100 Prospect (#100) by Baseball America when the Cubs got him and Kyle Hendricks from the Rangers for Ryan Dempster in July 2012, and it was Villanueva (not Hendricks) who was considered the big catch for the Cubs at the time. Hendricks was essentially a throw-in.  

Villanueva was blocked by Mike Olt in the Rangers system before he was traded to the Cubs, and then he was blocked by Olt again after the Cubs got Olt (and Carl Edwards Jr, Justin Grimm, and Neil Ramirez) from Texas in the Matt Garza deal in July 2013, plus he was eventually blocked by Kris Bryant, too, and now by Jeimer Candelario as well. 

Villanueva broke his leg in an infield drill at Spring Training this past February and spent the entire 2016 MLB regular season on the Cubs MLB 60-day DL (thus accruing a full season of MLB Service Time while earning $507,500 - the MLB minimum salary), but he looked very good in Advanced Instructs post-2016, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up the Padres starting 3B in 2017. He has plus-power and he is a legitimate third-baseman (reminds me a bit of a young Vinny Castilla).

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I think if you had ranked players by how much the team could ill afford to have them miss significant time, Steele would be right at the top of the list.

  • crunch (view)

    steele MRI on friday.  counsell expects an IL stint.

    no current plans for his rotation replacement.

  • hellfrozeover (view)

    I would say also in the bright side column is Busch looked pretty good overall at the plate. Alzolay…man, that hurts but most of the time he’s not giving up a homer to that guy. To me the worst was almonte hanging that pitch to Garcia. He hung another one to the next hitter too and got away with it on an 0-1. 

  • crunch (view)

    amaya blocked like 6-8 of smyly's pitches in the dirt very cleanly...not even an exaggeration, smyly threw a ton of pitches bouncing in tonight.

    neris looking like his old self was a relief (no pun), too.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    In looking for bright spots the defense was outstanding tonight. The “stars” are going to need to shine quite a bit brighter than they did tonight offensively though for this to be a successful season.

  • Eric S (view)

    Good baseball game. Hopefully Steele is pitching again in April (but I’m not counting on it). 

  • crunch (view)

    boo.

  • crunch (view)

    smyly to face the 2/3/4 hitters with a man on 2nd in extras.

    this doesn't seem like a 8 million dollar managerial decision.

  • crunch (view)

    i 100% agree with you, but i dunno how jed wants to run things.  the default is delay.  i would choose brown.

    like hellfrozeover says, could be smyly since he's technically fresh and stretched.

    anyway, on a pure talent basis....brown is the best option.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Use pitchers when you believe they're good. Don't plan their clock.

    I'm sorry. I'm simply anti-clock/contract management. Play guys when they show real MLB potential talent.

    If Brown hadn't been hurt with the Lat Strain he would've gotten the call, and not Wick.

    Give him a chance. 

    But Wesneski probably gets it