Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are 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 4-18-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs @ Giants: Series Thread (Games 56-59)

Submitted by Charlie on

The Cubs swept the Padres to climb to a season high 9 games over .500 and to maintain a narrow lead over the Cardinals for first in the NL Central. Next up, they have a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants, who are now first in the NL West thanks in part to the Cubs' victories over the Padres. See below for the weekend's matchups.

Game 56, Thursday, June 3, 8:45 pm central

CHC: RHP Zach Davies (2-2, 4.65 ERA)

SF: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (4-2, 3.65 ERA)

Davies finished up a vastly improved May with a five inning and one run start against Cincinnati. In May he pitched 31.1 innings and allowed six earned runs despite allowing 12 walks and collecting only 15 strikeouts. Those peripherals are out of line with his career averages, but hopefully they will catch up with the improved results.

Anthony DeSclafani suffered through a rough 2020 season in which he had a 7.22 ERA and a depressed strikeout rate across 11 starts for the Reds. Since joining the Giants, he's back to his career norms except for an improved groundball percentage. DeSclafani is one start removed from an absolute mess in which he allowed 10 earned runs in 2.2 innings to the Dodgers. Last time out, he rebounded somewhat against the same opponents, allowing two earned runs in 4.2 innings.

Game 57, Friday, June 4, 8:45 pm central

CHC: RHP Jake Arrieta (5-5, 4.41 ERA)

SF: TBD

Arrieta was wild in his last start, allowing four walks compared to three strikeouts in 3.2 innings in a loss to Cincinnati. He allowed five runs, two earned. In four main starts, he allowed 10 earned runs, walked eight, and struck out 13 in 19.2 innings pitched.

Game 58, Saturday, June 5, 6:15 pm central

CHC: RHP Kohl Stewart (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

SF: TBD

In his debut with the Cubs, Stewart allowed one run, zero earned, while going five innings as Trevor Williams's substitute. He struck out only two, but he mostly kept the ball on the ground. More of the same would be welcome as Trevor Williams continues to recover from an emergency appendectomy.

Game 59, Sunday, June 6, 3:05 pm central

CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-4, 4.62 ERA)

SF: RHP Johnny Cueto (4-1, 3.45 ERA)

Hendricks has continued to build on a solid May and improved command with a win against the Padres. He allowed three earned runs but went 6 innings contribute to the sweep of the Padres. Since May 1 he's allowed only three walks compared to 30 strikeouts.

Johnny Cueto's age 35 season is off to a great start. His velocity is up a tick compared to last year and his walk rate is way down compared to the last two seasons. Last time out he went seven innings and allowed one earned run to earn a win against the Angels. Kris Bryant is five for ten with a homerun off of Cueto. Joc Pederson and Anthony Rizzo are a combined eight for 56 with 16 strikeouts off the veteran righty. Javy is 0-9 with five strikeouts.

Tags
2021 Gameday Post

Comments

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 06/03/2021 - 06:55 pm

The Cubs have until 1 PM (Eastern) tomorrow (Friday) to trade Tyson Miller, because otherwise they will need to place him on Outright Assignment Waivers no later than tomorrow (and the daily waiver call deadline is 1 PM Eastern) so that his 47-hour Waiver Claiming Period ride will end within the seven-day DFA period (Miller was Designated for Assignment last Sunday), and a player cannot be traded while he is on waivers. 

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 06/03/2021 - 06:31 pm

should be getting both j.marisnick and j.heyward back pretty soon...both getting their 2nd rehab start in iowa tonight.

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 06/03/2021 - 06:28 pm

holy f'n joc pederson water shot.

wow.  the only doubt was fair/foul...not how far and high it was going.

Submitted by Childersb3 on Thu, 06/03/2021 - 06:30 pm

Rex isn't completely to blame there. He shouldn't have fallen behind 3-0 to Crawford, but why did Davies start the inning at all? Or, at least why did he stay in after the leadoff guy got on? Ross had to see that Zach was done after the 4th inning. 

Oh well. Rossy let a SP try to go 5 innings to help his bullpen out a bit. Our lineup will have to pick up the slack.

Submitted by First.Pitch.120 on Fri, 06/04/2021 - 06:37 pm

Tyson Miller claimed by TXR... lots of people seemed to be bummed to lose him. When I look at his #s, they really don't seem that strong. There was 1/2 a great sesason at AA, followed by getting blown-up in the 2nd half of the season at AAA. Can someone enlighten me?

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 06/04/2021 - 06:35 pm

wow.  scott kazmir still exists in the baseball universe...and he's a sf giant...alright.

totally missed his comeback.

power bats, gear up...

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 06/05/2021 - 06:47 am

he reverted back to his old cubs days (vs what he was doing in PHI), throwing the curve more than the change, but it's just not working out with everything 3-4mph slower than it was with less movement.

i am rooting for him.  the first 5 games were good...it's been shakey the past 6 games.  nothing he's done aside from his 1st start made me feel like this dude needs to have a playoff rotation spot, though.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 06/04/2021 - 06:40 pm

rizzo and contreras were arguing in the dugout.  rizzo had to be led away into the clubhouse.

wtf...

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 06/05/2021 - 06:40 pm

we're about to find out how serious they were about the "we're going to be competitive in 2021" thing...especially if they're still competitive in a month.

after trading away a cheap, many years controlled, near-CY winner for a bunch of 18-20 year olds...i'm not holding out much hope for now.

i sure as hell am not hearing about cubs trade targets even with all the injuries...hearing more about who might want bryant from the cubs even with them sitting in 1st place.

all that aside, i'm not sure how valuable the market is right now.  club control for 2022 doesn't mean much when there's a serious question about how much of 2022 we're going to have because of the labor market.  there's also a very large surplus of corner OF + SP talent that should be available for trade with no "difference maker" types in that mix even if they're not bums.

kimbrell might be one of the hottest targets if the cubs make him available.  him and richard rodriguez (PIT), and ian kennedy (TEX)  are the top guys and not much on their tier...kimbrell is the top dog, easy.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 06/05/2021 - 06:18 pm

heyward activated...martini DFA'd.  heyward is in the lineup tonight.

b.wieck optioned to AAA and cory abbott is making his MLB debut (out of the pen).  wieck has pitched great, but he's a convienent casuality of needing a arm that can put in long-man work.

j.marisnick will probably be activated tomorrow or monday.

also the cubs claim dakota chalmers from the twins for some reason i cannot fathom.  i guess they're bored now they don't have d.maples to fix.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 06/06/2021 - 06:57 pm

no longoria...to the IL with the shoulder he injured yesterday in a collision.

happ hitting 3rd and heyward hitting 5th...good luck cubs.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 06/07/2021 - 06:33 am

There are 14 potential Cubs free-agents post-2021, so who are the in house replacements? 

CATCHER: Back-up Austin Romine is a FA post-2021, but #1 catcher Willson Contreras is under club control through 2022, P. J. Higgins is a cheap long-term back-up who can also play 1B-2B-3B, and future #1 catcher Miguel Amaya will get a 4th minor league option in 2023 if he isn't ready by then so there is no rush to get him to MLB before 2024. If Amaya isn't ready in 2023, that would leave a gap of one year (2023) that could be filled by signing a veteran catcher as a one-year bridge between Contreras and Amaya. 
 
1B:: Anthony Rizzo is a classic Cubs "legacy" player (Gabby Harnett, Phil Cavarretta, Ernie Banks, et al) and so I think it is very possible that he will accept a Qualifying Offer post-2021 (which should be somewhere around $20M) and then continue to negotiate with the Cubs during the off-season. From the Cubs POV, they will want a multi-year deal that protects them from Rizzo going down periodically with back issues (and once you get a back problem, it never goes away) by offering him a lower base salary but with significant performance bonuses tied to PA that (if met) would pay Rizzo something like "Joey Votto money" ($22M-23M AAV) for three or four years. Otherwise, Patrick Wisdom or David Bote could play 1B if Rizzo leaves post-2021 and the Cubs don't sign a FA to replace Rizzo, or Alfonso Rivas could emerge as the everyday 1B in 2023.  

2B: Sogard is a FA post-2021, but Nico Hoerner is under club control through 2025. 

SS: Baez is a FA post-2021, so it's Sergio Alcantara until one of the faraway SS prospects (Howard, Preciado, Made, etc) is ready, probably not before 2025. 

3B: Duffy is a FA post-2021, so it's Patrick Wisdom or David Bote until Chase Strumpf is ready, or Wisdom or Bote could remain the 3B and Strumpf could fill Bote's 2B-3B back-up role once he hits MLB.     

LF: FREE-AGENT best bat you can find, although Pederson/Cubs have a mutual option for 2022, but mutual options are very rarely exercised on both ends.   

CF: Jake Marisnick (mutual option) is a likely FA post-2021, so it's probably primarily Ian Happ in CF until Brennen Davis arrives (likely MLB ETA of 2023 or 2024). However, Happ is salary arbitration-eligible post-2021, so it's possible (albeit not likely) that he could get non-tendered post-2021. 

RF: Kris Bryant is a FA post-2021 and will not return unless the Cubs outbid every other MLB club once he becomes a FA, and Jason Heyward is signed through 2023, or the Cubs could release Heyward post-2022 and eat the last year of the deal like the Angels did with Pujols especially if somebody like Brennen Davis emerges before Heyward's deal is done and the Cubs play Davis in RF instead of CF. 

DH: FREE-AGENT best bat you find and/or Contreras can DH on days he's not catching so his bat can be kept in the lineup even when he's not catching. Boie or Wisdom are other possibilities for DH if Rizzo comes back and Bote or Wisdom are not needed at 1B.   

BENCH: Preferably minimum salary guys only, but maybe a couple of $1M veterans like Sogard, Duffy, and Marisnick could be signed for 2022. 

SP: Arrieta (mutual option for 2022 not likely to happen) and Davies are FA post-2021 and could be traded at any time even if the Cubs are in contention. Hendricks in under club control through 2023 or 2024 (vesting option for 2024), and Trevor Williams is under club control through 2022 (will be salary arbitration-eligible poist-2021 so he could get non-tendered). Otherwise, long-term it's Alzolay, K. Thompson,  Abbott, Marquez, Sanders, or anyone else in the system who emerges as an MLB SP over the next year ot two. Alec Mills and Kohl Stewart can be rotation fillers until whenever they are pushed aside.    
BULLPEN: Kimbrel is under club control through 2022 although the Cubs could buy him out post-2021 (or trade him), Chafin (mutual option for 2022) will probably be a FA post-2021, Tepera, and Winkler are FA post-2021, Brothers is under club control through 2022, and Holder is under club control through 2023, although because they are salary arbitration eligible one or both could get non-tendered post-2021, but otherwise Nance, Megill, Steele, Maples, Wieck, and Wick (when and if healthy) are clearly MLB-ready right now and are under club control long-term, plus there are a number of other potential MLB relievers percolating at AAA and AA (M. Rodriguez, Stock, Ueckert, et al)  who could emerge as MLB pen arms very soon. 

I don't think the Cubs will trade their better prospects while Hoyer is GM, so it will be a matter of signing a couple of FA bats (a LF and a DH) to replace Bryant, Baez, and Pederson in the lineup, and one FA SP (preferably at least MOR level if not TOR) to replace Davies and Arrieta. 

It's very unfortunate that the Cubs traded Darvish and Caratini, because with them the Cubs would certainly be the best team in the N. L. Central in 2021 and the Padres wouldn't be as good, and with Darvish as the # 1, Hendricks as the # 2, and Alzolay as the # 3, the Cubs would actually have had a genuine shot at getting to the World Series and maybe winning it. And as it turned out, the Cubs only saved $11.5M in 2021 payroll by trading Darvish, because they had to pay $3M of Darvish's 2021 salary and are paying Davies $8.5M as Darvish's replacement. 

[ ]

Submitted by Sonicwind75 on Mon, 06/07/2021 - 06:02 pm

Assuming Javy goes to free agency do you think it likely the Cubs will look at some of the other big free agent SS names?  Maybe a player like Correa who is a more well rounded hitter than Javy?  I love Javy but his plate approach is not the type of approach that tends to age well.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    happ, right hamstring tightness, day-to-day (hopefully 0 days).

    he will be reevaluated tomorrow.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I guess I'm not looking for that type of AB 

    Just a difference of opinion

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I don’t see Tauchman as a weak link in any position. He simply adds his value in a different way.

    I don’t know that we gain much by putting him in the outfield - Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki and Tauchman all field their positions well. If you’re looking for Taucnman’s kind of AB in a particular game I don’t see why it can’t come from DH.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Tauchman gets a pinch hit RBI single with a liner to RF. This is his spot. He's a solid 4th OF. But he isn't a DH. 

    He takes pitches. Useful. I still believe in having good hitters.

    You don't want your DH to be your weak link (other than your C maybe)

  • crunch (view)

    bit of a hot take here, but i'm gonna say it.

    the 2024 marlins don't seem to be good at doing baseballs.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Phil, will the call up for a double header restart that 15 days on assignment for a pitcher? Like will wesneski’s 15 days start yesterday, or if he’s the 27th man, will that mean 15 days from tomorrow?

    I hope that makes sense. It sounds clearer in my head.

  • Charlie (view)

    Tauchman obviously brings value to the roster as a 4th outfielder who can and should play frequently. Him appearing frequently at DH indicated that the team lacks a valuable DH. 

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally onboard with your thoughts concerning today’s lineup. Not sure about your take on Tauchman though.

    The guy typically doesn’t pound the ball out out of the park, and his BA is quite unimpressive. But he brings something unique to the table that the undisciplined batters of the past didn’t. He always provides a quality at bat and he makes the opposing pitcher work because he has a great eye for the zone and protects the plate with two strikes exceptionally well. In addition to making him a base runner more often than it seems through his walks, that kind of at bat wears a pitcher down both mentally and physically so that the other guys who may hit the ball harder are more apt to take advantage of subsequent mistakes and do their damage.

    I can’t remember a time when the Cubs valued this kind of contribution but this year they have a couple of guys doing it, with Happ being the other. It doesn’t make for gaudy stats but it definitely contributes to winning ball games. I do believe that’s why Tauchman has garnered so much playing time.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Miles Mastrobuoni cannot be recalled until he has spent at least ten days on optional assignment, unless he is recalled to replace a position player who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And for a pitcher it's 15 days on optional assignment before he can be recalled, unless he is replacing a pitcher who is placed on an MLB inactive list (IL, Paternity, or Bereavement / Family Medical). 

     

    And a pitcher (or a position player, but almost always it's a pitcher) can be recalled as the 27th man for a doubleheader regardless of how many days he has been on optional assignment, but then he must be sent back down again the next day. 

     

    That's why the Cubs had to wait as long as they did to send Jose Cuas down and recall Keegan Thompson. Thompson needed to spend the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he could be recalled (and he spent EXACTLY the first 15 days of the MLB regular season on optional assignment before he was recalled). 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Indeed they do TJW!

    For the record I’m not in favor of solely building a team through paying big to free agents. But I’m also of the mind that when you develop really good players, get them signed to extensions that buy out a couple years of free agency, including with team options. And supplement the home grown players with free agent splashes or using excess prospects to trade for stars under team control for a few years. Sort of what Atlanta does, basically. Everyone talks about the dodgers but I feel that Atlanta is the peak organization at the current moment.

    That said, the constant roster churn is very Rays- ish. What they do is incredible, but it’s extremely hard to do which is why they’re the only ones frequently successful that employ that strategy. I definitely do not want to see a large market team like ours follow that model closely. But I don’t think free agent frenzies is always the answer. It’s really only the Dodgers that play in that realm. I could see an argument for the Mets too. The Yankees don’t really operate like that anymore since the elder Steinbrenner passed. Though I would say the reigning champions built a good deal of that team through free agent spending.

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