Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# 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 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Playoff Preview

If you're suffereing from parachat withdrawal, then feel free to pop in if you want to talk about the playoffs. No promises on who will be there, but give it a shot. The link is on the sidebar. Last year I trotted out the World's Most Useless Playoff Predictor. Let's try it again... To review: #1) Find the teams that have been playing well for longer than a weekÖ.a good 2 month stretch or longer is nice. #2) Find teams that have a knack for coming from behind #3) 2 dominant starters on staff equals trouble for other team. #4) Aggressive managing is better than the same old thing works managing. #5) Never go for a team with a bad defense particularly up the middle (CF, 2b, SS & C) #6) And of course there is the ex-Cub factor. A's vs Twins Twins are 35-22 since August, A's are 37-18. If Francisco Liriano stayed healthy my hands down pick would have been the Twins to win it all. Instead, the A's with Zito and Harden and Haren look more promising than Johan and the other guys. I don't have numbers for come from behind wins, but it seemed like the Twins did it a little more often. The managers and defense seem to be a push and the ex-Cubs factor favors the A's, 2-0. Pick: A's in 4 Cardinals vs. Padres Cards are 25-31 since August 1st, Padres are 33-23. Cards have Carpenter and a merry-band of guys masquerading as major league pitchers. Padres have Jake Peavy and Chris Young. Peavy hasn't been right all year, but he has the skills to dominate a team at any given moment. Seems like Cards had more surprise wins than the Padres. I've never liked Larussa in the playoffs, Bochy is one of my favorite managers. Cards do have the defensive advantage but the only distinct advantage is at the catching positon. Well 3b too, especially when Todd Walker plays there, but I dont' find that as crucial in the playoffs. Ex-Cub factor is 3-1 in favor of the Cards which may be the Padres ultimate undoing. Pick: Padres in 5 Tigers vs. Yankees Since August 1st: Tigers 23-31, Yanks 35-27 Dominating Pitchers: Tigers - Bonderman, Verlander; Yanks - Mussina, Big Unit (if healthy) Come From Behind Team: Yanks Manager: Push, maybe Torre Middle Defense: Tigers easily, but big improvement of Damon over Bernie this year and Jeter has been a lot better this year Ex-Cub Factor: 2-1 advantage Tigers, but that one is Neifi! Pick: Yanks in 4 (yeah I decided on a new format mid-way through, live with it) Dodgers vs. Mets Since August 1st: Dodgers 37-19, Mets 32-23 Dominating Pitchers: Dodgers - Lowe arguably and Penny who seems hurt; Mets - Pedro who is hurt Come From Behind Team: Both, although Dodgers really pulled of some miracles Manager: Randolph hasn't been in the playoffs yet, but he's pretty aggressive during the season Middle Defense: Mets Ex-Cub Factor: 4-3 advantage Mets Pick: Mets look in serious trouble with their pitching but the ex-Cub factor is real. Mets in 5 very high scoring games I'll take A's over Yankees and Padres over Mets in the league championship series. I like the A's to win it all over the Padres (The Sandy Alderson invitational). -- UPDATE: How rude of me not to invite you guys to participate? Anyway throw your predictions into the comments and we can have some sort of informal contest. I'll even offer up a template, just cut and paste and put in your own guesses: Division Series A's vs Twins: A's in 4 Cards vs Padres: Padres in 5 Tigers vs Yanks: Yanks in 4 Dodgers vs Mets: Mets in 5 LCS A's vs Yankees: A's in 6 Padres vs Mets: Padres in 7 World Series A's vs. Padres: A's in 7 Scoring system - 1 point for the division series, 3 points for the LCS, 7 points for the World Series winner. A 3 point bonus if you guess the games correctly but you only get those points if you guess the correct team to win that series as well.

Comments

Man Peavy has had a brytal year overall... Oh well, go A's!!!! Also, I noticed that the Indians picked up Jake Westbrook's $6.1 million option today. Not a surprise, but that is one less possible decent FA signee possible for Hendry.

mark bellhorn in to pinch-hit with bases juiced.... I should have went with the cards and the ex-cub factor

Todd Walker grounds out with bases loaded and 2 outs. Go ex-Cubs!!

My rooting interests this postseason (rooting for Twins-Padres) is evaporating as quickly in hours today as the Cubs evaporated in May. Good lord, Peavy... Should Rick Monday count as an Ex-Cub Factor Emeritus for the Dodgers?

Ex cubs secret society, the Anti-Masons, united by the fact that they DON'T have special rings, namely WS rings.

I'm not too worried if Padres lose this game, the only chance the Cards have is when Carpenter pitches.

I put up a playoff contest at the end of the post if anyone cares to participate....

Both home teams might lose this afternoon, now if we can make that 3-3 today, that would be sweet!!

Division Series A's vs Twins: A's in 4 Cards vs Padres: Cardinals in 5 Tigers vs Yanks: Yanks in 4 Dodgers vs Mets: Mets in 5 LCS A's vs Yankees: A's in 5 Cardinals vs Mets: Mets in 6 World Series A's vs. Mets: A's in 6

who the hell is tyler johnson anyway?

Rob, I am not too worried about the Padres losing even the first two games of the series, as long as Leon Durham starts at first base for the other team.

Crunch - check the yahoo group. Hey that Pujols kid is pretty good, he might turn out to be good one day huh?

Division Series A's vs Twins: A's in 4 Cards vs Padres: Padres in 5 Tigers vs Yanks: Tigers in 5 Dodgers vs Mets: Dodgers in 4 LCS A's vs Tigers: A's in 7 Dodgers vs Padres: Padres in 7 World Series A's vs. Padres: A's in 6

Division Series A's vs Twins: Twins in 5 Cards vs Padres: Padres in 5 Tigers vs Yanks: Tigers in 5 Dodgers vs Mets: Mets in 5 LCS Twins vs Tigers: Tigers in 6 Mets vs Padres: Padres in 6 World Series Tigers vs. Padres: Tigers in 5 Tony Gwynn hits .550 and is MVP in losing effort. Kirk Gibson jacks one off of Willie Hernandez in Game 1, Steve Garvey fails to show up for Game 2 when the bail bondsman alerted to his comeback, Eric Show loses to Jack Morris in a Game 4 pitching duel, and an opportune stolen base by Chet Lemon in extra innings leads the Tigers to victory.

#19 of 19: By Rob G. (October 3, 2006 07:15 PM) uh, who wants to break it to DC Tom? - Wow, guys, I had this terrible dream that Dallas Green was no longer GM of the Cubs, that the guy who heads the Twins, of all teams, was in charge here, someone named Trebbelrigglefvre managed awhile, Maddux won some Cy Youngs but I kinda did not recognize the uniform, then Dusy Baker--Dusty Baker, yeah, that same guy!--managed for awhile and you were there, and Trans was there (but we called him Doctor there), and Arizona Phil was there talking about homemade Pie, and and and...Hey, isn't Sutcliffe pitching and didn't he just hit a home run in the playoffs for the Cubs? There is no place like home!

Interview underway with the interim prez on WGN Radio...

Did he say anything interesting?

Yes, if someone listened to it, please update the rest of us.

Nothing too spectacular. You can read his enthusiasm for this offseason's work ahead. Sounds believable (his passion). Well, he did speak to the Steve Stone lunch sighting. Just acknowledged their long-term relationship and gave props to Stone. Also spoke of listening to the hosts and fan comments/rants the last week and of watching the last three outs of the season and wanting to reward the fanatic fans that we are. First on the agenda is a manager. Timetable is this month. He said that he and Hendry spent a lot of time together today and are on the same page for the process and doesn't see them having a difference of opinion on who should be hired. Sounds to me like they have agreed on the order of their list of candidates.

The hosts also joked about how to spend the money. The joke was: Can we get Nefi back? They all laughed at that, even the prez.

While the results of the first two games would have changed my predicitions...I'll stick with my original (and stupid) predictions: Division Series A's vs Twins: Twins in 4 Cards vs Padres: Padres in 5 Tigers vs Yanks: Yanks in 4 Dodgers vs Mets: Dodgers in 4 LCS Twins vs Yankees: Twins in 7 Dodgers vs Padres: Dodgers in 6 World Series Twins vs Dodgers: Twinkies in 6 Baseball Ryder Cup Astros vs Cubs: Astros 23.5 - Cubs 4.5 But Zambrano Defeats Clemens 5 & 4

Hobart Mike: The hosts also joked about how to spend the money. The joke was: Can we get Nefi back? They all laughed at that, even the prez. That's amusing. Right this second I am revelling in the fact that the new management is making jokes about Neifi Perez. I'm trying not to get too optimistic, but that's just great. mike: He said that he and Hendry spent a lot of time together today and are on the same page for the process and doesn't see them having a difference of opinion on who should be hired. "on the same page", huh? I imagine the conversation went something like this: Hendry {with a pale, ghostly look}: What do you think we should do about this manager situation? McDonough: We want to find someone with the following qualities: ?, ?, and ?. Some guys I have in mind are ?, ?, and ?. Don't you agree these are good ideas? Hendry: Yes, sir. McDonough: Good, glad to see we are on the same page. By the way, thanks for the updates on the press conference. WGN radio doesn't come in too clear this far away. ;)

Before the interview with McDon...McDona...McDona how to spell it, Girardi was interviewed. I tried listening with ears not Cubby Blue, but he was fawning over the job. Without flat out saying he wanted the job, he essentially flat out said he wanted the job.

Division Series A's vs Twins: A's in 4 Cards vs Padres: Cards in 4 Tigers vs Yanks: Tigers in 5 Dodgers vs Mets: Mets in 5 LCS A's vs Tigers: A's in 5 Cards vs Mets: Mets in 6 World Series A's vs. Mets: Mets in 6

I just dont think girardi will get the job due to his rep with his past boss. I dont think hendry nor the trib company want that

Division Series A's vs Twins: Twins in 5 Tigers vs Yankees: Yankees in 4 Cards vs Padres: Padres in 5 Dodgers vs Mets: Dodgers in 5 LCS Twins vs Yankees: Yankees in 6 Dodgers vs Padres: Dodgers in 5 World Series Yankees vs Dodgers: Yankees in 6

"Sounds believable (his passion)." We'll beat that right out of him . A's in 4 Yanks in 4 Dodgers in 4 Padres in 4 A's in 6 Dodgers in 7 A's in 6 pitching, pitching........

Division Series A's vs Twins: A's in 4 Cards vs Padres: Padres in 4 Tigers vs Yanks: Yankees in 5 Dodgers vs Mets: Mets in 4 LCS A's vs Yankees: A's in 7 Padres vs Mets: Padres in 6 World Series A's vs. Padres: A's in 5

A's vs Twins: A's in 4 Tigers vs Yankees: Yankees in 3 Cardinals vs Padres: Cardinals in 4 Dodgers vs Mets: Mets in 4 A's vs Yankees: Yankees in 5 Cardinals vs Mets: Mets in 4 Yankees vs Mets: Yankees in 5 How did I pick 'em? Simple; in each series I picked the twam I dislike most as the winner. It works every fall.

RYNO - By the way, thanks for the updates on the press conference. WGN radio doesn't come in too clear this far away. ;) Sure. You can go to the WGN Radio website and listen to shows live. That's what I did. I recently moved away from NW Indiana to Seattle.

end of the article is interesting...dunno if it points to a more slimmed-down probable option list of manager or if its just a reporter tossing out a few names to just wrap his article up. "Girardi and former Arizona manager and current Cubs TV analyst Bob Brenly are considered candidates for the Chicago job." bob's getting 3m a year anyway...i could live with him as manager. probally wouldnt cost much of anything except for bob's booth replacement. let the stone rumors begin...sigh... im not really thrilled about either guy, honestly...but ultimately i dont care. im still kinda hoping a 'no-name' type gets to fill the role.

brenly was kind of a disaster in arizona except when shilling and randy were pitching, so I'm not a fan. OBP-challenged Tony Womack was his leadoff man... I'm torn on Girardi at the moment At least I know he's heard of OBP coming from the Yanks, same goes for Ron Washington. whether they value it is another story... and of course all that other important stuff that I don't really know much about these guys.

I think it's likely that Joe isn't quite the hardass, bad guy that he was made out to be. Regardless of what Dan LeBastard had to say, I'd like to see him get the job. Everyone knows Loria is a total douche, it's just too bad Joe didn't challenge him to a boxing match. I don't know if a punch would do much damage to Loria's catcher's mitt face.

An interesting comment by Baker posted on Cubs.com: "I have not been contacted by anyone from the Nationals as of yet," Baker said on Tuesday." Does that mean he has been contacted from other team(s)? I think it is 50/50 he is a manager by 2007 Opening Day.

Rob G.: "brenly was kind of a disaster in arizona except when shilling and randy were pitching, so I'm not a fan." Brenly only managed AZ for 79 games without Johnson and Schilling starting. Isn't that a little tough to judge a guy on? His record the first 3 years was outstanding 274-212. He won 2 divisions, 1 WS and finished above .500 each year. Yes, 2004 was a disaster, but still.

big john stud: Everyone knows Loria is a total douche, it's just too bad Joe didn't challenge him to a boxing match. I don't know if a punch would do much damage to Loria's catcher's mitt face. Yeah, I'm sort of getting that same impression of him. It sounds like the Marlins are run by a bunch of assholes. Still, you don't want to hire a manager if he's going to be trouble for the GM.

To me, the problem with Girardi is the report (from LeBatard and others) that he calls for a bunt an inordinate amount of times. Like when there's a runner on first and the pitcher is on deck, he'll still put on the bunt sign. That's a problem. The whole Loria-Beinfest deal is much less of a problem in my opinion. Certainly Girardi learned a thing or two, but I agree that nearly everyone knows that Marlins management are jerks. Girardi won't having to be telling the owner of the Cubs to shut his big mouth during any Cubs games. I have to think Hendry will look past that a little and see the season the Marlins had and the work Girardi did. The Marlins finished nearly at .500 first and foremost because of their players, but Girardi did a fine job, no doubt about it. As for managing the Cubs, he'd probably not be my top pick, but I'd be glad to have him, not least of which because of his obvious and clear desire to manage this team.

I'm talking about the "managing" Brenly did that didn't involve putting Schilling or Johnson on the mound. I didn't follow Arizona all that closely, but a lot of people were livid in the 2001 series over the moves Brenly made. Sort of a, they won in spite of him not because of him. Kind of like your boy Dusty.. It's just whispers and some stuff I read, but none of it sounded all that good about his arizona days. Some stuff about abusing young arms, bad bullpen management, poor fundamentals, blah, blah, blah. He just seems like another guy who's good for a veteran team and just has to manage egos.

The Brenly talk is interesting. Is their any indication that he even is amenable to taking the job? Personally, I can't see why. He's got a great gig going with Kasper (they're certainly adequate, in my opinion) and he'd be jumping into a mess that he more than anyone realizes is going to take a while to fix. If I were him, I'd say thanks, but no thanks.

Brenly said he'd listen to any offers, Giants are rumored as well.

Rob G.: "Sort of a, they won in spite of him not because of him. Kind of like your boy Dusty.." Yeah that is my favorite excuse fans make up when they don't like someone in the organization, but yet the team still wins. I guess if the Cubs win next year, I already got a built in excusefor Hendry, right? :)

I guess if the Cubs win next year, I already got a built in excusefor Hendry, right? :) Except that there's a clear difference between building a team and managing it.

Brenly was clearly a caretaker manager when he took over the D'backs. He took over for Showalter who is known as a disciplinarian. The organization felt the D'backs were playing to tight and a more easy going attitude like Brenly would be a better fit. The fact is no matter what you think of Showalter he can recognize talent, and he can mold teams into a fundamentally sound team that doesn't beat itself. Whether he is the manager to take a team to the next step is a serious question. Brenly is not that type of guy. He is basically like Baker. Vets do what they want when they want, teaching isn't a huge priority. Being your friend is more important than anything else. When the D'backs started going down hill and younger players started playing more he was a disaster, much like Baker. It is one of the main reasons that despite a World Series ring as a manager no one came knocking on his door to run a team.

Ooooh, that don't sound too good Mike. I recently read where Brenly talked about having drills un the middle of the season if they were having trouble with fundamentals, by the way Brenly is a very good guy in person, but that isn't what I really want if you know what I mean. I think along the lines of Pinella or Girardi is what this team needs.

http://tinyurl.com/npqhk From Z: "I like this town, I like Chicago," he said. "But business is business. I've been doing a good job with the Cubs, and I deserve a little bit more." talks in there about a 5/75 deal similar to Oswalt.

I think that is totally fair. Zambrano has proved his worth, and I feel there isn't a better pitcher in the NL. He likes it here too.

Man, Jeter 5-5 tonight. Damn him... It is funny some people think he is so clutch and excels in the postseason, and it may appear that way, but ths facts say no. Of course he is a great player and puts up great numbers, but he is actually a slightly worse hitter in the postseason than regular season. Regular (thru 2006): .317/.388/.463 Post (before tonight): .307/.379/.463

I think I'd prefer someone whose been managing or at least coaching in the game for a long time. Hopefully someone who understands that veterans don't need or like to be told how they screwed up, but rookies often times need to hear it. I'd like them to find someone in the middle of Dusty and Girardi. And I might be a bit premature on Girardi, I don't think any of us know how he would manage veterans other than his one year as bench coach for the Yanks. I know Wade Miller and DLee wouldn't like his "no facial hair rule".

5 years of Zambrano for $70-&75 mil is very reasonable. Sign him now.

Yeah Z should get the Oswalt deal, but if he thinks he deserves more than that, he should take a closer look at his numbers compraed to Oswalts. Besides, being 4 years younger, Oswalt has him beat in almost every category.

According to Rotoworld, Jeter raised his postseason average to .315 after tonight.

I don't think Zambrano would ask for more Manny. Zambrano only said he deserves more that he is getting now. I predict Z will sign for Oswalt $.

It seems Pierre is gone. (Good) Now what are our lead-off options? Soriano D. Roberts Matthews Jr. Loretta Theriot (doubtful) Where do you think Hendry will turn?

Where do you think Hendry will turn? Neifi? 4 years younger is a huge deal, we should be thrilled to get him for 5/73 or 5/75 or whatever. Of course he'll immediately hit the DL for the next 3 years as soon as the ink dries citing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Z: "I like this town, I like Chicago," he said. "But business is business. I've been doing a good job with the Cubs, and I deserve a little bit more." That's fair... Zambrano: 16-7, 3.41 ERA, 210 K, 115 BB, 1.29 WHIP Oswalt: 15-8, 2.98 ERA, 166 K, 38 BB, 1.17 WHIP I offer him 5/65 backloaded, and let's get real clear on this, Zambrano is no Roy Oswalt, largely due to his walk rate. In any case, you have to make the big Z happy because he has Cy Youngs in his future and this is just the type of guy you want in the rotation... durable, tough.

Rob, I thimk we all know that was one of those guys Dusty had to have (Nefi) and the day we all knew Dusty was gone was the day Nefi was traded. What a great story about Dusty finding out about the trade during the anthem. You can't write that shit! Anyone catch Mc Donough on WGN tonight? There was a Nefi joke and laugh by all including John Mac. That is refreshing.

Oswalt vs. Z, Z vs. Oswalt, don't matter much, it's close enough. Players of Z's calibre don't come around often and you don't risk losing him. It's not like you can just peg the next guy off the shelf who's just as good. He's here, we knows he's one of the best pitchers and we can keep him. You lose him and you enter a bidding war trying to find his replacement. But the walks this year were out of control, that needs to stop.

Speaking of Zambrano's walks. I don't know what to make of the splits. 118.1 IP, 131:40 K:BB vs Righties 95.2 IP, 79:75 K:BB vs Lefties He's never exhibited that large of splits in his K:BB.

and some people think arod sucks... .300/.430 avg/ob% with RISP worth of suck... .500 ob% with 25rbi with bases loaded...what a horrible lack of "clutch" 10 more errors than he should probally have, and a lot of them coming in a 2 week period...a few bad games with lots of Ks...and Arod is somehow a piece of crap who is having mental breakdowns and cant do anything with a baseball. its as meaningless as all this praise jeter is getting for carrying a club missing sheffield/matsui...wow...what a hero...he only had giambi/posada/damon/cano to help him out. if they wanna make a hero outta a guy for carrying his club in the face of pure suck, the media needs to hop on berkman's year vs. his teammate's production. he was a 1-man set-it-up/cash-it-in guy with the bat.

Wellll....one explanation is defense and offense to explain Zambrano's increase in walks. Brandon Webb had a similar problem. Shody defense and a poor offense forced Webb to try and be perfect which raised his walk total. However, Zambrano has always had a sort of high walk rate averaging over 80+ a year. Webb is a 50-60 guy a year. And Webb is an extreme ground ball pitcher, while Z isn't. Z is still a ground ball pitcher but not nearly the level Webb is. You can't count on the Cubs defense and you can't count on the offense to support you. The only option left is to try and pitch perfectly. That naturaly leads to more walks. Improve or find any consistency in those area's and he will probably return to normal levels. That not only goes to Zambrano but the entire pitching staff. If you give them some confidence in those area's they wont pitch like they got a lump of coal stuck up their ass trying to be perfect on the mound.

Damn Crunch, I just looked at Berkmans stats and I didn't realize how good they were. And this guy isn't up for MVP consideration? His production with RISP is off the charts. In 131 AB's, he knocked in 90 RBI while posting a .382 BA and a .527 OBP. That is as close to automatic as you cant get. (Damn just peeked at Pujols stats also, pretty sick and actually better than Berkmans, screw it Howard is still my MVP even though when you look at the break down of his stats they are not very impressive. His BA with RISP and RISP/2 outs sucks, but atleast he maintains a super high OBP.)

Carlos Beltran and Joe Mauer are your MVP's. Do you guys even care about defense? I'd go Jeter and Pujols as the runner ups?

Mike C look at the splits between R and L. It's more than just defense.

myself, i'd go for pujols for mvp...im just sick of hearing these tragic arod stories and jeter-the-hero stories. jeter's good, but not special...arod doesnt suck. meh. personally, i'd give the nod to pooholes for NL mvp...

i believe it so much i'll repeat it twice, evidently. whatevuh.

First, good news: Rothschild and the other blithering idiots on Dusty's staff are all shit-canned, good riddance!! Relating to the leadoff question above: I'd like to get Dave Roberts on a 1-year deal. His numbers are better than Pierre's in pretty much every regard, and he won't be terribly expensive. If you go with Theriot at 2B or SS, that gives you two nice top of the order options along with Murton in LF, the new manager would have quite a bit of flexibility with these choices (loser of the top of the order sweepstakes would hit 8th). This would allow Hendry to focus on a significant SLG, run producing bat at the other middle infield position, and if he can dump Jones, a second power bat for RF. Signing Fonzie for 2B, or perhaps trading for Tejada at SS, really does look like the most important transaction Hendry could swing this winter.

Jim McDonough, interviewed by Sullivan in the Trib this morning: "You win 30 more games and you're back to .500." He really does have a lot to learn.

Eric: Where did you hear that about the coaches? I'm not seeing anything in the usual news places.

Found it. From the Sun Times: The Baker era in Chicago reached more closure Tuesday when all of the Cubs' coaches were told their one-year contracts would not be renewed for 2007. The clean sweep included pitching coach Larry Rothschild, the only member of the staff who preceded the Baker era. ... According to sources, each coach was told he would be welcome to return if he is wanted by the new manager.

According to Wgn news, Cubs have been in contact with Girardi and the Giants have been in contact with Brenly. Coaches are gone? How are they going to replace Gene Clines?!?!?!? Ryan Howard MVP- Jocketty didn't trade Rolen mid-season, and Larussa didn't bat Pujols 6th as late as May. You thought Dusty was a moron, check out Charlie Manuel.

JEROME WILLIAMS. AZ PHIL, ROB G, et. al. I know he was claimed off waivers by the A's in Aug. Did they release him? Minors? For a quick second, he was a good story.

I am wondering how a manager such as Girardi might fare directing multi-millionnaire ballplayers? Has he, can he, earn their respect? That was the ONE thing that Dusty truly did well to a fault. Managing 30 youngsters is waaayyyy different, I would have to think. If Bowa is a candidate, does his experience in NY under Torre help him?

Glad the coaches are gone, except for Chris Speier. I liked him and thought he did a decent job at 3rd, considering we didn't have much activity there this year.

This sounds encouraging (http://tinyurl.com/zmo4r): The last straw for Girardi, 41, apparently was his ill-fated decision to bring back prized right-hander Josh Johnson after an 82-minute rain delay at Dolphin Stadium on Sept. 12. "Not one of the smarter moves of the year," said the source, adding the Marlins' decision makers were "shocked" Johnson returned to the mound that night. With the Marlins still clinging to wild-card hopes, Johnson tried to stay loose by playing catch with Dontrelle Willis in an indoor batting cage. That Johnson left four innings later with cramping in his forearm and was subsequently shut down for the year with a strained ligament did not help Girardi's case. Sunday's 10th-inning meltdown in Atlanta was another strike against Girardi, who had never managed at any level before this season. Marlins management was disappointed Girardi inserted little-used center fielder Reggie Abercrombie as a defensive replacement instead of the more polished Eric Reed. Two Abercrombie misplays opened the door for the Braves to rally from a four-run deficit to hand the Marlins a crushing 8-7 defeat that essentially ended their playoff chances.

Barry Svrluga in the Washington Post today says that Girardi "could become a prime target of the Washington Nationals." The article quotes Girardi's agent as saying that they have "heard from different teams" with interest and that his "intent here is to take a couple of days, a few days, and let things settle down. We'll have some discussions, and see what happens." The story quotes an unnamed source ("who has spoken with the Nationals") that "I think the Cubs and the Nationals have the same guy in mind," meaning Girardi. Svrluga says the Nats are focused on Girardi and that there "could be a competition" between the Cubs and Nats. The other candidates mentioned for the Nats are Pinella and Jim Fregosi. Dusty also has been rumored in DC. But Svrluga quotes Baker's agent as saying, "Right now, there's no thoughts on any job--until the phone rings." Ahh, the sweet sound of silence.

I'm not buying all of the Girardi criticism. It sounds to me like the Marlins front office is just trying to sell their decision to fire the guy who will likely be NL Manager of the Year. Somehow, Girardi bumbled and fumbled his way to leading a group of largely unproven youngster to the verge of the post-season. I'm just not buying it. Whether Girardi is the right fit for the Cubs is a separate issue. I'm just satying that I think the results he achieved in Florida speak louder than the snarky comments coming out of the Marlins front office.

#81: jerome is on the A's 40 man roster, assigned to the minors. I wish him well.

#86. I agree somewhat. Beinfest wanted Fredi, Loria wanted Girardi. When Joe told him to "shut the f*** up" at a game, Loria told Beinfest you win.

Did anyone notice that Baseball America came out with their top prospects in each league and Cub prospects did not do very well. Prospects that we believe are our top prospects, Pie, Patterson, Veal, Gallagher do not compare very well with those from other teams. Maybe, after the Hill, Choi, Cruz, Patterson, Kelton failures of the past they are down grading Cub prospects. In any event it was disappointing to see how BA rates them.

Good to see the Cubs cleaning house. Too bad for those guys. I'm sure they were hard workers, but like MacPhail eluded to, if you don't win, your job is subject to change. TJ: Prospects that we believe are our top prospects, Pie, Patterson, Veal, Gallagher do not compare very well with those from other teams. It's the 'ol "thinking what you have is better than what it really is" effect.

Foxsports.com Rumors: With the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs searching for managers, Astros bench coach Cecil Cooper's name has circulated as a potential candidate. If the Giants or Cubs call, Astros general manager Tim Purpura and manager Phil Garner have vowed to give Cooper strong recommendations.

I was just thinking that no way the Mets do not come away with Zito and/or Schmidt this offseason. Pedro is problably done. The Mets will be bounced out early and if the Yanks win there is no way they don't out bid everyone for any valuable starting pitching. Ugh, I hope I'm wrong.

Do the Cubs really want Zito? Isn't he basically just an older version of Rich Hill and Sean Marshall? I understand he's probably a better version of those two, but unless we're trading one of the younger hurlers away, I doubt we need three control curveball pitchers on the staff. I for one would much rather have 1) Matsuzaka or 2) Schmidt.

"Sure. You can go to the WGN Radio website and listen to shows live. That's what I did. I recently moved away from NW Indiana to Seattle." Hey, Me too! Elkhart -> Lake City

Piniella was interviewed on WSCR radio yesterday, and said that he only wants to manage a team that can be a winner right away, not 4-5 years from now. If that is indeed the case, then his interview with Hendry will last about 15 seconds, and he will look elsewhere. Piniella will give Hendry the courtesy interview, and Hendry will at least be able to say that he talked with him and there was simply not a "fit". That leaves Girardi and Brenly. Girardi is already on good terms with both McDonough and Hendry, and the Cubs are busy spewing quotes about hiring a manager who understands and appreciates the unique culture of the Cubs. ("Unique" may be the euphemism of the year for this dysfunctional group). That description screams Girardi, who will have hopefully learned a lesson from his Marlins' experience and feel like more of a team player from his background with McDonough and Hendry.

I don't why I'm so pessimistic but I see this happening. Pinella seen laughing leaving Trib Towers. Pinella takes Texas job. Brenly goes to Giants Girardi to DC. Cubs get.... Showalter. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Why would knowing the "culture of the Cubs" have anything to do with our new manager's qualifications? In my book, the more acquainted one is with losing, quitting, hacking at the first pitch, whining about the play-by-play team, etc. the less I want him anywhere near the Cubs dugout. I remember when Dallas Green was hired he had this whole thing of starting a "new tradition" and he was told to shut it because the Cubs already had a tradition. Which is the most nonsensical thing ever said because the only tradition we've had over the last 60 years is sucking shit through a straw. Save their continued tenancy at Wrigley Field and their uniforms (minus the blue BP t-shirts), the Cubs need to make a complete divorce with their past and start fresh. Outside of a few great individual performances, nothing about the last 6 decades is worth remembering. The only reason we even do remember it is because there's nothing else, that's all there is to remember. Cubs need to start a new tradition right now. The less the new manager knows about the Cubs "culture," the better off we are.

Hendry could also be waiting till the Japanese finish their playoffs. Remember that article about a week back about Trey Hillman the manager of the Nippon Ham fighters? He would be my ideal manager for the Cubs next year. Low profile, stickler for details and fundamentals, he has been a coach and a manager in the Yankees farm system as well. http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060927r… If you want to refresh your memorey. I would go in this order of a short list... 1. Trey Hillman 2. Razor Shines 3. Joe Girardi

The Cubs have publicly stated that it is a "privilige" to be the manager here, because of the fans, the ball park, etc. (Since it's a privilige, makes you wonder why they agree to actually pay anyone to do it.) Girardi seems to agree with them; that the Cubs are special and that managing them is a special position to attain. (Kind of like being Captain of the Titanic, which, we've already proven, provides a weird kind of immortality.) Piniella could clearly care less about "privileges", he's 63 and just wants to win another World Series. That's why Girardi is the hire here, because he wants and appreciates the job the same way the Cubs do.

I'm for Peoria Joe. Can we get Jim Thome here, too? D-Lee is a talented athlete, we can put him in RF for a year or two until Thome is done. I know that is totally ridiculous, but Lee is such a team player I guarantee you if asked, the gold glover would actually do it. A 3-4-5 of Lee, Thome and Ramirez gives me goosebumps....

coaching carousel up to 4 then.. Texas San Fran Chicago Washington no interest in showalter to be honest.

The comments about "Cub culture" certainly suggest that Hendry is looking to hire an insider of some sort, whether that's a former player like Girardi, someone currently within the organization like Brenly or Quade, or someone who is both like Jodi Davis.

TJ: "Did anyone notice that Baseball America came out with their top prospects in each league and Cub prospects did not do very well." Does this shock you? The Cubs minor league system has been slowly getting worse and worse (according to ratings) over the past 3 years.

Can we get Jim Thome here, too? What?!?! Why would the Sox want to trade Thome?

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.