Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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


28 players are on the MLB ACTIVE LIST, plus seven are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two are on the 10-DAY IL, and three are on the 15-DAY IL


Last updated 9-22-20239
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 14
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Marcus Stroman
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 6
Nico Hoerner
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom
* Jared Young

OUTFIELDERS: 6
* Cody Bellinger
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

OPTIONED: 7
Keven Alcantara, OF 
Ben Brown, P  
Brennen Davis, OF 
Jeremiah Estrada, P
Caleb Kilian, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Michael Rucker, P

10-DAY IL: 2
Jeimer Candelario, 1B
Nick Madrigal, INF

15-DAY IL: 3
Adbert Alzolay, P
Brad Boxberger, P 
Michael Fulmer, P 

60-DAY IL: 4
Nick Burdi, P
Codi Heuer, P
* Brandon Hughes, P
Ethan Roberts, P
 

Minor League Rosters

Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Ten Cubs Minor Leaguers Declared Free-Agents

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 11/06/2017 - 11:00 pm

Ten Cubs minor leaguers were declared MLB Rule 55 six-year minor league free agents at 5 PM (Eastern) Monday afternoon.
CUBS 2017 MLB RULE 55 MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENTS
John Andreoli, OF 
Scott Carroll, RHSP 
Chris Dominguez, 1B-3B
Mike Freeman, INF 
Ryan Kalish, OF
Trey Martin, CF 
Ozzie Martinez, INF  
Williams Perez, RHSP 
Elliot Soto, SS
Jemile Weeks, IF-OF

A minor league free-agent can sign a contract with any major league or minor league club (including the player's former club) without any restrictions. A club receives no compensation for losing a minor league free-agent.

RHP Matt Carasiti was eligible to be a Rule 55 second-contract minor league FA (he was non-tendered by the Colorado Rockies last December), but the Cubs selected his contract and added him to their MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) about an hour prior to the deadline. 

INF Gioskar Amaya, RHP Pedro Araujo, OF Jeffrey Baez, RHP Justin Hancock, C-1B Alberto Mineo, SS Carlos Penalver, RHP James Pugliese, C Ali Solis, and RHP Daury Torrez had been eligible to be Rule 55 minor league 6YFA post-2017, but each of them signed a 2018 minor league successor contract in the days and weeks prior to the deadline.

C-1B Taylor Davis was eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league 6YFA post-2017, but his contract was selected and he was added to the Cubs MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) in September.

MLB RULE 55: Sometimes called a "Six-Year Minor League Free-Agent," an unsigned minor league player is automatically declared a free-agent at 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series if the player has had his first contract renewed six times and has spent all or any part of at least seven separate seasons on a minor league roster (including all or parts of any season spent on Optional Assignment to the minors), and/or if the player has been previously released or non-tendered in his career and his present contract (known as a "second contract" even if it's his third or fourth minor league contract) has expired.

For purposes of determining eligibility to be a free-agent, a player does not accrue a minor league season if the player spends the entire season on an MLB Active List, MLB Disabled List(s), and/or other MLB Inactive List, or if the player spends an entire season on the Restricted List, Disqualified List, Suspended List, Ineligible List, Voluntarily Retired List, and/or Military List. Also, participation in a post-season instructional league or winter league and/or the Arizona Fall League (AFL) does not count toward a minor league season if the player otherwise did not accrue a minor league season that year.

Note that a player who ordinarily would have been declared a Rule 55 minor league free-agent is NOT eligible to be a free-agent if the player is either added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) or agrees to a minor league successor contract by 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series. (The deadline is 5 PM Eastern on October 15th if the World Series is canceled).

Tags
Cubs Minor League free-agents

Comments

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 11/06/2017 - 11:45 pm

Probably the two most noteworthy Cubs minor league free-agents (for me) are outfielders John Andreoli and Trey Martin. 27-year old John Andreoli (2011 Cubs 17th round draft pick - U. of Connecticut) was a teammate of 2017 World Series MVP George Springer and ex-Cub 3B Mike Olt in his college days at UConn, and he starred for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic last March. He should find a gig as an MLB 4th OF with little trouble. He has plus speed and is a good base-stealer, he has HR power, and he takes walks. On the negative side, he strikes out a LOT, he isn't a particularly good hitter, and he is below average defensively despite his above-average speed. 24-year old Trey Martin (Cubs 2011 13th round draft pick - Brookwood HS - Snellville, GA) was probably the best defensive CF in the Cubs organization, and he (finally) showed some improved hitting skills at AA in 2017. What Martin needs to find is an organization where he can play CF at AAA in 2017 and have a reasonable pathway to MLB (he is blocked in Chicago by Albert Almora Jr and at AAA Iowa by Jacob Hannemann). My favorite memories of Trey Martin... 1. He crashed into the CF fence while making a spectacular catch in a Minor League Spring Training game on Field #5 at the Riverview Baseball Complex a year or two ago, and the next morning a CSI-type chalk outline of Martin appeared on the fence at the exact same spot. 2. Martin was one of the Cubs players who had to pull Javier Baez away from the Angels bench in an Extended Spring Training game at Fitch Park in 2012 after Javy hit a long tape-measure HR (that he stopped to admire) and was chided by Angels coaches for failing to run the bases as promptly as they thought he should. 3. Martin was hit in the head (helmet) by a pitch and was knocked unconscious in an Instructs game versus the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields a few years ago and he had to be transported to a local trauma center by an ambulance that came right onto the field. Then the game continued like nothing had happened. ("Trey would have wanted us to keep playing")

Submitted by Hagsag on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 11:04 am

Hate to see Trey Martin probably moving on. I think he was the best center fielder in the system.

Submitted by John Beasley on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 11:11 pm

RIP Doc. You were one of my favorites.

Submitted by John Beasley on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 11:16 pm

The Cubs owe as much guaranteed money to Heyward as they do to their second through fifth highest guaranteed players combined (Lester, Zobrist, Rizzo, Quintana). That's somehow both good and bad.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 11:44 pm

heyward wins GG. dj lemahieu won for 2nd base. goldschmidt won 1st base.

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 11/09/2017 - 11:08 pm

"Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports writes that the Cardinals "are believed to be the team the Marlins would most like to make a deal with" in the Giancarlo Stanton sweepstakes. Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com wrote earlier this week that the Cardinals have already offered "one of their best young pitchers" to Miami in prospective trade talks." boo. btw, he has a full no-trade so he would have to approve any trade.

Submitted by John Beasley on Thu, 11/09/2017 - 11:10 pm

Per VineLine, the Cubs players have a nickname for a Contreras-to-Baez put-out: Bacon.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 11/10/2017 - 11:17 pm

"New Cubs pitching coach Jim Hickey believes the Cubs should pursue Alex Cobb." ...some hardcore shocking news right thur.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 11:51 pm

"Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was told by a source that the Cardinals are "determined" in their pursuit of Giancarlo Stanton." according to other journalism sources, they're also trying to get ziegler. considering Z turned 38 last month and he's owed $9m next year, it's probably to help take the sting off what's going to be an expensive trade to make to begin with. considering his main tool is deception and getting ground balls out of it, it's not a bad risk even if expensive.

[ ]

Submitted by John Beasley on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 11:11 pm

STL's chances look pretty good. SF doesn't have the payroll flex or prospects to pull it off. BOS could be a chance but is rumored to prefer Martinez. PHI looks like a great fit but I doubt either Stanton (NTC) or the Marlins want him to go there.

Submitted by billybucks on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 11:43 pm

Bears lose to a backup QB and a 3rd string RB, at home, coming off a bye while the Packers are coming off a short week. Fox should be fired before he leaves the building today. His idiotic challenge shows that he doesn't even understand the rules of the damn game. My goodness, what a terrible franchise. This will be 10 years of the last 11 not making the playoffs. In a league built for parity. Only the Bears can WIN a challenge and have it kill their chances to win the game. Amazing incompetence throughout the organization.

Submitted by The E-Man on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 11:33 pm

We were all on board with them firing Lovie after the 10-6 season and their failure to make the Playoffs. It is terrible. Agreed. The penalties, injuries, play-calling, does not help. The Packers, by contrast have a successful organization, with more depth, talent, scouting, and coaching excellence. Yep, the Bears have plenty of injuries. Kyle long has been an "injury bust" like so many high draft picks before him - actually, Kevin White and Kyle Long were both #1's, so, yeah - that. But so do the Packers. When would you EVER, post-Ditka - see the Bears throw a long pass on 3rd and 1 to ice the game without Aaron Rogers?? That play symbolizes everything that works with the Packers and everything that is a failure for the Bears. Mitch Trubisky is consistently inconsistent which is to be somewhat expected. The lack of experience really does show as he is slow to recognize blitzes and his experience for audibles at the line is nil. How many years will this continue? How I long for the 90's Ditka years... However, I am fine if they lose the rest of the games this year (which they very well could) as long as I see some progress from the QB position. That is what it is all about now.

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Submitted by billybucks on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 11:44 pm

I'm sure John Fox was completely confused by the long pass on 3rd-and-1. "Can they do that??" I think Trubisky started a total of 13 games in college, so his slow development is not a surprise. He seems to have potential, and should learn how to read a defense and avoid sacks over time. But, man, it has been an ugly decade. I am really tired of seeing Aaron Rodgers smiling and laughing on the sideline.

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Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 11:25 pm

BB: I forgot to tell you "Can they do that??" really made me laugh. What is astounding is that under Lovie Smith the Bears went 81-63, 1 SB appearance, and 3 Central titles. During those years were Lance Briggs, Hester, Urlacher, Mike Brown, Daniel Manning. But they got their ass kicked against GB in the NFC Championship Game at "Soldier's" Field.

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Submitted by billybucks on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 11:37 pm

I took my then 12-year old son to that game. It was a 3:00 kickoff, so the tailgaters had an extra 3 hours to prepare. Rodgers took the opening kickoff and marched down the field. Several huge, very drunk guys behind us let loose with language that would make Louis CK blush and never really stopped the whole game. Really an unpleasant experience. I miss my son, but I don't miss going to Bears games. Lovie had a model and the model worked pretty well, although it wasn't very sexy. Emphasize defense and special teams and don't lose the game on offense. I have no idea what Fox's model is or what he is trying to build.

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Submitted by johann on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 11:49 pm

Absolutely. Fox is not good and should be gone but Pace has gotten way too much of a pass. The Kevin White pick gets a partial pass because of the injury but Floyd is 32nd in sacks and 246th in sacks for the 9th overall pick. Trubisky hasn't gotten any help from his line or WRs but he still looks like a pretty big development project for the 2nd overall pick that we actually traded picks to get. He's done a good job picking RBs but other than Cody Whitehair who else has really done anything from his drafts? I'm looking through the #s and it's pretty bad there.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/12/2017 - 11:42 pm

"Mark Anderson of Baseball Prospectus reports that the Tigers are still awaiting the player to be named later to finalize the deal that sent Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the Cubs at the trade deadline." evidently it's not cash going their way, but some player.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 11:42 am

TIM: I suspect the Tigers want somebody who is Rule 5 Draft-eligible like LHP Jose Paulino, but they don't want to put him on their MLB 40-man roster right now because he hasn't pitched above Lo-A.

If Paulino isn't selected in the Rule 5 Draft, the Tigers would acquire him from the Cubs as the PTBNL in the Wilson-Avila deal and then they won't have to add him to their MLB 40-man roster until post-2018.

If Paulino is selected in the Rule 5 Draft, the Tigers might opt to take the $50,000 cash instead, which they can use later at their convenience to pay for a waiver claim (the Tigers have the #1 waiver claim priority throughout the off-season, Spring Training, and the first 30 days of the 2018 MLB regular season).

As far as the PTBNL in the Felix Pena trade is concerned, because that trade was made when it was (after the conclusion of the MLB regular season), the PTBNL could be a player who was on the Angels MLB Active List (25-man roster) during the regular season (usually a PTBNL cannot be on an MLB club's active list during the period of time starting when the trade is made until the PTBNL is announced, but this does not apply if a player is traded during the off-season and Spring Training, as long as the PTBNL is announced prior to MLB Opening Day).

So the Cubs could actually wait until the end of Spring Training to select the PTBNL (a PTBNL must be announced within six months of a trade, and Pena was acquired by the Angels on 10/9), and so the PTBNL could even be a player who was on the Angels MLB active list in September. 

Also, the Cubs and Angels know each other's farm systems very well. They play each other frequently in Minor League Camp and Extended Spring Training, and the two organizations shared a co-op team in Advanced Instructs post-2015 and post-2016. So the Cubs know who they like and who they don't like so much. 

[ ]

Submitted by tim815 on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 11:02 am

Nice call. I was guessing David Garner, who has some Michigan history. I also have a slight inkling for the Cubs add from the Angels. I have my sights on a Rule 5-eligible reliever unlikely to be taken, but much less of a hassle to take in about a month than now.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 11/13/2017 - 11:13 pm

TIM: Conor Lillis-White is not Rule 5 Draft-eligible until next year (post-2018).

Submitted by tim815 on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 11:38 pm

Jim Brower (Cubs MiLB pitching coordinator) poached by Seattle. Good teams tend to get their talent poached.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 11:39 pm

"Yankees general manager Brian Cashman hasn't ruled out the possibility of top prospect Gleyber Torres starting the 2018 season in the majors." damn. "Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer hasn't ruled out the possibility of John Lackey returning to the team next season." NO! BAD HOYER! BAD! NO!

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 11:01 pm

"Patrick Mooney of NBC Sports Chicago reports that the Cubs have already met with Alex Cobb's agent, Danny Horwits." i dunno how to feel about cobb. i mean, he was never going to truly be "under the radar" but it's increasingly looking like some team may have to pay a hell of a premium for a guy that can't seem to throw 180 innings in a season for various reasons. that said, the cubs have the loot to spend and this is a hell of a "window" through at least 2020.

[ ]

Submitted by billybucks on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 11:24 pm

Exactly. Paying a premium for Cobb 4 years ago would not have made sense. Now, they have another 4 years (per Theo) in this window and need an SP and don't want to give up any of their high-value core (Baez or Russell). Cubs have plenty of $$ for SP, assuming Jake and Lackey are gone. They will overpay -- almost all decent FA pitchers get overpaid -- but this would seem like a good move. Just looked at Justin Wilson's numbers -- pre-Cubs, he was quite good, but not top shelf and not as good as I had hoped: 298 IP, 3.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP. I guess we would take that for next year, but the Cubs clearly "bought high" on him -- the first half of 2017 was his best performance of his career.

[ ]

Submitted by bradsbeard on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 11:40 pm

It doesn’t appear from any of the reports and various projections that the Cubs will have to pay a “premium” for Cobb. The most anyone seems to think he’ll get is 4/$60M, which is essentially the going rate for 7-8 WAR. He certainly has potential to be better than that if more of his stuff comes back post TJS. But that’s basically paying the market rate for a league average pitcher. As it is, it sounds like he’s dead set on joining the Cubs and might be willing to sign for a little less than that.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 11/15/2017 - 11:05 am

BRADSBEARD: Although I would agree that I am not just anyone, I will remind you that I projected Cobb to get at least 4/$72M (and probably more like 4/$80M).

The AAV of a 4/$60M contract would be $2.4M less than the $17.4M 2018 QO Cobb received from the Rays last week. No way he accepts a contract offer that has an AAV of $15M when he's probably the #3 FA SP on the market. 

[ ]

Submitted by bradsbeard on Wed, 11/15/2017 - 11:14 am

Well, you are certainly someone! I would be very surprised if his AAV meets or tops the QO though. I just don’t see teams paying that much for his profile (on a one year deal, sure, but not over 4+ I don’t think). Not that I don’t like him, but I seem him as a mid-rotation type with some upside but an injury history that suggests he’ll miss some time. Maybe his market is stronger than I’m expecting, but when a guy comes out and basically says money isn’t his top prirotity and that he’d like to follow his former pitching coach to the Cubs, it’s hard to imagine he is also going to command the top end of what the market might bear for him.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 11/15/2017 - 11:18 am

BRADSBEARD: I think if Tanaka and Cueto had opted-out of their deals, the FA SP market might not be quite as much of a seller's market as it appears to be right now. Even with his rather obvious preference to pitch for the Cubs, I still think Cobb will get more than anyone (else) seems to think he will get.

[ ]

Submitted by Jim Hickmans Bat on Wed, 11/15/2017 - 11:08 pm

There's always a couple of teams like Seattle, LAA, Toronto and the Mets (for some examples) that people forget have pretty deep pockets and seem to want to spend on FAs. I could certainly see a team like that over-spending on guys like Cobb, Moustakas, and JD Martinez. I agree with Phil, Cobb will get a higher AAV than makes many people (self included) comfortable. To me, he's a #4 guy with iffy durability--I'd prefer looking elsewhere. I see Ian Kennedy written all over Alex Cobb's new contract.

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 11/16/2017 - 11:25 am

"According to Patrick Mooney of NBC Sports Chicago, the Cubs have identified free agent reliever Brandon Morrow as an offseason target."

Submitted by Sonicwind75 on Thu, 11/16/2017 - 11:39 pm

Goldschmidt wins Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards so Votto is perhaps the second best 1b in 2017 but is overall more "valuable" because he walks a lot while playing on a losing team that didn't even sniff the playoffs? So confused by MVP voting.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 11/17/2017 - 11:13 am

Cubs re-sign minor league FA INF Mike Freeman to 2018 minor league contract. He will almost certainly get an NRI to Spring Training.

Submitted by QuietMan on Fri, 11/17/2017 - 11:42 pm

Jerry Crasnick‏ Verified account   @jcrasnick Multiple #MLB teams have shown interest in reliever Jay Jackson, a former #Cubs draft pick who pitched briefly in the majors with #Padres in 2015. He's been one of the top setup men in Japan the past two years.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Fri, 11/17/2017 - 11:32 pm

Glad to see Jackson have a little success. Hendry's Cubs pitched him at Tennessee and Iowa in his first full season as a pro at age 21. Current Cubs believe you ascend a ladder slowly, a step at a time. Jackson probably belongs with Wood and Prior as hard-luck pitchers (for getting drafted by the Cubs in that era).

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 11/18/2017 - 11:55 pm

a.mills didn't do a very good job...especially in the 3rd. ...j.stinnett stinking it up with his wildness both of them HBP'd jonathan davis (TOR) because screw that dude...or something. mills - 2.2ip 4h 1bb 3k, 4 r/er stinnett - 1ip 2h 3bb 2k, 2 r/er c.burks goes 0-3, 0bb, 0k also, ronald acuna (ATL) is a damn impressive player for a dude that's 19 (turns 20 in a few weeks).

Submitted by The E-Man on Sun, 11/19/2017 - 11:54 pm

Awaiting BillyBucks Bears comments... So? Trubitsky pretty good today. They still suck. John Fox sucks. At least they scored some today and it was nice to see some hope for the future. I saw Matthew Stafford plenty in his early years and he was pretty bad too at times. Plus always injured. And he had receivers. Now he is the real deal. Trubitsky has nothing. He needs to learn by playing - and throw the goddamn ball away! Plus - fucking Connor Barth. Really???

[ ]

Submitted by billybucks on Mon, 11/20/2017 - 11:07 am

Thanks E-Man. Good to be here. Game summary: Matthew Prater down the middle from 51. Connor Barth into Lake Michigan from 46. Some good stuff -- nice blocking on Howard's runs, Shaheen getting some passes, Trubisky showing some nice zip, Cohen being used. Still need 3-4 WRs. Defense has looked vulnerable the past 2 weeks, although the Lions can throw it. I assume Trubisky holds the ball so long because he doesn't want to throw picks, which he doesn't do. So, in all, not a bad day -- more experience for Trubisky, good games for the RBs, and the need for WRs and K is made more obvious, and another loss to help the draft position (until Pace unnecessarily trades the picks).

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Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 11/20/2017 - 11:31 pm

Agreed. In nearly every loss this year, one player makes a stupid fucking play to cost the team points (SFP). Kyle Long yesterday (personal foul on a nice gain, and then Trubisky fumble); Kyle Fuller several times - lines up offside in N.O. putting the Saints in FG position - 3 points...Holding calls, etc. One of the many head scratchers this off season is why they did not franchise tag Jeffries, if not pay the guy? Was Ryan Pace so sure Kevin White was a #1. All of these guys should be fired. Pace should be fired alone for Mike Glennon.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/19/2017 - 11:59 pm

"Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the Cardinals have made a formal trade offer to the Marlins for slugger Giancarlo Stanton." sheeeeet...

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 11/19/2017 - 11:28 pm

Giancarlo Stanton has a full "no trade" for the length of his contract, and there really isn't anything any club can give him (that he doesn't already have) to induce him to waive it.

By all accounts, Stanton likes playing in Miami, and whether the Marlins are winning or losing might not matter that much to him (just like Joey Votto in Cincinnati).

So the Marlins may have to wait to trade Stanton until he gets tired of losing (presuming he ever does), and in the meantime look to trade Christian Yelich, Pablo Ozuna, and/or Dee Gordon instead.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 11/19/2017 - 11:00 pm

"According to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com, the battle for Alex Cobb is likely to come down to the Cubs and the Yankees." countdown until SF signs him to a 6 year deal...

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 12/10/2017 - 12:21 pm

OF John Andreoli signs 2018 minor league contract with Seattle Mariners and gets an NRI to Spring Training. Andreoli was a minor league 6YFA post-2017.

With INF Mike Freeman and RHSP Williams Perez having re-signed with the Cubs last month and Andreoli headed for the Mariners organization, seven post-2017 Cubs minor league free-agents remain unsigned: RHP Scott Carroll, 1B-3B Chris Dominguez, OF Ryan Kalish, CF Trey Martin, INF Ozzie Martinez, INF Elliot Soto, and IF-OF Jemile Weeks.

Recent comments

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:02 pm (view)

    happ finally gets HR #20.  he joins bellinger, morel, suzuki, swanson, and wisdom with 20+ HR.

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:29 pm (view)

    took tailon 5 pitches to give up a HR to the 2nd batter of the game.  phew...

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:59 pm (view)

    candel's back and playing 1st.  tauchman DH'ing...  j.young optioned to AAA...forgot he was here.

  • crunch 09/27/2023 - 09:49 pm (view)

    he's wearing this one for life whether he likes it or not.  you can't pull a brant brown in the last week of the season when it's 4 teams going for 2 playoff spots...especially with your last games going forward vs teams that are 1st place in their division.

    he might as well do whatever it takes to move on because it's part of the drama of this chase for the post-season no matter how the cubs do here on out.

  • Arizona Phil 09/27/2023 - 09:33 pm (view)

    FWIW, the year Brant Brown dropped the fly ball in Milwaukee the Cubs made the playoffs anyway, although they did have to play a tie-breaker play-in game with the Giants at Wrigley Field to get in as the N. L. Wild Card team (there was only one Wild Card team in each league back then)...  

  • Charlie 09/27/2023 - 09:16 pm (view)

    Ron Santo's voice came out of me while watching.

    I am really hoping for a bounce back by Suzuki tonight. That error in that moment could really get in your head -- and unfairly shift the public perception of the player for a long time.

  • Arizona Phil 09/27/2023 - 09:28 pm (view)

    F NOLDARAN: 

    The Cubs have no control with respect to Marcus Stroman or Drew Smyly exercising their player options for 2024. 

    Stroman will get $21M in 2024 if he exercises his player option and Smyly gets $10.5M in 2024 (includes a $2M salary escalator based on IP in 2023) if he exercises his player option (both likely, especially Smyly). 

    Kyle Hendricks has a $16M club option for 2024 or else a $1.5M buy-out, and it remains to be seen if the Cubs will exercise the option (which is really just a $14.5M savings because of the buy-out). I would think the Cubs will exercise the club option, because they can always trade him.  

    Also, the Cubs will be paying performance bonuses post-2023 to Yan Gomes (either $250K or $500K based on games started at catcher) and Smyly ($2M based on IP). Also, Cody Bellinger gets as $1M bonus if he wins N. L. Comeback Player of the Year Award (which is very likely).

    So with the $3M+ in performance bonuses still to be paid, the Cubs 2023 payroll AAV will likely end up just slightly under the 2023 MLB $232M CBT threshold, possibly within $1M (TBD).  

    BTW, as things stand right now it appears that the Cubs will have somewhere in the vicinity of $30M in 2024 salary to spend on additions to the roster (I am presuming that Bellinger will opt-out, that Stroman and Smyly will not opt out, that the Cubs will pick up the club options on Hendricks and Gomes but will not pick-up the club option on Brad Boxberger, and that the Cubs will tender 2024 contracts to only three or four of the arbitration eligible guys -- Steele and Alzolay for sure, probably Merryweather, plus MAYBE Tauchman and/or Leiter), with Nick Burdi, Codi Heuer, Nick Madrigal, and Patrick Wisdom likely to be non-tendered (or traded prior to being non-tendered if another club is interested). 

    However, I suspect that the Cubs will attempt to re-sign Heuer and Burdi -- and Tauchman and/or Leiter if they are non-tendered -- to 2024 minor league contracts with an NRI to Spring Training. Brandon Hughes and Ethan Roberts are not arbitration-eligible but they also are likely to be non-tendered and then the Cubs will attempt to sign them to 2024 minor league contracts with an NRI to Spring Training.

    MLB Contract Tender Day this year is November 17th (the Friday immediately prior to Thanksgiving), so I expect to see a lot of transaction-related activity at that time throughout MLB. 

    However, the deadline to add Rule 5 eligible players to the MLB 40-man roster is PRIOR TO MLB Contract Tender Day, so the Cubs will need to drop as many players from the 40 as roster slots are needed PRIOR TO MLB Contract Tender Day.

    The players presently on the 40 who are most likely to be Designated for Assignment (and outrighted if not claimed) to clear slots on the 40 prior to MLB Contract Tender Day for Rule 5 Draft eligibles would probably be Michael Rucker, Jared Young, Jeremiah Estrada, and Caleb Kilian (in that order), although the Cubs could also just DFA one or more of the players they have  already decided to non-tender and not re-sign (like Madrigal and/or Wisdom, and maybe Leiter and/or Tauchman). 

    At 9 AM (Eastern) on the day after the final game of the World Series (two or three weeks prior to MLB Contract Tender Day) is when unsigned MLB Article XX-B players are automatically declared free-agents (they do NOT have to file, it's automatic), so that's when Bellinger, Boxberger, Candelario, and Fulmer will be removed from the Cubs MLB 40-man roster, and then at 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series is when all players still on a club's MLB 60-day IL (Burdi,  Heuer, Hughes, and Roberts) are automatically reinstated to the 40-man roster.

    So by 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series, the Cubs 40-man roster will likely be full (subtracting free-agents Bellinger, Boxberger, Candelario, and Fulmer, and adding Burdi, Heuer, Hughes, and Roberts back from the 60-day IL). 

    5 PM Eastern on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series is also the point in time when unsigned minor league players eligible to be a post-2023 MLB Rule 9 6YFA are automatically declared free-agents, unless the player is added to the MLB 40-man roster or has signed a 2024 minor league successor contract. This will impact the Cubs with respect to OF Yonathan Perlaza and SS Luis Vazquez (two legit prospects who are eligible to be minor league free-agents post-2023).  

  • Sonicwind75 09/27/2023 - 09:07 pm (view)

    Ron Santo's "ohhhh nooooo" is what immediately came to my mind. 

  • crunch 09/26/2023 - 09:52 pm (view)

    in 1 week of play, masterboney has gone from a line of .206/.289/.265 to .262/.333/.328

    11 hits and 1 walk in 21 PA.  9 singles, 2 doubles.

  • crunch 09/26/2023 - 09:36 pm (view)

    that was a true kick in the teeth loss.  6 run lead blown.  ARZ won.  CIN won.  MIA postponed (vs NYM)

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