Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

37 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (three slots are open)

Last updated 11-17-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 20
Adbert Alzolay 
Michael Arias
Javier Assad
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Porter Hodge
* Bailey Horn
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
Michael Rucker
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 8
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Luis Vazquez
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 7
Kevin Alcantara
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
Brennen Davis
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
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Cubs @ Atlanta: Series Thread (Games 157-159)

The Cubs swept their final home series of the season and they hold the final NL Wild Card spot and trail Arizona by half a game going into the day off on Monday. These final six games will see the Cubs on the road against two division leaders, Atlanta and Milwaukee. The bullpen has struggled without key arms. There's a chance that Alzolay could return on this road trip, and Mark Leiter may be ready to appear again sometime soon. The Cubs are also looking to activate Jeimer Candelario as soon as his lower back allows it. Stroman has already returned to reinforce the rotation. Find him in the daily matchups below.


Game 157, Tuesday, September 26, 6:20 pm central
CHC: LHP Justin Steele (16-5, 3.00 ERA)
ATL: RHP Bryce Elder (12-4, 3.63 ERA)


Game 158, Wednesday, September 27, 6:20 pm central
CHC: RHP Jameson Taillon (8-10, 5.05 ERA)
ATL: TBD


Game 159, Thursday, September 28, 6:20 pm central
CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (10-8, 3 88 ERA)
ATL: TBD

Comments

ARZ lost.  going into the last week of play ARZ + CHC are tied for the last 2 WC spots...MIA -1, CIN -2.5

Padres want to restructure while still competing, yet decrease payroll.
Snell and Hader are FAs.
Soto has one year left on deal.
Our bullpen is in dire need of someone like Hader.
Snell would cost a ton and maybe Steele's presence makes Snell unnecessary, yet you cannot have enough pitching (I'd like Yamamoto)
But, we can put a deal together for Soto. We'd have to pony up the cash to keep him to make the trade worth it long term, but we can make a value deal for the Padres.

Morel, Canario, Mervis, Vazquez, one MiLB SP (Sanders-Arias-Gray-maybe Ferris), and Stroman (or Hendricks)
So, it's a six for one deal.
The issue here is that five of these guys have to be on the Padres 40man roster. That might be too much for them. So maybe BJ Murray instead of Vazquez.
Morel is blocked from a defensive position. So he's our DH. He'd be replaced by Soto.

We'd still keep Alcantara and ONKC to replace Happ and Suzuki eventually.
We'd still need to figure out 3B. Maybe bring back Candelario.
I'd resign Belli for 1B or CF if PCA isn't "ready" in Spring Training.
Wisdom can stay to help Soto with DH spots vs LH arms.

You'd have LH bats at DH, 1B, 3B (switch), LF (switch), CF (PCA or Tauch) with 20 HR pop at DH, 1B, LF and 15 HR pop at 3B and CF.  That's pretty solid.
It'll cost too much for the Ricketts to keep Bellinger and Soto but that would be fun to watch.

ATL 1-5 hitters have 30+ homers...1 of those with 40 homers, and another with 53 homers.  they have a guy with 21 homers hitting 8th.

good luck cubs.  mega-extra good luck wednesday taillon...and wesn + smyly out of the pen.

adam wainwright is calling it quits.  he had another start (or 2) ahead of him, but he's going out with that last great outing at home (7ip 4h 2bb 3k, 0r/er).  the fans gave him a lot of love.

PCA is no javy baez when it comes to being highly aggressive.  he's cost the team runs and outs in the field and on the bases in his short playing time...

men on and steele in trouble...of course it's cuas up in the pen.  cuas isn't trash, but wow...this is our high-leverage guy?  he's just a bit wild and not exactly hard to hit for a guy being called on so much to deal with guys on base.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

he's wearing this one for life whether he likes it or not.  you can't pull a brant brown in the last week of the season when it's 4 teams going for 2 playoff spots...especially with your last games going forward vs teams that are 1st place in their division.

he might as well do whatever it takes to move on because it's part of the drama of this chase for the post-season no matter how the cubs do here on out.

that was a true kick in the teeth loss.  6 run lead blown.  ARZ won.  CIN won.  MIA postponed (vs NYM)

in 1 week of play, masterboney has gone from a line of .206/.289/.265 to .262/.333/.328

11 hits and 1 walk in 21 PA.  9 singles, 2 doubles.

candel's back and playing 1st.  tauchman DH'ing...  j.young optioned to AAA...forgot he was here.

[ ]

In reply to by Dolorous Jon Lester

I'll be curious to see him at a time when the team isn't desperate for every little edge. What would he look like debuting for a team that already sealed their fate for the season? I think he'd still be struggling at the plate, but his other tools might show up.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

I agree. Of course he has the offseason to work on things and he’s super young, but at the moment I don’t see an MLB level player in April 2024. Hopefully he takes this experience and gets more figured out and can come up and contribute sometime next year. There’s a lot of talent there but he doesn’t look ready for this level yet.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

one thing people aren't too open about is his ego.  it's huge.  hopefully it doesn't get in his way.

that said, i've not heard that his ego has caused any teammate issues and with people that have "strong egos" that's a big deal.  having a big ego isn't necessarily a terrible thing if you're still coachable and it doesn't make your workplace toxic.

i honestly think the PCA we see now is the PCA we're getting...only with less instances of being asked to bunt.  he's a better hitter than his numbers, obviously.  i dunno what he will change with his approach at the plate, though.

hopefully his game will mature, especially learning when to let one fall in front of him and when to not to try to make a miracle throw.  he takes pride in his defense, and he should, but a highlight reel shouldn't be an every-game goal.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I hear you on that. I don’t have a ton of faith in the organization in a lot of respects, but I do genuinely believe they make a concerted effort to get players with a good head on their shoulders. MLB has a way of humbling even the most inflated egos, as it’s humbling him now. Given the organizational philosophy, I do think he’s the type to adjust and work on things rather than just continue on with exactly the same thing.

That said, I think he’s a MLB caliber prospect obviously. I think great defense, fast baserunner in the show is his floor. I said earlier I see his floor as Peter Bourjos, nothing I’ve seen has caused me to change that. Bourjos was perfectly fine but I think we’d all be kinda disappointed if that’s what he turns into. He does have a much higher ceiling we can still dream on.

i know this 2023 ATL team is one of the best teams of all time, like easy top 5 by any metric...but these 2 losses stung.

tauchman CF, candel DH, bellinger 1st

night off for CIN.  a win would put CHC up by 2 games over CIN with 3 games to go.

why the hell is assad pitching?  he was looking overworked 2 days ago when he pitched after having only 2 days off after pitching 4ip/49 pitches.

Cubs bullpen sorta strikes again: ex-Cub Anthony Kay blows the Mets 1-0 lead against the Marlins in the ninth 

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    thomas hatch is going to fight ham in japan.  he was on PIT's 40-man.

  • crunch (view)

    morel played somewhere besides 3rd and SS...he got 8 innings in CF, 2 putouts and an assist.

  • crunch (view)

    ryan flaherty new cubs bench coach.

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger wins comeback player of the year.  the AL winner was liam hendricks and his 5ip before he got tommy john...setting himself up for a 2025 shot at the award.

  • Bill (view)

    I hope that Perlaza goes on to have a successful career.  On most Cubs teams prior to the current administration, he would have been one of their more highly ranked prospects.  As far as the others are concerned, one or more may well go on to be much better than expected, but unfortunately there is no way to tell which one at the present time.  You can't keep everyone.

  • crunch (view)

    s.gray signs with the cards...3/75m

  • Arizona Phil (view)


    Another one of the nine Cubs post-2023 Rule 9 minor league 6YFA has signed, as RHP Carlos Guzman (acquired from the Tigers for Zack McKinstry at the end of Spring Training) signed a 2024 minor league contract with the Mets. 

     

    So RHRP Yovanny Cruz (SD), C-INF P. J. Higgins (CIN), and now Carlos Guzman (NYM) have already signed 2024 minor league contracts with new MLB organizations, and OF Yonathan Perlaza is headed for Korea (Hanhwa Eagles).

  • crunch (view)

    ...and back to 3rd for another game.  at this point i'm gonna hang back and when/if he actually plays 1st then i'll find it notable.  i am glad he's playing a good amount of 3rd, though...give the club one more good look at him there.  shrug

  • crunch (view)

    morel played SS last night (no errors)...hit a homer and a double.  he's got 2 of both in 19PA.

  • crunch (view)

    e.escobar was throwing 95-97mph on his fastball in 2023.