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 Use Araujo to Acquire ISBP Space

The Baltimore Orioles secured Outright Assignment Waivers on RHP Pedro Araujo (who was Designated for Assignment by the Orioles on Wednesday) this afternoon, then he was re-claimed by the Cubs for $50,000 (half the Rule 5 Draft price) and was outrighted back to AAA Iowa (the minor league club from which he was selected by Baltimore in the Major League Phase of the December 2017 Rule 5 Draft), and then the Cubs traded Araujo back to the Orioles for $750K in 2018-19 International Signing Bonus Pool (ISBP) space.

So the Orioles get $50,000 and they get to keep Araujo (but don't need to keep him on their MLB 40-man roster -- he was assigned to AAA Norfolk), and the Cubs get to spend $750K more ISBP money (if they so choose). 

However, it's very unlikely that the Cubs would have paid the Orioles $50,000 to re-claim Araujo and then traded him back to Baltimore just for ISBP space (in other words, the right to spend $750K more money on international free-agents) unless there is a particular international player (like maybe Cuban SS Yolbert Sanchez?) or possibly multiple players (like perhaps two or three of the Mexican IFAs recently declared eligible to sign by MLB, like RHP Jaime Melendez, RHP Jose Angel Valenzuela, and/or C Fernando Villalobos) the Cubs wish to sign prior to the 2018-19 ISP signing deadline on June 15th, and the $750K in ISBP space acquired from the Orioles in the Araujo deal (added to whatever remains from their 2018-19 ISBP space) is the only way they can get it done. 
 

Comments

Hey Phil, can Melendez and Valenzuela pitch in reliief? Sign them and bring them to Chicago now!

[ ]

In reply to by Hagsag

If the Cubs use the $750K in ISBP space they acquired from the Orioles in the Araujo trade to sign one or more of the remaining Mexican IFAs (most of whom sign a "future services contract" with a Mexican League club when they are 15 or 16), the Cubs would have to pay an additional 35% of the signing bonus to the Mexican League club as a "release fee," but the 35% release fee paid to the Mexican League club on top of the signing bonus paid to the player does - NOT - count against the MLB club's ISBP. So (for example) if the Cubs were to sign Mexican IFA catcher Fernando Villalobos for $750K, they would have to pay an additional $265K to the the Mexican League club that controls Villalobos, but the $265 paid to the Mexican League club as a "release fee" would not count against the Cubs 2018-19 ISBP. 

The Cubs have optioned RHRP Carl Edwards Jr to Iowa and have placed LHRP Mike Montgomery (left shoulder inflammation) onto the 10-day Injured List. Their replacements have not yet been announced. 

Since players on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster who were optioned to the minors prior to MLB Opening Day (like Collins, Maples, Norwood, K. Ryan, Wick, etc) cannot be recalled any earlier than the 11th day of the MLB regular season (which is tomorrow -- Sunday April 7th) unless the player is replacing a player who has ben placed onto an MLB inactive list (like the 10-day IL), only one of Saturday night's bullpen reinforcements (the one who replaces Montgomery) can be a pitcher who was already on the MLB 40-man roster.

And so the replacement for Edwards - MUST - be a pitcher who is not on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster (like Allen Webster or Dakota Mekkes), and of course a player will have to be removed from the 40 in order to create a slot for Webster or Mekkes. Possibilities for that move include transferring Morrow, Barnette, or Cedeno to the 60-day IL (which would mean that pitcher cannot be reinstated from the IL until the last week of May), or a DFA of a player on Optional Asignment. 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

If the Cubs are able to secure Outright Assignment Waivers on Jen-Ho Tseng and outright him to the minors, he does - NOT - have the right to elect free-agency - AND - he will remain under club control through the 2020 season (although he will be eligible for selection in the December 2019 Rule 5 Draft). 

Tseng signed with the Cubs as an IFA out of Taiwan in July 2013 ($1.625M signing bonus) but he was "Signed for Future Service," which means his minor league service time clock didn't start until the 2014 season, and so the Cubs gained an extra year of club control that will carry through the 2020 season. 

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.