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 Organizational Report Week 23

Abbreviated organizational report this week since the minors league seasons are over except for the AA Jaxx. I'll get a post up with the final minor league numbers in the next few weeks. For more info on the Cubs' minor league system, check out Rudy Kamman, writing at Road to Wrigley. Team Records updated through 9/12/05
Organizational Records
TeamW-LGB/Pos.Last 10
Chicago Cubs71-72(Div)19.5/3rd
(WC)5.5/5th
8-2
Iowa Cubs64-758.5/4th3-7
West Tenn Diamond Jaxx*39-31
83-56
0.0/1st5-5
Daytona Cubs34-34
69-66
4.0/5th6-4
Peoria Chiefs33-37
68-72
4.5/6th5-5
Boise Hawks34-423.0/3rd5-5
AZL Cubs9-19
19-37
9.0/9th4-6
Cubs Ex W/L: 72-71; (2003) 76-67; (2004) 79-64 * West Tennessee swept their first round series over the Carolina Mudcats and face the Jacksonville Suns for the Southern League championship starting on Tuesday, September 13th.
TRANSACTIONS
MLB NONE TO REPORT AAA/Iowa SEASON OVER AA/West Tennessee NONE TO REPORT Advanced A/Daytona SEASON OVER A/Peoria SEASON OVER Low A/Boise SEASON OVER Rookie Leauge/Arizona SEASON OVER Southern League Playoffs Game 1: Jaxx 3, Mudcats 0 Game 2: Jaxx 2, Mudcats 1 Game 3: Jaxx 11, Mudcats 2 Jaxx win series 3-0 Championship Series: Game 1 (Sept. 13th): @ Jacksonsville Suns Game 2 (Sept. 14th): @ Jacksonville Suns Game 3 (Sept. 16th): vs. Jacksonsville Suns Game 4 (Sept. 17th): vs. Jacksonville Suns (if necessary) Game 5 (Sept. 18th): vs. Jacksonville Suns (if necessary) GREG MADDUX WINS WATCH Needs 3 wins in 4 starts (possibly 5) to continue his streak of 15 or more wins a season for an 18th year. His projected starts: 09/12 vs. Cincinnati Reds 09/17 vs. St. Louis Cardinals 09/23 vs. Houston Astros 09/29 @ Houston Astros With off-days, they may skip some starts and go with the following: 09/12 vs. Cinicinnati Reds 09/17 vs. St. Louis Cardinals 09/22 @ Milwaukee Brewers 09/27 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates 10/02 @ Houston Astros 2005 ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE PARTICIPANTS RHP David Aardsma RHP Angel Guzman SS/OF Buck Coats OF Matt Murton 2B Eric Patterson 1B/OF Brandon Sing

Comments

Is there any reason in any universe that's sane in any way (I realize it's Dusty's world and we're all just living in it) that you wouldn't go with 5 starts for Maddux? Even if you're making the argument that they're pushing for a playoff spot (HA), isn't he still one of your 3 best pitchers? You don't have to skip Prior or Z, so what's to lose? Dusty made some noise today about "well, if he needs another start, we can get him one later", but if he's not rested, that doesn't work.

Is there any reason in any universe that's sane in any way (I realize it's Dusty's world and we're all just living in it) that you wouldn't go with 5 starts for Maddux? Even if you're making the argument that they're pushing for a playoff spot (HA), isn't he still one of your 3 best pitchers? You don't have to skip Prior or Z, so what's to lose? Dusty made some noise today about "well, if he needs another start, we can get him one later", but if he's not rested, that doesn't work.

Oh, and wouldn't the last start be on 10/2?

"09/27 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates" That sure does look familiar.

For the Dusty's fans and detractors on the TCR, here are Joe Sheehan's comments from his baseball notes column on today's baseballpropsectus web page. Joe, who is a real big Dusty fan (NOT!), is not to high on Cedeno who the Cubs are willing to dump Garcippara to make room for. He also does not understand that Dusty expects a rookie to earn his way into and up the line-up. At least that is my SWAG at Dusty's handling of Murton as nothing else makes sense. "Dusty Baker continues to impress. He's finally found it in his heart to work Matt Murton into the lineup once in a while, but when he does, he bats him eighth. Murton is hitting .342/.424/.521, yet hits behind Neifi Perez on those rare occasions when he starts. What's truly hilarious is comparing Murton to Ronny Cedeno. Murton out-hit Cedeno coming into '05, destroyed what Cedeno did at Double-A, and even matched Cedeno's BA-driven fluke season at Triple-A in limited time at that level. He's also out-hit Cedeno in the majors. Matt Murton is, by any reasonable standard, a better hitter than Ronny Cedeno. And when they both start, Cedeno bats second, Murton bats eighth. Look, middle infielders bat second, mmmkay? On the other hand, Baker has added another data point to the argument that any pitcher can be made into a closer. Ryan Dempster will reach 30 saves by the end of the season, the latest in a long line of mediocre pitchers to pick up the scarlet "C" and, likely, make million of dollars for it. His numbers in relief aren't terrible: 2.20 ERA in 49 innings, 40 strikeouts and 22 walks. By the standards of short relievers, those aren't exceptional, and Dempster has a critical flaw for a closer: lefties slap him around (.297/.417/.391 in 2005). This won't end well."

Cubs still in it? Stranger things have happened. Take it game by game. Win tonight and then see what happens. If by some stroke of luck we gain two games this week, then we are 3.5 out with two weeks to go. At that point, I would say we are definitely back in it.

Ron Galt asked me a couple of Chats back about the 2003 Prospectus Article that talked up Dusty's ability to get the most out of veterans. They had two tables in the article. One consisted of the veterans on the 2002 World Series team and second, bigger, table of players who had a least 350 plate appearances with Dusty and who had pre Dusty and Post Dusty careers. The vast majority were definetly better performers under Dusty. I am not at home, but will copy the smaller table in a follow-up Post.

is there any real heat behind this rumor that the cubs would let nomar walk to play cedeno instead? that would be an atrocious move...

only sportswriters selling papers... depending on what week it is, garciappara's coming back to start, neifi's coming back to start, furcal's coming to start, cedeno's ready to take over at SS, cedeno's gonna be the backup, or he's moving to 2nd when walker is traded while one of the other 3 starts at SS. wee! ps- adam dunn.

Did anyone read the articles about the possibility of Nomar playing left field?...Imagine....Barrett/Blanco at Catcher, DLEE, Walker, Cedeno, Ramirez from 1st to 3rd, Nomah in Left, Damon in Center and Burnie in Right....Cedeno would be practically free, and Damon would come from the "Sammy Savings"...resign burnie for your third outfielder, bench of Blanco, Perez, Hairston, Murton, and Grieve/McClain/whomever....Bullpen filled from within with Prior, Z, Wood, Maddux, and Williams filling the rotation. If Ramirez pulls a groin, put Nomar there and Murton in left...if Walker gets hurt or Cedeno, play Neifi...or move Nomar in and put Murton in left...I don't know the odds of Nomar playing left, but, boy do I like our lineup: 1.Damon 2.Cedeno 3.DLee 4.Nomar 5.Ramirez 6.Burnie 7.Walker 8.Barrett 9.Pitcher Doesn't sound too bad to me at all...

Damon's not coming. Get over your boner for that guy.

Jon at Work, Wouldn't it make more sense to leave Nomar at short and let Murton start in left?

Blue, I suppose...I guess I figured this would plug two gaps at once...our need for a leftfielder and a decent SS(although the jury may still be out on Cedeno). And Cedeno would be really cheap...but I suppose Murton and Nomar would give us the same savings Murton's salary versus Cedeno's and Murton would fill the left field spot...so, either way, I suppose

I am glad to see I am not the only one Big John Stud harasses on here and adds nothing to the conversation but classless attacks.

ROB G: John Koronka has been added to the Cubs contingent that will be playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in the AFL starting next month. So it was a lefty, but not the lefty I thought it would be (I figured Ryan O'Malley).

Joe Sheehan--"Matt Murton is, by any reasonable standard, a better hitter than Ronny Cedeno."
Of course, and so he's right that Murton should bat higher up the order, but I really don't appreciate his tone towards Cedeno. Writing off Cedeno's spell at Triple-A as a "BA-driven fluke" misses the point given that knocking off 80 points of average on balls in play leaves Cedeno's line at around .290/.340/.440, still extremely respectable for a 22-year old shortstop having his first go at a league, even if it is a hitter-friendly one. Furthermore, Cedeno is a good defensive shortstop, and while that doesn't mean Cedeno should bat second, it does mean you should try to avoid sounding like you think absolutely nothing of Cedeno. It's also interesting that Sheehan doesn't see fit to point out that merely adequate left-field defender Murton's stint at Double-A (and everywhere else this year) also has "BA-driven fluke" written all over it in that Murton is no natural .340 hitter now, and he doesn't ever project as one either. Right now, until Murton's eye starts resulting in more walks and his power comes through, and I expect that it will, he's not so much superior a hitter relative to Cedeno that you need to have a massive go at Dusty over which way around they're batting. Rather you just have to be grateful they're in the lineup at all, and take the fact that they're the wrong way around as a slight inconvenience as opposed to something that's ruining our season. It's not as though Cedeno has a .304 OBP or anything. I don't read Sheehan, I'm not a subscriber, but whenever he's quoted he seems to know an awful lot about what he's talking about. I'm just not sure what his problem is here. Dusty probably. Anyway, it's a moot point now, Cedeno's injured and Mr .304 is batting second again now. Now that's something I don't mind Sheehan vociferously complaining about.

its doubtful he's got a huge problem with cedeno, but cedeno's not exactly a guy who projects well with a bat. he'll swing at a lotta stuff, make contact (mostly weak), and has an extremely straight swing. if he had more power it would lead to line-drive gappers, but most of the time it leads to solid smacks and bloopers that dont go further than 200ft. cedeno's not a guy who you have to pitch around...you just pitch somewhere off/near the plate and eventually he'll swing at it and make contact somewhere. he's not gonna wait for his pitch cuz everything is his pitch. he's not vlad-like in plate selection (bad) but he's not gonna sit around and wait for his ideal pitch for his stregnths.

Thanks for another repetition of your scouting report, Crunch. I still don't agree with it, and I probably still won't if you run it by me another hundred times.

Recent comments

  • 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.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    The issue is the Cubs are 11-7 and have been on the road for 12 of those 18.  We should be at least 13-5, maybe 14-4. Jed isn't feeling any pressure to play anyone he doesn't see fit.
    But Canario on the bench, Morel not at 3B for Madrigal and Wisdom in RF wasn't what I thought would happen in this series.
    I was hoping for Morel at 3B, Canario in RF, Wisdom at DH and Madrigal as a pinch hitter or late replacement.
    Maybe Madrigal starts 1 game against the three LHSP for Miami.
    I'm thinking Canario goes back to Iowa on Sunday night for Mastrobuoni after the Miami LHers are gone.
    Canario needs ABs in Iowa and not bench time in MLB.
    With Seiya out for a while Wisdom is safe unless his SOs are just overwhelmingly bad.

    My real issue with the lineup isn't Madrigal. I'm not a fan, but I've given up on that one.
    It's Tauchman getting a large number of ABs as the de factor DH and everyday player.
    I didn't realize that was going to be the case.
    We need a better LH DH. PCA or ONKC need to force the issue in about a month.
    But, even if they do so, Jed doesn't have to change anything if the Cubs stay a few over .500!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!