Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus six players are on the 60-DAY IL

Last updated 10-2-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 22
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Brad Boxberger
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Tyler Duffey 
Jeremiah Estrada
Shane Greene
Kyle Hendricks
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
Michael Rucker
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Marcus Stroman
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 8
# Jeimer Candelario
Nico Hoerner
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom
* Jared Young

OUTFIELDERS: 8
Kevin Alcantara
* Cody Bellinger
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
Brennen Davis
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

60-DAY IL: 6
Nick Burdi, P
Michael Fulmer, P 
Codi Heuer, P
* Brandon Hughes, P
Nick Madrigal, INF
Ethan Roberts, P
 

 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs vs. Marlins: Series Thread (Games 105-107)

Submitted by Charlie on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 08:31 pm

The Cubs enjoy the continued presence of Willson Contreras and Ian Happ as they continue the season post trade deadline. See below for matchups against the Marlins.

Game 105, Friday, August 5, 1:20 pm central

CHC: LHP Justin Steele

MIA: RHP Edward Cabrera

Game 106, Saturday, August 6, 1:20 pm central

CHC: LHP Drew Smyly (3-6, 4.42 ERA)

MIA: RHP Pablo Lopez (7-6, 3.41 ERA)

Game 107, Sunday, August 7, 1:20 pm central

CHC: RHP Adrian Sampson (0-2, 3.74 ERA)

MIA: RHP Jesus Lazardo (2-4, 3.97 ERA)

Tags
2022 Series Thread

Comments

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 08:54 pm

yet another david "4.2ip" ross pitcher exit.

steele did throw 93 pitches, but yeah...ross gets really sketchy once a pitcher gets into the 5th inning.

Submitted by JoePepitone on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 08:50 pm

They may have a bunch of weak hitters, but record-wise, the Marlins are a much stronger team than the Cubs.  Who was it that said, "you are what your record says you are"?

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 08:21 pm

"The Cardinals and Cubs are slated to play a two-game series on June 24-25, 2023, as part of the MLB London Series at the baseball-configured London Stadium, MLB and the MLB Player Association announced on Thursday."

neat.

the cubs + reds get the field of dreams game this year, and cubs + cards get the london game next year (first since 2019).

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 08:49 pm

i was thinking about how embarrasing for MLB the FoD game would be once contreras + happ were gone.  they at least have those guys still around to make it a barely-above minor league quality game.

a way past prime joey votto and hoping it's a night where c.morel is actually producing doesn't make for an exciting game.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 08:02 pm

t.mancini only has 3 hits since being traded to HOU.

all 3 have been homers, the latest a grand slam.

Submitted by Cubster on Sat, 08/06/2022 - 08:23 am

Saturday am, Cubs just took him off the IL then dfa'd Andrelton Simmons. Chalk that up to a failed trade deadline flip exercise.

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Submitted by First.Pitch.120 on Sat, 08/06/2022 - 08:00 pm

Only thing I can say in defense of the Simmons signing is that I did approve at the time of building more positional depth. After Hoerner, the SS cupboard was pretty bare (couldn't count on Morel breaking out).  In retrospect, maybe a AAAA utility type would have been better (Machado?)

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 08/06/2022 - 08:18 pm

contreras is still every bit a cheerleader.

higgins hits a homer and he's jumping around in the dugout.  ...and morel is, too, but i'm pretty sure he spends 16+ hours a day doing that no matter what's going on.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 08/06/2022 - 08:33 pm

smyly gets a hell of an ovation coming back into the dugout after 6.2ip of great pitching.

cubs fans are appreciating the tallent left.  owners need to recognize and respect this.  this is small market bullshit and fans doing the best with what they're given is best left for teams like tampa bay and pittsburgh.

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Submitted by bradsbeard on Sat, 08/06/2022 - 08:45 pm

The pen is going to be a bit sketchy, but I think the rest of the roster is looking as good as it has all year. Hopefully Morel's hammy isn't a major concern. Cubs have a very soft schedule for the next two weeks. Good time to go on a little run. 

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 08/07/2022 - 08:45 am

This is how an August non-trade "trade" would work with regard to Drew Smyly...   

Orioles keep winning and determine they need a veteran starter.

Orioles (Mike Elias) calls-up Cubs (Hoyer / Hawkins) and says "If you put Drew Smyly on Outright Assignment Waivers, we promise to claim him." 

Now, from Baltimore's POV they can't be sure of being awarded the claIm because another club with a worse record and a better waiver claim priority could also make a claim and be awarded the claim. That's the chance the Orioles would be taking, but it wouldn't cost them anything if they don'r win the claim.

From the Cubs POV, it doesn't matter who wins the claim, as long as somebody does. They need to make sure that at least one club will for sure claim Smyly, because if he is placed on Outright Assignment Waivers in August and isn't claimed, the Cubs can't put him on Outright Assignment Waivers again until September 1st, and then Smyly would no longer be post-season eligible (the post-season roster-eligibility deadline is midnight 8/31).

As long as somebody makes a claim, the Cubs will get the $50,000 waiver claim fee and the claiming club assumes 100% of what remains of Smyly's contract (right now that's about $1.5M in 2022 salary plus his $5.25M 2024 salary or $1M club option buy-out). This is the best the Cubs can get for Smyly, and the longer they wait into August the smaller the salary offset and the greater the chance that Smyly might get hurt. (Injured players cannot be placed on Ouiright Assignment Waivers until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season). 
 
The Cubs are not going to extend Smyly a QO so they won't get a 2023 comp draft pick once they pay the post-2022 buy-out, so they might as well get what they can for him now, even if it's just $50,000 plus a 100% salary offset/savings.

And Smyly probably wouldn't mind going to a contender, either!.  

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 08/07/2022 - 08:00 am

If you are wondering about Jason Heyward being placed on Outright Assignment Waivers, even if his knee was 100% a player with full or partial "no trade" rights (and Heyward is a "10/5 player" so he has an automatic full "no trade") cannot be placed on Outright Assignment Waivers unless and until he waives his "no trade" - IN ADVANCE. He can't wait to see who claims him and then waive his "no trade." (Not that any club would claim Heyward's albatross contract). 

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 08/07/2022 - 08:03 am

totally missed that dwight smith died on july 22nd...congestive heart failure, 58 years old.

he was part of that late-80s/early-90s group of cubs kids that showed up with strong bats, but quickly faded...dwight smith, jerome walton, rick wilkins, etc...

he was a guy who stayed in good physical shape post-retirement.  tough one.

Recent comments

  • Childersb3 10/03/2023 - 10:46 pm (view)

    I understand this is a cost saving and control idea. But I wouldn't be happy giving up ONKC or Alcantara for Hayes and/or Bednar.

    I'm not saying they aren't good players. They are. They've never been "tested" with playing for a good team, but that isn't their fault. They produce good results. But not Jaguar and Big Red.

    Canario won't get to play for the Cubs, just like Velazquez, so he should probably go. Same for Mervis and Vazquez. Wesneski can get better but Bednar would certainly help us.

    But not to big power hitting OFs that are 21 yrs old and younger at AA already. I'm still holding out hope for the ONKC-PCA-Jag left to right OF. I'm just not giving up on that.

    Hayes for Morel kind of stings. I'd love for Morel to get a full year at 3B. Even if he failed there miserably, I'd like to give him a shot.

    Phil always comes up with common sense angles. This trade idea fills needs for sure and fills them with cost saving effective players.

    I'm thinking Morel goes to NYM for Alonso.

    We'll see what Jed cooks up.

  • Arizona Phil 10/03/2023 - 10:18 pm (view)

    It used to be that teams did not want to trade within their own division for PR reasons, but I don't see that with Ben Cherington in Pittsburgh or with Hoyer / Hawkins in Chicago, so the Cubs might target Pirates 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes and closer David Bednar.

    Hayes is a Gold Glove defender, a decent enough hitter (105 OPS+ in 2023), and he's under control at a VERY reasonable price ($8.75M AAV) through 2029 (with a club option for 2030). 

    Bednar is first-time salary arbitration-eligible post-2023 and under control through 2026. 

    One thing about the Cubs is that they can afford to overpay (which is what they would have to do to get both Hayes and Bednar) with a package consisting of a decent young MLB position player to replace Hayes in the lineup (like Christopher Morel, who could play LF in Pittsburgh) and prospects like outfielders Alexander Canario, Owen Caissie, or Kevin Alcantara (Pirates pick one, leaving the other two for the Cubs), a power-hitting 1B-DH like Matt Mervis or Haydn McGeary (Pirates pick one, leaving the other one for the Cubs), SS Luis Vazquez (who is MLB-ready but will never play SS in Chicago), 3B B. J. Murray (who could replace Hayes at the hot corner in Pittsburgh by 2025 if not sometime in 2024, and he obviously would be blocked in Chicago if the Cubs get Hayes), and an MLB-ready SP like Hayden Wesneski. 

  • crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:02 pm (view)

    boog and glanville calling the PHI@MIL game on ESPN2.

  • crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:59 pm (view)

    bellinger is my #1 want, but i fear he's the #1 want of many teams and will get crazy money + years, with the years being the big sting.  they need to replace bellinger's production if they don't get him no matter what position(s) played.

  • George Altman 10/03/2023 - 10:40 pm (view)

    I hope their top priorities are Bellinger, 2 RPs better than Fulmer/Boxberger (ideally 1 LH), and a 3B (Chapman my 1st Choice). That will put them right up to $237-257M AAV limit, but I don't see a playoff berth doing anything less.

    If they really want Alonso, Morel would be a good opening piece of that offer. 

    Unfortunately, Stroman will opt in ($23.7M) and Smyly ($11.5M) will be back. Steele, Taillon, Assad, Wicks will be rotation pieces. Would love a SP2 FA but don't see how they keep an effective offense and improve their bullpen while adding that.

  • crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:03 pm (view)

    i cannot imagine getting a legit 3rd, whether signing or via trade, isn't the highest priority for the team.  it's almost obvious they don't see morel there.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester 10/03/2023 - 10:19 pm (view)

    I’m just hoping they have an actual 3B next year so we don’t need to worry about the M boys, Bote, and P Whiffy eating all the 3B at bats next year.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester 10/03/2023 - 10:13 pm (view)

    Willson was a OF/3B when we signed him too.

    On a less successful but still got to the show note, PJ Higgins was another college IF converted to C

  • crunch 10/03/2023 - 10:03 pm (view)

    truth...and personally, i'd give him ABs (especially at 3rd) over the 2 singles-hitting-ceiling guys that got the shot.  i'm sure he can cover the ob% and defense while surpassing the power of anything masterboney and madrigal brought to the team.

    i don't view bote as a solution at 3rd, but i find it hard to believe he couldn't outperform either of the main options they had there for a huge chunk of this season.

  • KingKongvsGodzilla 10/03/2023 - 10:47 pm (view)

    Color me impressed by this assignment for Trice right out of the draft as a convert. Seems worth following after the success of Caratini

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