Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

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

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Baseball Media for the Long Delay?

After a brief period of apparent denial, MLB was recently forced to shut down Spring Training and to delay the start of the regular season. This leaves us without any live baseball to consume for at least a month and quite possibly a while longer. So, how are you all slaking your baseball thirsts?

My partner and I just started watching the IFC series "Brockmire." A few episodes in, it is better than I expected. The series presents a farcical take on life surrounding the game. Good for those who enjoy cynical anti-heroes and TV comedies.

A while ago, we also watched "Late Life," a documentary about Chien-Ming Wang's comeback bid. It was enjoyable but very slow.

Years ago I saw a commenter here recommend the movie "Sugar," which has become my favorite baseball drama. (Crunch, was that you?) Please comment some suggested baseball content for those of us who were just getting used to daily televised games.

Also, stay safe and do what you can to keep your communities safe as well!

Comments

yeah, big fan of the movie "Sugar".

"Ballplayer: Pelotero" is a somewhat clumbsy, but interesting documentary (featuring a young miguel sano).

"The Battered Bastards of Baseball" is an odd/interesting documentary that has so much going on it's hard to describe.  "Signs of the Times" is a niche documentary about early use of hand signals in baseball. 

there's also "This Old Cub" (ron santo doc) and "We Believe: Chicago and It's Cubs" (doc) specifically pertaining to the cubs.

I watched Elmer the Great recently on TCM.  This is a pre-code Hollywood comedy starring Joe E. Brown (who’s probably best known for delivering the curtain-closing line “Nobody’s Perfect” in “Some Like It Hot”) as Elmer, who leads the Chicago Cubs to the 1933 World Series title.

The baseball scenes were filmed at the Cubs training facility on Santa Catalina Island, and at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.

 Yeah, it was corny, but I hadn’t seen it before.

[ ]

In reply to by Mornington Crescent

MORNINGTON CRESCENT: Interesting you should mention "Elmer the Great," because about five years ago we put together a series of "Doubleheader Baseball Double Features," shown back-to-back in these combinations. 

Elmer the Great 
It Happens Every Spring  

Pride of the Yankees
Angels in the Outfield (original 1951 version) 

The Stratton Story 
Fear Strikes Out 

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars 
A League of Their Own 

42 
61 

Eight Men Out 
Field of Dreams 

The Natural 
The Rookie 

Bull Durham 
Major League 

The Bad News Bears 
The Sandlot

The Perfect Game 
Sugar 

Moneyball 
Million Dollar Arm 

This is despicable. This is a Cubs blog and not a single mention of Rookie of the Year. Chet Steadman weeps.

wonder if the movie based on david ross's book is ever going to get into development...rights were obtained before it was even released.

[ ]

In reply to by Hagsag

some players are still showing up and working out @Sloan, but most of it is supposedly self-guided

thankfully, they're keeping the general public away since too many of them seem to think this whole "virus thing" is some panic conspiracy.  there was a fan meetup on Saturday @Sloan with a couple dozen "last tailgate party" people grilling, chilling, and mixing in close contact because biology doesn't apply to them.

Does anyone know if the minor leaguers are eligible for unemployment compensation once the season would have started?  Not in the normal off-season, I know.  Spring training is room and board only, I know.  But these guys are under contract and not able to play due to COVID 19.  They can't legally go play someplace else, even if there were a someplace else to play.

[ ]

In reply to by JustSayin'

MLB is sidestepping this "to the surface" pushing issue by choosing to "finacially support" minor league players according to a press release from a couple days ago.  minor league pay has been a recent source of embarrassment for MLB...

i have no idea how robust this assistant will be, but anything less than 100% for most players (no matter the source) would be a disservice to future of the game.

RedSox acquire catcher Jhonny Pereda from the #Cubs, completing the January 21 trade for RHP Travis Lakins

...cubs lost lakins on waivers to BAL, btw

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).