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 @ Astros: Series Thread (Games 41-43)

Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:13 am

After taking the series opener, the Cubs lost two blowouts to the Minnesota Twins. They'll try their luck in Houston next, arriving in Texas with a 19-21 record opposing the 21-19 Houston Astros. See below for matchups.

Game 41, Monday, May 15, 7:10 pm central 

CHC: RHP Jameson Taillon (0-2, 6.41 ERA)

HOU: RHP Framber Valdez (3-4, 2.38 ERA)

Game 42, Tuesday, May 16, 7:10 pm central

CHC: LHP Justin Steele (6-0, 1.82 ERA)

HOU: RHP Cristian Javier (3-1, 3.47 ERA)

Game 43, Wednesday, May 17, 7:10 pm central

CHC: LHP Drew Smyly (4-1, 3.05 ERA)

HOU: RHP JP France (1-0, 0.77 ERA)

Tags
2023 Cubs
houston Astros

Comments

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:52 pm

morel in LF, happ DH...madrigal still getting ABs, playing 2nd.  i like madrigal the bench/rest player...not a big fan of madrigal trying to get 450+ AB.

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Submitted by Finwe Noldaran on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:12 pm

I'd much rather see Slaughter at 3B Morel at 2B and Wisdom at DH, but then the only reason Madrigal is playing more now, is because of Nico being out; so Slaughter getting more consistent playing time in Iowa (/not being misused by Ross) is something I'm okay with............

Submitted by Finwe Noldaran on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:10 pm

If they signed Happ to an extension to be the LF for the next few years,  why is he the DH and Morel is in LF? I'm fine with the decision overall, it just seems a little contradictory.......

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:28 pm

morel gives up 2 runs with piss poor LF defense.  dude plays 2nd, SS, and 3rd really well, but the Cubs system is dead set on putting him in the OF.

[ ]

Submitted by George Altman on Tue, 05/16/2023 - 05:07 pm

I always felt 75% of playing Outfield was getting the right read on the ball off the bat. Then it's just physical skill running to a spot just behind where the ball is going to come down, getting set up for the throw ahead of the lead runner or cutoff man. The only way to get better at playing karoms off the wall is having a coach hitting fungos so you can learn how the ball will play. 

Submitted by Dolorous Jon Lester on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:53 pm

This has become a game to watch only to see if Burdi makes his debut. And if he has any clue whatsoever where the ball is going when it leaves his hand.

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:19 pm

morel ties it with a 3r homer...guess he's picking up his own mistakes.  quality trait in a young player.

Submitted by Childersb3 on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:46 pm

Madrigal is causing serious issues for Morel

The Jed/Ross loyalty to Madrigal is forcing Morel to play away from his best Def positions. All of which are as good or better than Madrigal. 

So Morel has to learn positions on the fly in the majors so Jed can try and salvage value from the old Kimbrel trade. Just move on! The deal was a wash. DFA Madrigal. Play Nico and Morel. 

You have Slaughter in Iowa. They liked him in ST. I'm not a big Mastrobuoni guy. Heck, Sergio Alcantara is a legit SS switch hitter who's only 26 and might be approaching his best baseball.

[ ]

Submitted by Finwe Noldaran on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:30 pm

I refer to my previous comment about my thoughts on slaughter/Madrigal, et al. But it does feel like they're really trying to eke out something with Madrigal, who was basically a: throw him against the wall and see if he sticks kind of player acquisition; at this point, there are literally three or four better options available............

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 05:21 pm

wow bellinger...robs a homer, but gets injured.  hell of a catch.  walks off limping a little bit, maybe he can avoid the IL.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 05/16/2023 - 05:38 pm

wonder if m.fulmer will get to pitch 4 days in a row.   bringing him in to lose the game last night after giving up a ton of runs the night before was brilliant.  maybe we can get madrigal and hosmer in the lineup tonight, too.  fun times.  3 games under .500 with a positive (+27) run differential.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 05/16/2023 - 05:24 pm

madrigal leading off and playing 3rd, hosmer DH, masterboney 2nd....morel in CF, no word on bellinger yet.  it's also happ's first time this year somewhere other than the 3 slot (hitting 4th).

and yeah, wins are an over-rated stat, but steele's going for his 7th and it's only mid-may.

Submitted by Sonicwind75 on Tue, 05/16/2023 - 05:45 pm

Was at the game in Houston Monday night. Few thoughts on the experience.

 

Mancini got a nice round of applause when he was given his 2022 World Series Ring. Video team must have worked hard to get enough highlight clips of him in an Astros jersey to make the video montage. 

 

I understand trying to give Happ a bit of a breather at DH but not sure Minute Maid is the right place.  However, the misplay by Morel was not impacted by weird dimensions.  Also Happ got doubled off at 1b on a line drive and didn't slide or get a good jump back into base.  Just awkwardly ran into the 1b.  Initial reaction to the play was "is he hurt?".  Maybe he's fighting an undisclosed nagging injury. 

 

Bellinger's catch in centerfield was amazing.  There was a collective WOW from everybody there.  Hope he is OK. 

 

That being said, Astro fans don't like Bellinger.  He got a healthy amount of boos when his name was announced before his first AB.  Guessing it was related to Dodger fans always booing 2017 Astro players and this is some weird payback. 

 

This roster is a mess.  After Mastrobuoni came in for Bellinger the Cubs bench was two left-handed first baseman that can't play anywhere else on the field. 

 

Fair number of Cubs fans in attendance.  Gone to a handful of games there and Astro fans are a pretty nice but enthusiastic group of fans.  35k announced attendance and there was definitely an energy to the crowd.

 

Nice thing about new schedule is that there will at least one series within driving distance each season. Cubs are set up to alternate road series between Rangers and Astros.  I live in the Austin, TX area and last year the nearest game was a 14+ hour drive to St Louis.   

 

Win or lose, always great to enjoy a game at a MLB ballpark. 

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 05/16/2023 - 05:15 pm

ben brown ends his run of great AA/AAA (current AAA) starts tonight...it's only the 3rd inning, but he hasn't looked good even though he's "only" given up 3 runs so far.

Submitted by Eric S on Wed, 05/17/2023 - 05:03 pm

So many opportunities to blow this game wide open that it just seemed inevitable that they would blow it. And they did. 

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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