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

2020 Cubs Winter Instructs

2020 Cubs Winter Instructs is well underway on the backfields at the Riverview Baseball Complex in Mesa.

Pitchers & catchers reported a week ago, and today was the first "full squad" work-out. 

Rather than inviting 2019 draft picks and recently-signed IFA, the Cubs instead opted to invite mostly older players (including some with significant minor league experience) to instructs this year. (13 of the invitees are eligible to be minor league free-agents post-2020).

Several players & coaches from the Lotte Giants (KBO) are attending Instructs as guests of the Cubs, but it's possible that one or more of the Korean players could end up being acquired by the Cubs at some point. (Ex-Cubs minor league OF, coach, and scout Min-Kyu Sung was hired as GM of the Giants last September). 

CUBS 2020 WINTER INSTRUCTS ROSTER: 67  

The roster will be updated if there are changes. 

(Last updated 2-3-2020)

* throws or bats left 
# bats both 

(primary defensive position played at Instructs in parenthesis)

PITCHERS: (30)
Cory Abbott 
Javier Assad 
Max Bain 
Jesus Camargo 
Derek Casey 
* Adam Choplick 
Danis Correa
Yovanny Cruz 
Oscar de la Cruz 
Scott Effross 
Kohl Franklin 
Ben Hecht 
* Bryan Hudson 
Brendan King 
* Ryan Lawlor 
* Brendon Little 
* Brailyn Marquez 
Erling Moreno 
Eduarniel Nunez 
* Eugenio Palma 
* Jack Patterson 
Yunior Perez 
Peyton Remy 
Ethan Roberts 
Manuel Rodriguez 
Cam Sanders
Jake Stinnett 
Jerrick Suiter (ex-1B) 
* Matt Tenuta 
Riley Thompson 

CATCHERS: (8)
Cam Balego (also 1B-2B-3B)
Eric Gonzalez 
Caleb Knight 
Marcus Mastrobuoni 
Orian Nunez (also 1B-2B-3B)
Raymond Pena 
* Jonathan Soto 
* Bryce Windham (also 1B-2B-3B)

INFIELDERS: (16)
* Aramis Ademan (SS) 
Sung-Keun Bae (SS - Lotte Giants - KBO) 
Wladimir Galindo (3B-1B)
# Reivaj Garcia (2B)
# Josue Huma (SS-2B)
Levi Jordan (2B-3B)
Dong-Kyu Kim (2B - Lotte Giants - KBO) 
* Ju-Hyun Kim (1B - Lotte Giants - KBO)  
David Masters (SS-2B)
# Fidel Mejia (3B-1B)
Christopher Morel (3B-SS) 
* Luke Reynolds (1B-3B)
* Alfonso Rivas (1B)
Jake Slaughter (1B-2B-3B)
Luis Vazquez (SS) 
Delvin Zinn (2B-3B) 

OUTFIELDERS: (13) 
* Edmond Americaan 
* D. J. Artis 
Brennen Davis 
* Jae-Yoo Kim (Lotte Giants - KBO)  
Eddy Julio Martinez 
Kevonte Mitchell 
Carlos Morfa 
Carlos Pacheco 
* Ezequiel Pagan 
* Jonathan Sierra  
Nelson Velazquez 
* Vance Vizcaino
* D. J. Wilson  

FIELD COORDINATOR
Jeremy Farrell 

COORDINATORS & COACHES
James Ogden (Pitching Performance Coordinator) 
Casey Jacobson (Pitching Development Coordinator)
Josh Zeid (Rehab Pitching Coordinator)
Tony Cougoule (Pitching Coach)
Armando Gabino (Pitching Coach) 
Charlie Haeger (Pitching Coach) 
Mike Mason (Pitching Coach)
Doug Willey (Pitching Coach)
Chris Valaika (Hitting Coordinator)
Mark Johnson (Catching Coordinator)
Doug Dascezo (Outfield & Baserunning Coordinator) 
Jonathan Mota (Infield Coordinator) 
Mike Roberts (Baserunning Instructor) 
Chad Allen (Hitting Coach)
Rachel Folden (Hitting Coach)
Kyu-Hyun Moon (Lotte Giants - KBO) 
Hank Park (Lotte Giants - KBO)
Eric Patterson (Hitting & Infield Defense Coach)
Steven Pollakov (Hitting Coach) 
Will Remillard (Catching Coach)
Will Skett (Hitting & Outfield Defense Coach)
Desi Wilson (Hitting & 1B Defense Coach) 

TRAINERS

Mike McNulty (Coordinator) 
Matt Hussey 
German Suncin 
Ike Ojata 

STRENGTH &  CONDITIONING COACHES
Doug Jarrow (Coordinator)
Ryan Clausen
Keegan Knoll  
Dallas Lopez 
Austin Smith 
Shane Wallen 

Comments

day 1 of instructs...so far oscar de la cruz hasn't been suspended or gotten himself injured.  good start.  keep it up.

also, i wonder if he's due for the pen or if he gets a chance to be a starter still...either way i hope he's still got MLB projectable stuff.  his very short winter league stint wasn't exactly promising (3 pen appearances).

Wish I could be in Mesa in February; I'm either too old or too young!  Anyway, I have a very reliable source on the ground who tells me there have been big changes for the better in pitching development since Breslow became the head man.  Individual plans, better use of the abundant technology and more meaningful drills and bullpens seem to be the gist of it.  And Sagara is apparently gone.  I know he had some fans on this blog but his reputation among the players was decidedly mixed.

[ ]

In reply to by JustSayin'

i wish there was still spring training in tucson.  wife isn't a fan of the very busy phoenix spring training vs the laid back tucson spring training (older parks, negative...way less people around, positive).  we tended to go on years with big wildflower blooms (easily predicted based on winter rain amount and frequency) because we're both into that while i'm the only one into baseball.  well, we both like the desert, too...especially arizona.

wow, lots of crazy f'n names being thrown around in the dodgers/rsox + other team(s) trade...established stars and legit prospects

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

mookie betts and david price to the dodgers (from rsox)...brusdar graterol (prospect) to dodgers (from twins)

kenta maeda to twins (from dodgers)

alex verdugo to the rsox (from dodgers)

joc pederson to angels (from dodgers) + luis rengifo from angels (to dodgers) in a separate trade immediately following...

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Dumping Betts seems like such a cheap and stupid move..  He's a exceptional talent, and they didn't get anything comparable in return.  He's one got one year before free-agency, but they should be extending him rather than trading him. 

For many teams, the CBT has turned into a salary cap.  If competive balance is the goal, some teams should pay it, and some teams should be subsidized.  But the escalating penalties mean that some pretty rich teams won't go over the tax threshold in successive years.  This needs to be fixed in the next CBA.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

A way to help motivate clubs to keep (and not trade) star players nearing free-agency and at the same time not punish free-agents who receive a "Qualifying Offer" would be to award two compensation draft picks (one after the 1st round and one after the 2nd round) to a club who loses a player to another club after the player has received a Qualifying Offer, while the club that signs the Qualified Player woud not lose a draft pick. (Even now the club that loses a free-agent who received a QO gets a compensation draft pick that is totally dosconnected to the draft pick forfeited by the club that signs the Qualified Player). 

So for example, in the case of Kris Bryant, the Cubs would get not one but two compensation draft picks (one after the 1st round and one after the 2nd round) if Bryant declines the Cubs QO post-2021 and signs with another club, but the club that signs Bryant won't lose a draft pick, so Bryant won't be punished and would be able to compete on an even playing field in the free-agent market after declining a QO.    

Also, the tax paid by clubs that exeed the CBT threshold should be a straight 20% regardless of how much the club's payroll is over the threshold and/or how many years in a row the club has exceeded the threshold. And going over the CBT threshold should not result in a club having a draft slot moved down ten spots or reducing a club's International Signing Bonus Pool.  

And an international draft should be established, but only two rounds (60 players). All other players would be IFA free to sign with any club. 

And the First-Year Player Draft (Rule 4 Draft) should be reduced to 20 rounds. 

Remember, reducing the number of rounds in a draft doesn't mean that a player who isn't drafted can't sign or can't play. Rather, a player who otherwise might get selected in the 33rd round and get maybe a take-it-or-leave-it $1,000 bonus offer and have no other option but to sign with that club or not play affiliated ball would instead have the freedom (and leverage) to sign with any club for whatever the player's true market value is. It also would give an advantage to clubs that do the best scouting. 

The purpose of a player draft is to help promote or maintain competitive balance between clubs. A draft is not for the player's benefit, so the fewer number of rounds the better it is for a player who is eligible for selection in the draft. 

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

it's gotten really messy.

the angels/dodgers deal is supposedly dead, but the k.maeda deal to the twins is now a separate trade that's now a done deal with the twins throwing in an extra piece of talent.

the rsox/dodgers deal for m.betts is still going to happen, but with some new names involved.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Dodgers acquired RHP Brusdar Graterol, OF Luke Raley and a Competitive Balance B Pick in the 2020 draft from the Twins for RHP Kenta Maeda, C Jair Camargo and cash considerations

Dodgers acquired OF Mookie Betts and LHP David Price from the Dodgers for OF Alex Verdugo, C Connor Wong and INF Jeter Downs.

Levi Jordan and Jake Slaughter are getting extensive work as outfielders at Winter Instructs. 

[ ]

In reply to by bradsbeard

BRADSBEARD: Alfonso Rivas has only been working at 1st base (so far). Also, he has well below-average sprint-speed in baserunning drills so I'm not sure how much ground he would be able to cover in the outfield. He does however move OK around 1st base (he has good first-step quickness) and he does a really nice job throwing the ball accurately around the infield from 1st base during infield drills (like starting a 3-6-3 DP or throwing home to nail a runner trying to score), a lot like Anthony Rizzo.  

Most impressive hitters at Cubs Winter Intructs so far are Brennen Davis and Christopher Morel (hard contact combined with HR power), Alfonso Rivas, Bryce Windham, and Edmond Americaan (hard contact line-drives sprayed foul line to foul line), and Kevonte Mitchell and Wladimir Galindo (high-angle lift HR power). 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

I am interested to see if the hitting lab has as much impact on certain players as the pitching lab did (or appears to have done) for a few pitchers.  MItchell and Galindo re probably the top two that I hope can be put on a more consistent track hitting --  both have great power and, at times, have appeared to be just on the cusp of putting it together before hitting a slump or, more often, getting hurt.

The Cubs have purchased the contract of 26-year old RHRP Jonathan de Marte from Quebec (Frontier League) and he has been assigned to AZL Cubs Blue.

He is the closer for Team Israel and has no previous experience in affiliated ball.

He was a NDFA out of the U. of Richmond in 2017 and has been playing independent ball for the past three seasons in the Atlantic League and Can-Am League as well as winter ball in Australia this past winter. 

2019 DSL Cubs SS Rafael Morel (Christopher's younger brother) and OF Yohendrick Pinango will be at Minor League Camp. They were the Cubs top two prospects in the DSL last season. 

BRADSBEARD: Cubs pitchers & catchers report to Minor League Camp tomorrow (Friday), full squad next week.  

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

BRADSBEARD: In case you're wondering how and why so many Cubs minor leaguers are on the backfields prior to the official start of Minor League Camp tomorrow (Friday), about 30 minor league players (mostly AA and AAA level) voluntarily reported early with the chance to possibly play in MLB Cactus League games (and some of them have), and about 50 other (younger) players (mostly 2019 draft picks) have been at a ten-day combined instructional mini-camp / Spring Training orientation since 2/24. 

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • 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.