Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus one player is 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 3-28-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# 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 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 1 
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 1 
Caleb Kilian, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Meet the Mets SPs

Much has been made of the Cubs and Mets as natural trading partners because of the Cubs potential log jam of infielders and the Mets starting pitching. Does a trade make sense? And what might one look like? Thanks to MLB's blackout restrictions, I rarely get to see the Mets, so I went to my go-to guy for all things Mets, James (aka, the Mayor of Bridgeport), and posed some questions to him.

First, here are some stats on pitchers in question.

NameAgeR/LW/LERAWHIPIPKsGB%AvgFBHR/9Salary; control
Colon42RHP8-44.521.1475.2614290.41.4$11m, 2016: Free Agent
deGrom26RHP7-42.421.0078814594.50.69$556,875, 2016: Pre-arb. Eligible, 2017-19: Arb. Eligible
Gee29RHP0-34.461.4634.1215588.70.79$5.3 m, 2016: Arb. Eligible, 2017
Harvey26RHP6-33.050.9873.28041951.1$614,525, 2016-18: Arb. Eligible, 2019
Matz*24LHP6-41.941.174.17553920.482015-17: Pre-arb. Eligible, 2018-20: Arb. Eligible, 2021
Montero24RHP0-14.51.410134891.90$511,000, 2016-17: Pre-arb. Eligible, 2018-20: Arb. Eligible, 2021
Niese28LHP3-64.431.5463455588.91.14$7 m, 2016: $9 m, 2017: $10 m ($500k b/o), 2018: $10.5 m ($500k b/o)
Syndergaard22RHP2-33.771.2628.2324296.30.62015-17: Pre-arb. Eligible, 2018-20: Arb. Eligible, 2021
Wheeler**25RHP11-113.541.33185.11875494.70.68$546,250, 2016: Pre-arb. Eligible, 2017-19: Arb. Eligible, 2020
*AAA           
**2014           

 

1. What is your take on the young Mets SPs?

Matt Harvey. Obviously, Harvey isn't going anywhere--until he hits FA and becomes a Yankee, but don't let him see this because he gets mad when Met fans worry about that. Matt seems very concerned with having as much control over his game and life as possible, and understandably so, but that is hard to do in professional baseball. Harvey also has a drive like I haven’t seen in many players and has literally bled and sweat in his Mets uniform. It is amazing to watch how even on a bad day he can throw a gem, particularly due to the great movement on his high 90s fastball. For example, due to his recent struggles I was wondering if Harvey was going to wind up on the DL. During his most recent outing in Arizona, I watched the game and though he had only given up one run after two, I was waiting for more to come because he looked like he was getting hit hard again. I texted a friend and said I thought maybe it was time to consider a DL stint until Harvey shut me up, muscling back and ended up throwing 7 innings with 7 base runners and 9 Ks.

Noah "Thor" Syndergaard. While he has been talked about in the rumor mill, my hunch is he doesn't go and here's why. When Harvey came up, he was a stud as we all know. Then Wheeler came up, and while he pitched well, he showed he had improvements to make still. Now Thor has struck like lightning--yeah, I went there--and the fans are growing attached to him very quickly. One thing I like about Noah is he seems to be honest with himself, not to be confused with being hard on himself, but is coachable and wants to grow and not afraid with holding himself accountable. One of the things that makes Noah so tough to hit not that he can easily his 99 mph on a fastball, but that he changes up his pitches so much. He will go from throwing that 99 mph to throwing a curve in the low 80s, keeping batters on their toes and making a lot of bats miss. He just has to work on his control a bit. It also may be worth noting that Noah, who already has a HR this season, knows how to swing a bat, batting .270 in his minor league career and currently .400 in the majors.

I expect fans would not be happy should they dish him out so soon (not that management ever really listens to us). If he continues on this path of "proving himself," I can imagine Mets fans demanding a Bryant while realistically would have to "settle" for a guy like Russell because I couldn't imagine trading Bryant for anyone if I were a Cubs fan.

Steven Matz. Should you want a top young pitcher, Matz looks to be the best bet as of right now. Many even argue that he was out-pitching Syndergaard before the call up, but Matz is on fire in the minors and considered major league ready. Matz is a guy Mets fans are probably less familiar with until more recently but is certainly talented--and a LHP. His development was delayed due to Tommy John and related complications but his minor league stats speak for themselves. Matz is known for his work ethic and is dominating in the minors because of it, possibly pushing the Mets to make a tough decision soon, because there isn’t much left to improve on. While not quite as hard throwing as Syndergaard, Steven can change speeds from a mid 90 mph fastball to an 80 mph curve, with a nice change-up in between.

Dillon Gee/Jonathon Niese. Early on there were growing pains for each of the two, but they have both proven to be reliable big league pitchers. Don’t let their current ERAs fool you, in a shortened sample size this year. Supposedly, the Mets are actively shopping both veteran pitchers. Niese would probably be my favorite of the two, especially because he is a lefty. Niese’s last four outings were poor until Friday night, when he had a quality start, going for 6 innings, allowing 7 baserunners and 3 ER while striking out 8. He started off the season very well and has had a healthy ERA of 3.59 since the 2012 season. Niese throws strikes and is a very good ground ball pitcher thanks to his cutter and changeup. He would be my target if I were a Cubs fan, but Gee may be your best bargain right now if you aren’t looking to give up as much.

The Mets decided after Gee’s recent outing to put him in the pen. This could be very bad for his value, but there is not much room considering how well everyone else is pitching. It could be a great thing for a team in need of a quality veteran pitcher. Gee does not have great velocity, but he can throw six different pitches if need be and has pretty good control. He is a righty with a career ERA of 3.94

The Rest. DeGrom I can't imagine is going anywhere. He does not appear to be suffering from a sophomore slump after his ROY performance, pitches deep into games, throws a very nice hard slider, and is not afraid of the big moments. Plus the Mets love making Gnome bobbleheads of him, for some reason.

W
heeler was thought to be on track to having a great year before he went down for injury and has immense talent. I look forward to seeing him next year. If Cubs should be interested in Wheeler at some point down the road, the kid throws some heat and has a nice curveball with an explosive delivery. He needs to work on his changeup though, which has been somewhat neglected.

Montero is currently recovering from a shoulder injury but has made stints in the majors for us and shown inconsistent flashes of dominance and can be something special in this league too if he develops his offspeed pitches. Montero throws his fastball in the mid-90s and is considered an excellent control pitcher, though he has had some issues with it so far in the majors. Prior to 2014, Baseball America had him ranked as their #68 prospect.

What it boils down to is Mets fans have a dream rotation next year or in the near future of Harvey, DeGrom, Wheeler, Syndergaard, and Matz. That is a very talented and young staff that we hope can be kept together for years to come.


2. The Mets took a lot of heat from the fans for giving Colon the Opening Day nod. What is he eating for breakfast--other than three?

Bartolo Colon. Aside from keeping an eye on Harvey’s innings, Colon being the starter was all about money in my opinion with our season starting on the road. They were likely lining it up so Met fans had a reason to come to Citi Field to start the home series. Fans obviously went to the home opener, then the next day Harvey was pitching, and that Friday was Harvey T-Shirt and ticket deal day, all resulting in one of the most electric feelings that stadium has had in a long time, so I can’t knock them too much. I don’t think even they knew what they would be getting out of Colon when they named him the opening day starter however.

Colon was kind of the original "on the block" pitcher because of being in the last year of his contract. He made more sense in the beginning of the season for a team who missed out on a pitcher in FA or had an early injury. Then it was said that since nothing happened, we would wait until the deadline for a team trying to make a push. Then he started off by being first in the majors to 6 wins and going a franchise record 48.1 innings without issuing a walk. He throws a lot of fastball and locates them very well. I'm sure in the back of the mind of every Mets fan and executive is the thought of, "Will this be the outing where his age and weight show?" Until he returns to form or remembers his age, we are more than happy to be entertained by not only by his wonderful command. Every five days, he always finds a way to entertain, whether it be with the bat or his stomach. Please enjoy the following examples:

Bartolo gets a double!

Colon runs down (I use the term "runs" loosely) A.J. Pierzynski (admittedly not the best runner either)

Loses a helmet, gains a go-ahead RBI single

Look at that belly jiggle again a little bit closer... Does this classify as NSFW?

Colon makes platinum glover Yadier Molina shake in his shin guards

An oldie, but a goodie

Another double!

How could you not want that on your team? There is an even better slow-mo of his belly waves during a swing somewhere out there on the internet that I couldn’t find. (It may be NSFW.).


3. What is your take on the Cubs young players? I'm especially interested in what you think of Castro and Baez. Rizzo is not going anywhere; the same probably with Bryant, so you probably don't need to say much about them.

I can't imagine the Cubs giving up Rizzo and as much as I would love his talent on the team, Duda has been great for us. He may not be Rizzo, but he'll do.

Kris Bryant is a stud. Bottom line. Would you guys even consider giving him up? He struck out a lot to start but he has been producing big time. I would not shy away at a chance to get him, but he is a long shot.

Russell is a guy I've liked since his time with the A's, and the Cubs must like him if they were willing to add him to their middle-infield log jam, so I will take that as a good sign. The scouting reports on him look great and he is probably the SS I would get most excited about getting in a deal, though he is not proven yet.

Baez is a guy I used to like very, very much. The idea of getting power from a position that is not typically known for power is very enticing. His strikeouts on both levels however, are not. Baez is an exciting name but one I could easily see going south, especially in New York, where strikeouts would not go over too well. How much has he improved in the minors this season? I wouldn't feel great giving up a top guy like Matz for someone who performed very poorly for the Cubs last year, without seeing him get some more major league at bats.

Castro is someone who I don't consider overly exciting, but I do like. He has had decent stats as a Cub but I must admit to being scared by the fact that despite this, Cubs fans still seem most willing to trade him, even with Baez's stats from last year. What do you know that we don't? I think he would make the most sense if we are talking right now for the Mets because of his experience, but I can't see giving up a Syndergaard or a Matz for him either considering Castro has not been an elite SS or to my knowledge, shown that he will be after all these years in the majors.


4. Who would you most and least be willing to give up? Who would you most and least be interested in acquiring?

Harvey is off limits, and DeGrom should be too, for the most part.  After that, I could be talked into trading any of the arms listed above in the right deal. I think Syndergaard would be next on my list to keep based off of how he has responded to being called up and if I were the GM, it would take a more

As a Cubs fan, I would want Niese the most as a bargain deal but would still settle for Gee, unless I was willing to give up some top talent. Again both are very good pitchers capable of sub 4.00 eras every year, Niese perhaps more valuable due to the fact that he is a lefty. If I wanted a good prospect though and didn't want to give up as much, Montero would probably be my target for surplus reasons alone, and at least he has major league experience. It really depends on what type of pitcher the Cubs are looking for and when they want them to produce.

Syndergaard for Bryant. As a Mets fan I'd entertain this, but you may not. I can imagine this being one of those cases where each side would develop a bias based off someone they have seen. Syndergaard for Russell. I don't think I would do this as a Mets fan because of how unproven Russell is.

Matz for Russell. I'd be reluctant but if Mets liked what they saw I would leave the jury out on this and consider it. Matz being a left with a great K/9 though makes it tough.

Gee/Niese for Castro. I would do this deal and think this could be the best option personally for the two clubs. Both get a player now who has a major league transcript and while neither has been dominant, both have been good enough major leaguers. Although from what I've gathered, Cubs fans seem to have no confidence in Castro, which scares me. Am I underrating the three-time All-Star? Would you do it for Montero?

Gee/Niese for Baez. Would Cubs fans do this? I would given our surplus despite not being confident in Baez. It is worth the risk for us, but maybe Cub fans have more hope in Baez than I am sensing.

Montero for Castro. This could make sense if Cub fans still like Baez and want to clear out Castro.

Montero for Baez. This is another one that I could see making sense due to the combination of hype and inconsistencies both have shared. Not to mention, while both are good prospects in the system, there are players ahead of each. The question here is, is this exchange of surplus being looked at for the present or the future for the two clubs. If it is about the future more than the present then I'd like to pose the hypothetical of would the Cubs consider an injured but highly regarded Zach Wheeler?

The age, surplus, and records of the two team make all of the above so hard to predict, in my opinion, because the timing could be today, at the deadline, or even next year if a deal were to happen. I would be very curious to see which prospects Cubs fans know about or who they like better. Syndergaard or Matz? Gee or Niese? Montero over both?


5. How would you rate the chances of the Mets making the playoffs? What do they most need?

This is probably the worst question to ask your average Mets fan. We always want to be optimistic but we're so used to the pattern of starting off hot, then the mid season roller coasters before finally tailing off. Not to mention other fans seem to give us crap if we aren't confident, and that gets old in its own right. Cub fans, I'm sure you can relate in your own way(s).

If I had to rate the Mets chances of making the playoffs on a scale of 1-10, I would list a 6. A typical Met fan answer, I believe that 6 says, "I want to believe but am tired of getting my hopes up," "I do believe this team has the talent to win," and "Shut up, it's more than half so stop calling me pessimistic even though I have a reason to be!"

What do we need most? Health first of all. The list keeps growing and growing and notable names at that like Wheeler, Wright, D’Arnaud, Murphy, Herrera, Parnell, and various other players who have been hurt. Outside of that, the obvious answer seems to be a SS, though Flores has come up big in some clutch situations and is outproducing many names bigger than his own. Luckily, his defense has improved a little as well. Some Mets fans will say 2B, but I would love for the Mets to keep Murph on the roster because he plays hard and makes contact. Other Mets fans are ready for Dilson Herrera to take over the everyday role, but I personally am not sold just yet. Our outfielders are all slightly above average (except the glove on Lagares), so I cannot see that being addressed this year and management could be waiting on some of the OF prospects Mets have brewing.

I think confidence is the big thing the Mets need, or in modern language today... swag! The '86 Mets had this and so did the 2006 Mets in their own rights. While I don't believe we have the talent of those teams in place right now, we do have enough talent to make the playoffs. The Mets had swag to start the season but they always end up being afraid of their own shadow. I think the D'Arnaud injury hurt more than just from an offensive standpoint for example, and I would like to see how the team reacts to his coming back before making a trade. D'Arnaud is not cocky but confident and gritty and performed well in clutch situations this year before landing on the DL.

Another Pedro Martinez would be nice, but Matt Harvey has a similar fire, just lacking the veteran experience to be a leader and obviously a mentor. There are Mets fans like myself who would love to get Reyes back, because he was exciting and had a way to spark the team with his legs or passion. All in all, the Mets have someone average at least in all positions if you don't count the injuries. If you do count them then I would say give me someone who can play 3B too. I mean what the heck is spinal stenosis and when are we getting our captain back? SS is probably our most easily replaceable spot, however, and we have others with 3B experience in an emergency (Tejada, Murphy, Campbell, Flores, etc.). Would a guy like Castro, Russell, or Baez be enough to bring the Mets to the next level? I'm not sure. Would they be cheaper than a guy like Tulo though? I hope so.


6.
Alderson and Collins: Do you have any faith in them?

Yes? No? Maybe. Alderson has stretched out this rebuilding process and obviously been very stingy considering we have about half the payroll of the Yankees. It is harder to argue now than the last couple of years, however, considering how guys like Harvey, DeGrom, and Duda have stepped up. But Met fans are always looking for that one legitimate bat to scare an opposing lineup that we never seem to get. I don't think I can say I have faith that that will happen any time soon, especially because the Wilpons still look to be penny pinching. Most of this really stems from the Wilpons seeing this team more as a business than having a passion for winning. I am not saying we need spend like the Yankees, but given the market, as Mets fans we should feel comfortable that we will re-sign big names like Harvey and DeGrom when the time comes for them to get paid, not wait for the next prospect to develop. We look like we are on the path to be the next Oakland, where you hope for a good year with what you got.

As for Collins, I appreciate the team he has had to run and his circumstances, and they have rewarded him for that, but I don't see him taking this team to the next level. While he may not be a hole for the Mets, I feel like we could certainly make out from having a manager who can light a fire like I mentioned before. The good and bad news of that is the Mets already have a coach like that, Wally Backman, but he is in the minors and soon he could be someone else's skipper (Marlins looked at him before their GM hired himself). Backman is a players’ manager and has proven to be great with the young players. He is more vocal and fiery than Terry. Management loves Collins, however, because he believes in fundamentals and doing everything by the books--which I have a feeling is something Harvey is not very fond of.


7. And the test of loyalty: Who would you rather have at 3B, David Wright or Kris Bryant?

Eek... not cool...It helps that this is on a Cubs blog, but I am still going to do my best to take the easy way out. If we are talking about right now, I easily say Kris Bryant, I mean come on, David has spinal stenosis, whatever that is. He has also had his eye problems and been on a decline. But I still respect and appreciate our captain. If we are talking about having the both get called up at the same time, I will save face and say David all the way. He was a big part of turning the club and fan base around until the Wilpons forced it back into the ground. He is not only captain of the Mets and voted face of the MLB, but dubbed Captain America! His leadership, talent, and professionalism make David Wright our guy.

 

 

Comments

I think the best the Cubs would get from the Mets if they offered Castro would be Niese. If I were the Cubs, I would not think about trading Russell or Bryant under almost any circumstances. In terms of what young players/prospects (other than pitchers) the Cubs might offer to try to get a pitcher from the Mets, I'd think it would be something like the following order (most available to least available) from the standpoint of Cub management: Olt, Villanueva, Vogelbach, Almora, McKinney, Torres, Alcantara, Baez, Castro, Schwarber, Russell, Rizzo, Bryant. The other side to the deal would obviously have a lot to say about what would be acceptable to them. I am not in the mode of having to make any deal, and I certainly do not think the Cubs need to trade Castro. Moving Castro may make sense if the Cubs can get an acceptable return because the Cubs have options to replace him at short.

Great responses.  Were that all Mets fans so thoughtful and reasonable in their proposals for Cubs/Mets trades!

[ ]

In reply to by Transmission

As I said on an earlier posting, if Theo views this team as a WC contender then a SP seems critical to go far in the playoffs. They can probably fill the hole in LF internally (e.g. Bryant if Baez plays 3B, Schwarber). It all comes down to who the Mets or Phillies (for Hamels) would consider an acceptable return. I would think A. Russell, Bryant, Schwarber, Soler, and Rizzo would be off-limits. Do other Top 10-15 prospects (e.g. Almora, Edwards, G. Torres, Jimenez, Sands, Cease) plus Castro and/or Baez, Alcantara equal an acceptable return? If not, why not make a FA bid this winter to Cueto, Price, or Zimmermann?

[ ]

In reply to by George Altman

Baez is now injured and did horrible in the big's last year. Say he has figured things out. Best case scenario: he recovers from his injury, plays a few weeks in AAA and demonstrates continued improvement and then is called up for the last 8-9 weeks of the season. And he'll have growing pains in those weeks and while should do better than last time around, is not going to replicate his AAA numbers right away (if ever) at this higher level. So I doubt that Theo and them are considering him an internal offensive upgrade that would prevent trading for a bat. And a year ago Schwarber was in college and has never hit above AA and is not even playing in left field right now. I see a near 0 chance that he would be rushed to the bigs this year and expected to be that impact bat down the stretch.

If a solid picther is available in a reasonable deal, I am sure they will go with it to improve the rotation, especially if they are young and controlled beyond this year. But they will also have to find some offense somewhere if they want to compete. Right now you have some combination of Lake, Coghlan, and Denorfia getting 2 lineup slots everyday. Even if Soler comes back his offensive numbers early on where not great, especially for a right fielder. I think he will improve a lot, but I don't expect him to do it soon and right after an injury. And if they trade Castro in this deal for a pitcher then Russel moves to short but you have Herrera now starting at 2B or someone like Alcantara who is another unknown. That's a lot of holes in the lineup.  

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

I agree on Baez and unless a deal with PHL for Hamels 'falls' in their lap, I don't feel 2015 is the year to 'go' for it. As AZ Phil said, Schwarber will probably play LF in instructs, the AFL, and at Iowa to begin 2016. I would rather see a TOR FA SP added over the winter (if possible), and build a better offense around another year of experience for Rizzo, Soler, A. Russell, and Bryant. I like the OBP Montero and Fowler bring, and would love to see Fowler brought back (2-3 yr deal, decent money).

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    steele MRI on friday.  counsell expects an IL stint.

    no current plans for his rotation replacement.

  • hellfrozeover (view)

    I would say also in the bright side column is Busch looked pretty good overall at the plate. Alzolay…man, that hurts but most of the time he’s not giving up a homer to that guy. To me the worst was almonte hanging that pitch to Garcia. He hung another one to the next hitter too and got away with it on an 0-1. 

  • crunch (view)

    amaya blocked like 6-8 of smyly's pitches in the dirt very cleanly...not even an exaggeration, smyly threw a ton of pitches bouncing in tonight.

    neris looking like his old self was a relief (no pun), too.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    In looking for bright spots the defense was outstanding tonight. The “stars” are going to need to shine quite a bit brighter than they did tonight offensively though for this to be a successful season.

  • Eric S (view)

    Good baseball game. Hopefully Steele is pitching again in April (but I’m not counting on it). 

  • crunch (view)

    boo.

  • crunch (view)

    smyly to face the 2/3/4 hitters with a man on 2nd in extras.

    this doesn't seem like a 8 million dollar managerial decision.

  • crunch (view)

    i 100% agree with you, but i dunno how jed wants to run things.  the default is delay.  i would choose brown.

    like hellfrozeover says, could be smyly since he's technically fresh and stretched.

    anyway, on a pure talent basis....brown is the best option.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Use pitchers when you believe they're good. Don't plan their clock.

    I'm sorry. I'm simply anti-clock/contract management. Play guys when they show real MLB potential talent.

    If Brown hadn't been hurt with the Lat Strain he would've gotten the call, and not Wick.

    Give him a chance. 

    But Wesneski probably gets it

  • crunch (view)

    alzolay...bro...