Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and eight players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-24-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Pete Crow-Armstrong 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 8 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2
* Cody Bellinger, OF  
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P   

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

DFA: 1 
Garrett Cooper, 1B 
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Cubs @ Giants: Series Thread (Games 63-65)

Submitted by Charlie on

The Cubs were no match for Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani and suffered a sweep in Anaheim as a result. They'll turn northward and try their luck in San Francisco next. The Giants enter the series 32-30 to the Cubs 26-36. See below for matchups.

Game 63, Friday, June 9, 9:15 pm central

SFG: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (4-5, 3.97 ERA)

CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (6-4, 2.39 ERA)

DeSclafani missed the majority of 2022, making only five starts before undergoing a surgery on his ankle. He's returned with velocity and command that match his recent norms and has enjoyed a solid start to the season. His last start was his weakest of the season so far, going only three innings and allowing six runs (five earned) to the Orioles.

Stroman pitched a stinker on May 14, but since has pitched 29 innings over four starts, good for an average of 7.1 per outing. His strikeouts are down a touch compared to April/March. He has continued to elicit a ton of contact on the ground, helping to counteract the occasional walk as well.

Game 64, Saturday, June 10, 6:35 pm central

SFG: TBD

CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 4.70 ERA)

Hendricks has made three starts since returning to the active roster and has looked relatively healthy. He has not yet been able to match the low walk rates of his prime, and like last year he is giving up far more contact in the air than he did from 2014-2021. He has kept the ball in the park mostly, although BABIP has not been especially kind to him.

Game 65, Sunday, June 11, 3:05 pm central

SFG: TBD

CHC: RHP Hayden Wesneski (2-2, 4.72 ERA)

Wesneski collected two outs in the fifth inning before being pulled from his last start and was then let down by the bullpen. He collected four strikeouts and walked only one. He gave up another homerun. At 2.08 homeruns per nine innings pitched, he has the 10th worst homerun rate per of any MLB pitcher with a minimum of 40 innings pitched. Lefties have hit 8 of the 11 fastballs he's allowed. A peak at his heat maps show that he's living middle up against lefties with his fastball. If I were Hayden Wesneski, I would simply hit my spots at the bottom of the zone. Problems solved!

Tags
2023 Cubs
San Francisco Giants

Comments

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 06/09/2023 - 06:58 pm

d.ross gambled and won.  it would have been the internet asking for his head if it didn't work.  they've not been too happy with him lately.

bases loaded for p.wisdom who's 1 for 1 with a walk.  he pinch hits hoerner.  hoerner with a 2 RBI single...phew.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 06/09/2023 - 06:21 pm

wtf leiter...turns an out into a run scored and a single because he hesitated to field a 40ft dribbler.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 06/09/2023 - 06:53 pm

alzolay gets his 3rd save.  him and leiter are tied for the team lead...3 saves and we're 1/3rd the way through june.

everyone in the pen has a different role every game...they closing, setup, middle relief, multi-inning...who knows?  i think 1981 is the last time the team had less than 10 saves from anyone (not counting 2020).

alzolay should have been the closer out of spring...just let him take the role.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 06/10/2023 - 06:13 pm

daaaaaaaamn tauchman out there with the glove.  2.2ip from hendricks so far and 4 outs have been warning track, including 1 very hardcore web gem by tauchman.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 06/10/2023 - 06:04 pm

hendricks finding a lot more ground ball outs...no hitter through 6 with only 68 pitches thrown (1bb, 2k)

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 06/10/2023 - 06:52 pm

mervis and morel with the offense with a HR each...hendricks with 8 innings of 1 run ball lowering his era/whip to 3.09/1.07

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 06/11/2023 - 06:14 pm

suzuki sitting for a 2nd day...okay, then.  morel in RF...  this "minor thing" and rest looking a bit more suspect...

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 06/12/2023 - 06:18 am

9 games under .500 and there's 2-4 weeks before the cubs have to decide whether to sell off c.bellinger and m.stroman.

stroman has been extremely vocal about wanting a contract extension, but he came out recently saying the team doesn't seem to be interested right now.

hendricks, fulmer, and boxberger (if/when healthy) are likely to be moved, too, but their value isn't exactly great right now...could be a toss-in along with bellinger or stroman, though.

[ ]

Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 06/12/2023 - 06:11 am

I'm really OK with the Cubs choosing either the seller or retainer roles this year, contingent upon them getting extensions done. Unfortunately, this administration's track record on extensions is pretty poor. Bellinger would technically "block" PCA, but I'm not sold on PCA being ready to start next season. And it's not like this roster is so airtight that a strong talent couldn't force it's way on if playing well.

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 06/12/2023 - 06:06 pm

I don't think the Cubs will sign Cody Bellinger to a multi-year contract before he becomes a free-agent post-2023, but it's not because he would block PCA, since Bellinger can play 1B.

However. Bellinger is a Scott Boras client, and the philosophy of the Boras Corporation is that the true market value of a player cannot be determined until he becomes a free-agent, so you don't buy-out free-agent years, although it - IS - OK to buy-out arbitration years because an arbitration salary is always at least a bit below free-agent market value, the next season isn't guaranteed, and a non-tender (the one way for an arbitration-eligible player to get to free-agency) usually follows a bad year (see Cody Bellinger). 

That said, nothing would preclude Bellinger from hitting free-agency and then coming back to the Cubs - AS LONG AS - the Cubs offer the most money and outbid other interested clubs (like Carlos Correa eventually re-signing with the Twins last off-season, or Aroldis Chapman going back to the Yankees in 2017 after helping the Cubs win the World Series). But that would be true even if the Cubs trade Bellinger at the trade deadline. As with all Boras clients, Bellinger will go where the money is (just like Kris Bryant did when he signed with the Rockies), and if the Cubs outbid everybody else next off-season, Bellinger could get traded at the TDL and still return to the Cubs in 2024 (not likely, but also not impossible). And if Bellinger does leave via free-agency, the Cubs can extend him a QO (which he will not accept, since his 2024 mutual option is for $25M) and get a comp draft pick if he signs elsewhere. 

So the Cubs probably won't trade Bellinger at the TDL - IF - they believe they have a legit shot at the N. L. Central. They will just make him a QO post-2023 and (worst case) get a 2024 comp draft pick. But if the Cubs don't see a pathway to the N. L. Central on 8/1, then Bellinger definitely gets traded at the TDL, since the Cubs almost certainly will not be able to sign him to a contract extension before he hits free-agency.   

As far as Marcus Stroman is concerned, Stroman received a Qualifying Offer when he was with the Mets (and he actually accepted it!) so he can't get another one. So if the Cubs can't sign Stroman to an extension and he opts out, the Cubs won't even get a comp draft pick for him because they cannot extend him a QO. The only way the Cubs will be able to get any kind of player value back for Stroman if he doesn't sign a contract extension and opts out is if he is traded at the Trade Deadline. So those are basically the two choices. Contract extension, or trade on or sometime before the TDL. (And obviously we don't know what Stroman actually wants in terms of money and years, and how much the Cubs think he's worth long-term). 

From the Cubs POV, the strength of their farm system right now is clearly starting pitchers (B. Brown, Wicks, Horton, and Hodge), outfielders (PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, Canario, N. Velazquez, B. Davis, and Pagan), middle infielders (J. Rojas, C. Hernandez, Triantos, Howard, and Made), and DH (Mervis, Perlaza, McGeary, and Ballesteros), and while there is no guarantee that any one prospect (even a very good one) will develop into a significant major league position player or pitcher, the immediate short-term plan (2023 and into 2024) should be to look at other areas beside SP and OF to improve via trades and/or free-agency (most especially 1B, 3B, and catcher), as well as looking to acquire young bullpen arms with multiple years of club control (like when the Marlins traded J. J. Bleday to Oakland for A.J. Puk). 

As far as an immediate magic bullet, there isn't one right now, although getting Bellinger and Steele back should help. If the Cubs are just as good without Bellinger as they are with him, there would have been no point in signing him. In fact, Bellinger was a candidate to be Comeback Player of the Year prior to his knee injury, and Steele was emerging as a Cy Young contender. They could not be adequately replaced.   

Otherwise, the fungible elements of the bullpen should be moved/exchanged ASAP. Bullpens are notoriously fluid, and so "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titantic" actually is what you do when a bullpen isn't getting the job done. You give minor leaguers a chance they might not otherwise have gotten, and if one doesn't work out, try somebody else. Make waiver claims. Just keep things moving until you get the bullpen in order. It's kind of like the WOPR computer trying to get the nuclear launch codes in WarGames. You keep trying different combinations until you get a launch. Keep things moving. Don't double-down on bullpen failure. Move on. 

And Hayden Wesneski is exactly - NOT - the type of pitcher you would want in a bullpen. Besides the extreme splits (he can't get LH hitters out), he just gives up too many home runs (which can kill a team in the late innings -- see Michael Fulmer). Walks are bad, but for a relief pitcher, the worst thing that can happen is a HR (that is not necessarily true for a SP, BTW, because a SP can allow multiple runs over multiple innings and still keep his team in the game). 

Also, now is the time to cut loose Patrick Wisdom, and it's not because of impending free-agency (he is under club control via arbitration through 2026). If he was actually a "three true outcome" guy (lots of walks, lots of strikeouts, and lots of home runs), that would be one thing, but he is the dreaded "two true outcome" hitter (lots of strikeouts and lots of HR, but not a lot of walks). Even if he was a Gold Glove caliber defender at 3B (which he is not), that offensive profile just doesn't work, especially on the 2023 Cubs. 

Meanwhile, Yonathan Perlaza is one of the best pure hitters in the Cubs system. He isn't one of the Cubs Top 15 prospects because his defense is sub-standard, but he is a switch-hitter with no clear dominant side, he makes hard contact, steals bases, takes walks, and doesn't strike out too much. Unfortunately at the big league level Perlaza is essentially a DH who can play corner OF in a pinch (and probably 2B or 3B in an extreme emergency), but the thing is, the Cubs actually need a DH! They need hitters.

Perlaza is eligible to be a Rule 9 minor league free-agent post-2023. He was also eligible to be a minor league 6YFA post-2022, but he signed a 2023 minor league successor contract prior to becoming a free-agent after the Cubs offered him "40-man roster money" (actually a bit more) and an NRI to MLB Spring Training 

However, agents normally advise their clients not to sign a minor league successor contract two years in a row (unless the player is a Crash Davis-type organizational guy) because it gives the impression that the player is complacent and/or afraid to bet on himself, and that is a really bad look as far as character is concerned.

Also, while signing a successor contract keeps the player under club control for another season, the player also becomes eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft (that's how the Cubs got Hector Rondon), and in the case of Perlaza, getting selected in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft would be fairly likely if he were to sign a successor contract, and since he is MLB-ready, the Cubs very likely wouldn't get him back. 

[ ]

Submitted by Childersb3 on Mon, 06/12/2023 - 06:18 pm

Phil is the Cubs voice of reason .

And he referenced War Games in baseball terms. Genius!!!!

Morel should get 3B. Madrigal and Wisdom can go. 

Perlaza gets DH

Mervis or Belli get 1B

PCA should get CF

Amaya should get 3 Catcher starts per week, minimum.

Call up all the velo arms in Iowa.

Take some risks!!

Thanks AZ Phil 

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 06/12/2023 - 06:13 pm

One thing to keep in mind is that starting this coming Friday (6/16), a post-2022 MLB Article XX-B free-agent who signed a major league contract can be traded without restriction. 

All post-2022 Article XX-B free-agents who signed a major league contract received an automatic "no trade" through 6/15. So Barnhart, Boxberger, Fulmer, Mancini, and Smyly can be traded (or placed on Outright Assignment Waivers in case somebody might want to assume the contract) starting on Friday. (Swanson and Taillon also were post-2022 Article XX-B free-agents, but they have contractual "no trade" rights -- Swanson "full" and Taillon "partial" -- beyond the automatic Article XX-B "no trade" the others have). 

BTW, Cody Bellinger does not have automatic Article XX-B "no trade" rights through 6/15 because he was not an Article XX-B free-agent post-2022 (he was a non-tendered FA post-2022), although he will qualify as an Article XX-B free-agent post-2023 because he will have accrued in excess of six years of MLB Service Time (he was at 5+160 through 2022, so he was twelve days short). 

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    azbobbop: Yes. 

  • Mike Wellman (view)

    I’ve got Tim’s The Last Out too, along with some other prints of his work.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Very well played game all around tonight.

  • crunch (view)

    best starter and 2 top hitters from the team gone...and they keep on winning.

    little ahead of myself here, but the RSox got 9 outs to find 6+ runs.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Richard Gallardo just left the Smokies game with an arm injury after going to the ground following a pitch. Doesn’t sound good at all.

  • azbobbop (view)

    Phil, do you think Wiggins will start out in ACL?

  • azbobbop (view)

    The level of conversation on this site is intelligent, reasoned and informative. Miles ahead of other Cub sites.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    This was Jaxon Wiggins previous "live" BP on 4/5: 

    JAXON WIGGINS: 
    ONE INNING (20 pitches - 10 strikes) 
    one batted ball in play (F-9 by Stevens)
    one walk (B. Davis) 
    one HBP (B. Davis)
    two strikeouts (Peralta & Escobar - both looking)
    three swing & miss 
    two fouls 
    four called strikes
    nine called balls 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Prior to the Cactus League game at Papago Park, three Cubs pitchers threw "live" BP on Field 1 at the Cubs Sloan Park complex, including RHRP Ethan Roberts (June 2022 TJS) and Cubs 2023 2nd round draft pick RHP Jaxon Wiggins (February 2023 TJS).  

    Wiggins last threw "live" BP three weeks ago before being shut down for a couple of weeks, and this was the first time Roberts has thrown to hitters in almost two years. 

    JAXON WIGGINS: 
    ONE INNING:
    25 pitches (11 strikes)
    no batted balls in play
    two walks (Suriel and J. Diaz) 
    three strikeouts (Carico, Lubo, and Escobar - all three swinging)
    six swing & miss
    two fouls 
    three called strikes 
    14 called balls 
    one WP 

    ETHAN ROBERTS: 
    ONE INNING 
    15 pitches (7 strikes) 
    two batted balls in play (G-3 by Carico and L-9 by Suriel) 
    two walks (Lubo and Carico)
    no strikeouts  
    no swing & miss 
    two fouls 
    three called strikes 
    eight called balls 
    one WP 

    Mat Peters was bumped by Justin Steele from his scheduled game work at Giants, so he threw two innings of "live" BP with Wiggins & Roberts. 

    MAT PETERS: 
    TWO INNINGS 
    44 pitches (23 strikes) 
    five batted balls in play (F-7, L-7, F-7, G-6, G-3) 
    three walks 
    two strikeouts (both Lubo and both looking)
    six swing & miss 
    three fouls 
    nine called strikes
    21 called balls 
    three WP 

  • crunch (view)

    wall stole a HR from busch...double.  nice to see him destroy a curve ball.

    upon further viewing, that might not have been a homer in too many parks...it had a lot of hang time, though.

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