Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus one player is 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 3-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# 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 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 1 
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 1 
Caleb Kilian, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

2022 MLB Trade Assignment Rules

Technically, a baseball trade is called a Trade Assignment (similar in kind to an Optional Assignment or Outright Assignment). 

Generally, an MLB club can trade a player on its MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) and minor league reserve lists at any time. However, there are a few restrictions:1. A trade involving a player signed to an MLB contract (including any player on an MLB Reserve List, MLB 60-day Injured List, or MLB Restricted List, and/or any player who was outrighted to the minors after signing an MLB contract for that season) is prohibited beginning at 4 PM (Eastern) on July 31st (or 4 PM Eastern on Friday July 30th if July 31st falls on a Saturday, or 4 PM Eastern on Monday August 1st if July 31st falls on a Sunday) and extending until the day after the final game of the World Series.  
NOTE-1: Beginning with the 2022 season, the MLB Commissioner has the authority to establish the MLB Trade Deadline on any day over the seven-day period July 28 - August 3. The 2022 MLB Trade Deadline is 6 PM (Eastern) on Tuesday August 2nd.
NOTE-2: Trade Assignment Waivers (which permitted the trading of players on MLB reserve lists after the July 31st deadline up until 12 PM Eastern on the 7th day prior to the originally-scheduled conclusion of the MLB regular season) were eliminated starting with the 2019 season. 

PLAYERS OUTRIGHTED TO MINORS AFTER SIGNING 2022 MLB CONTRACT: (updated 7-21-2022)
Greg Deichmann, OF 
Clint Jackson Frazier, OF 
Sean Newcomb, LHP 
Matt Swarmer, RHP 
 
2. A trade involving a player on a minor league reserve list who is not an outrighted player is prohibited beginning at 12 PM (Eastern) on the 7th day prior to the originally-scheduled conclusion of the MLB regular season through the last day of the MLB regular season (including a day on which a regular season game is played after the originally-scheduled conclusion of the MLB regular season).   

3. A player who signs after being selected in the MLB Rule 4 Draft (First-Year Player Draft) cannot be traded until after the conclusion of the World Series (no earlier than 9 AM on the day after the final game of the World Series), or for 90 days if the player signs after the World Series. 
NOTE: Previously, a player signed after being selected in the MLB Rule 4 Draft could not be traded until the first anniversary of the player signing his first contract.  

4. A minor league player eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft cannot be added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), traded to another organization, or transferred from one minor league reserve list to another within the same organization, beginning with the filing of MLB & minor league reserve lists on November 20th (or November 19th if November 20th falls on a Saturday or November 18th if November 20th falls on a Sunday) and extending through the completion of the Rule 5 Draft.

5. A player cannot be traded while he is on waivers.

6. A player on an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) who has a contractual "no trade" right can waive this right if he so chooses.

PLAYERS ON CUBS MLB RESERVE LIST WITH CONTRACTUAL "NO-TRADE" RIGHT: (updated 3-18-2021)
Seiya Suzuki, OF  

7. A player on an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) who has accrued at least ten years of MLB Service Time with at least the last five years of MLB Service Time accrued with the same club (a so-called "10/5" player) has an automatic "no trade" right for as long as he remains with that club. The player can waive this right if he so chooses.

"10/5" PLAYERS ON CUBS MLB RESERVE LIST: (updated 10-31-2020)
Jason Heyward, OF 

8. An Article XX-B MLB free-agent who signs a Major League contract after 11:59 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series has an automatic "no trade" right through June 15th. The player can waive this right, but if he does he can be traded only for cash and/or player contracts with a maximum aggregate value of $50,000. N
NOTE: An Article XX-B MLB free-agent who signs a minor league contract after 11:59 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series does NOT receive an automatic "no trade" right, even if the player is later added to the club's MLB Reserve List (40-man roster).  

POST-2022 ARTICLE XX-B MLB PLAYERS ON CUBS MLB RESERVE LIST: (updated 6-16-2022)
TBD  

9. If a "Player to Be Named Later" (PTBNL) is part of a trade, the PTBNL cannot be on an MLB Active List at any time beginning when the trade is executed (filed with the MLB office) up until when the trade is completed. A PTBNL can be either a specific player or the PTBNL can be selected from a list of players or a class of players as determined by the clubs (in writing) when the trade is executed. 
NOTE: Beginning in 2015, a player signed after being selected in the MLB Rule 4 Draft (First-Year Player Draft) cannot be a PTBNL in any trade made prior to the conclusion of the World Series. Clubs have six months to agree on a PTBNL, but the clubs can agree (when the trade is executed) on a deadline that is less than six months. A cash payment (typically $50,000 for trades involving players on the 40-man roster) can be substituted for a PTBNL if no agreement can be reached within six months, but the alternative cash payment must be agreeable to both clubs and stated in writing when the trade is executed. 

10. A player on an MLB or minor league injured list can be traded, even if the player is not eligible to be reinstated and/or healthy enough to play.
NOTE: As far as a player having to spend a certain number of days on an IL before he is eligible to be reinstated is concerned, in the case of a trade, time already spent on an injured list is carried-over to the player's new club. 

11. If a player is acquired in a trade and is optioned to the minors by his new club within 24 hours, the player can be recalled from the Optional Assignment at any time without restriction (so that the "ten-day rule" for position players and the "15-day rule" for pitchers & two-way players as it pertains to the minimum number of days a player must spend on optional assignment before he can be recalled would not apply).

Comments

Just because the Trade Deadline has passed does not mean a player on a club's MLB Reserve List cannot be moved to another club.  

For example, a player can be claimed off Outright Assignment Waivers for $50,000 (or off Outright Release Waivers for $1) at any time, so let's say Wade Miley returns to the Cubs starting rotation after the trade deadline has passed and looks really good, the Cubs could place him on Outright Assignment Waivers (lets's say the last week of August so that he would be eligible to pitch in the post-season) and then he could get claimed by another MLB club. The claiming club would pay the Cubs the $50,000 waiver price AND assume what remains of Miley's 2022 $10M salary (which would be about $2M as of the last week of August).  

Keep in mind that a player does NOT have to be sent outright to the minors if Outright Assignment Waivers are requested and secured. However, the Outright Assignment Waivers are irrevocable (meaning a club cannot pull the player back if he gets claimed or work out a trade with the claiming club, as was the case with Trade Assignment Waivers back in the day).

Also Outright Assignment Waivers can be requested only once in a given waiver period, so a club needs to be careful about the timing of the waiver request. Not too soon in August, but also not so late that the player won't be eligible to play in the post-season. That's why I said the last week of August.   

Obviously a waiver claim is not a trade where the Cubs would get a prospect back, but the $50,000 waiver fee plus saving $2M in payroll isn't nothing. It might even be a better return than some second-tier prospect the Cubs would have gotten back in an actual pre-deadline trade (as long as the waiver claiming fee and the payroll savings is applied to another player at a later point in time...).

So the point is, all is not necessarily lost if the Cubs can't move some of their post-2022 free-agents by the 8/2 Trade Deadline. 

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Congrats to Vogelbach on being desirable as a trade piece to be a 'kind of' regular as a DH on a contender. It's nice to be wanted, even if his WAR says he's not much more than a replacement level player. I always have a soft spot for former Cubs minor league prospects. At least he'll always have that one 30 HR season in Seattle to look back on and tell his grandkids about. And, hey - he made it to The Show. A place that many talented athletes never make it to. 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

I was there with you the next year (2013) for Eloy Jimenez's first fall session when he was still 16 years old (just before his 17th birthday).  He participated in the Instructs HR derby that year.  Had great power for a 16 year old kid.  Not big and strong enough to win the derby that year, but you could clearly see what a few years of growth and maturing would do for him.

Soler played in the Arizona Fall League that year (2013), while still recovering from one of the leg injuries he was having periodically back in those days (and still today, it looks like).  The first few games I saw him, he had a lot of swings and misses, which made me wonder about him.  Then he would go off on a streak where he just MURDERED the ball and made it look easy.  You saw that and said, "Ah!  Now I know what they see in him."

[ ]

In reply to by JoePepitone

I mentioned that Vogelbach's WAR was barely above replacement player level (0.6 so far this year) but I failed to mention his.903 OPS split against right handed pitchers. That works for the left handed portion of a DH platoon, for sure. Puzzling to me that the White Sox didn't make more of a play for him, given their struggles against right handed pitching all year.

If the Cubs have an opportunity to trade Ian Happ to Milwaukee and (as they usually do) they ask me what they should get back in the deal, take LH-hitting MLB-ready INF Brice Turang, LHP Antoine Kelly (Maine East HS), and 1B-2B-LF Keston Hiura (needs a change-of-scenery) back in the deal.

Hiura is under club control through 2025, Kelly is a big dude with a high velo FB who pitched in the Futures Game, and Turang is a high-contact SS-2B who is everything the Cubs hoped Nick Madrigal would be, but isn't.  

since we're spitballing in this thread...

i still think HOU/contreras makes too much sense and i wouldn't be shocked to see jose urquidy in the cubs rotation in 2023.  it gives me pause because one area HOU doesn't need anything is relief, and d.robertson would be useful, but not strategic for their needs.

contreras+happ for uriquidy+siri+??? is a likely combo...i'm not a big of fan of siri as some people seem to be, though he's not trash.

Recent comments

  • hellfrozeover (view)

    I would say also in the bright side column is Busch looked pretty good overall at the plate. Alzolay…man, that hurts but most of the time he’s not giving up a homer to that guy. To me the worst was almonte hanging that pitch to Garcia. He hung another one to the next hitter too and got away with it on an 0-1. 

  • crunch (view)

    amaya blocked like 6-8 of smyly's pitches in the dirt very cleanly...not even an exaggeration, smyly threw a ton of pitches bouncing in tonight.

    neris looking like his old self was a relief (no pun), too.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    In looking for bright spots the defense was outstanding tonight. The “stars” are going to need to shine quite a bit brighter than they did tonight offensively though for this to be a successful season.

  • Eric S (view)

    Good baseball game. Hopefully Steele is pitching again in April (but I’m not counting on it). 

  • crunch (view)

    boo.

  • crunch (view)

    smyly to face the 2/3/4 hitters with a man on 2nd in extras.

    this doesn't seem like a 8 million dollar managerial decision.

  • crunch (view)

    i 100% agree with you, but i dunno how jed wants to run things.  the default is delay.  i would choose brown.

    like hellfrozeover says, could be smyly since he's technically fresh and stretched.

    anyway, on a pure talent basis....brown is the best option.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Use pitchers when you believe they're good. Don't plan their clock.

    I'm sorry. I'm simply anti-clock/contract management. Play guys when they show real MLB potential talent.

    If Brown hadn't been hurt with the Lat Strain he would've gotten the call, and not Wick.

    Give him a chance. 

    But Wesneski probably gets it

  • crunch (view)

    alzolay...bro...

  • crunch (view)

    wow.  what a blown call.  go cubs, i guess.