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

All Quiet at the Wrigley Front

The non-waiver trading deadine has passed, and nary a peep from the Cubs. After losing another game to a LHP last night (the Cubs are 9-16 when facing a lefty starter), it seemed reasonable to believe that the Cubs might make a trade today for a right-handed hitting OF who could platoon with Cliff Floyd in RF. Right-handed hitting right-fielders mentioned in connection with the Cubs the past few days included Jay Payton (BAL), Bobby Kielty (OAK), Reggie Sanders (KC), Xavier Nady (PIT) and Jonny Gomes (TB). Although the non-waiver trade deadline for trades involving players on MLB 40-man rosters has passed (a minor league player not on a 40-man roster can be traded without restriction at any time), trades can still be made throughout August and even in September, as long as a GM can get a player through Trade Waivers without the player being claimed. (A maximum of seven players from any one club can be placed on Trade Waivers on a given day). If a player is claimed off Trade Waivers during the months of August and September, his team can either pull the player back off waivers and retain the player (in which case the player cannot be placed on Trade Waivers again during that waiver period), trade the player to the claiming team, or do nothing and allow the claim to stand (in which case the claiming team gets the player for the $20,000 waiver price, as well as assuming 100% of the player's salary). If more than one team makes a claim on a player, the claim is awarded to the claiming club in the player's own league with the worst winning percentage, and if the only claims are from clubs in the other league, the claiming team with the lowest winning percentage in the other league is awarded the claim. If a player is not claimed off waivers, the player can be traded at any time during the waiver period without having to be placed on waivers again. It is not unusual for clubs to place their entire 40-man roster (seven players per day) on Trade Waivers right at the beginning of the waiver period in August, and that way the club knows who has cleared waivers (and can be traded) and who did not clear waivers (and can't be traded). There is another less-formal (and actually more-important) trading deadline on August 31st. This is when playoff rosters must be submitted, so if a team wants a player acquired in a trade to be eligible for post-season play, the trade needs to happen prior to midnight on August 31st. If a player is acquired in a trade on or after September 1st, he cannot play in the LDS, LCS, or World Series.

Comments

Trades still can be made, players just have to clear waivers. If the Dye extension does not go through, he will be available. Griffey could also be available in August. There are other lower level hitters that will probably be available. Obviously Hendry didn't find a deal that he thought was worth it. For the most part I trust Hendry on trades - he has a significant track record of success. If there was a deal to be made he would have made it.

AZ PHIL: My good man, have you heard anything on the potential return of D. Ward? Is he done for the year? September? They guy can hit! Can't run - but a nice bat.

I think maybe Hendry saw the "Hot Donuts Now" sign lit up at the local Krispy Kreme and forgot all about the trade deadline.

The E-Man — July 31, 2007 @ 2:30 pm AZ PHIL: My good man, have you heard anything on the potential return of D. Ward ======================= E-MAN: I have heard nothing regarding Daryle Ward. The best thing he's got going for himself is that he never ran well to begin with, so it's not like it will take part of his game away if he comes back less than 100% when he does return.

az phil. i do not completely understand this process, but what is the possibility of either griffey or dye clearing waivers? thanks

XM's Kevin Kennedy is reporting Matt Morris is traded to Pittsburgh. What is that?

"I think maybe Hendry saw the “Hot Donuts Now” sign lit up at the local Krispy Kreme and forgot all about the trade deadline." Ha! Because he's fat, right?

Daryle Ward sustained a fairly severe right calf strain (injury to the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles) and was put on the DL 7/20/07. They were expecting this to be at least a 6 week recovery, so don't expect to see Wardosaurus until September.

Whether Hendry did something or not is now of less concern. It may actually help his hand now that he is perceived as content with his team. The Cubs have played well since the beginning of June, but the offense has slowed down considerably, and they're close to playing .500 ball again if they can't take the next two from PHL. The offense has been inconsistent against better teams, unable to score more than 1 run last night, 1 run on Looper back in the StL series, and then the two nights in ARZ where they scored 2 and 0 runs consecutively, against a pitching staff that isn't that great. Last night can be attributed to a solid performance from Hamels, but in general they need to score more runs to move into the playoff picture. Their pitching is good, but not awesome, and they'll need to be awesome with this group. Soriano needs to figure out how to hit out of the #1 spot, as it would help to have two high OBP guys in front of Lee, ARam and Sori. Otherwise, this lineup just won't be consistent. Soriano has a .335 OBP and a career .326 OBP. He doesn't belong in the #1 spot. That's like Dusty requiring speed and sub-.300 OBP int he leadoff and #2 spot. Soriano is slugging .511, which is slightly higher than Lee, and a bit lower than ARam. Btw, the price the Sox paid for Gagne doesn't seem very high. Too bad Hendry couldn't pull him in.

XM’s Kevin Kennedy is reporting Matt Morris is traded to Pittsburgh. What is that? Just a guess is that they want a nominal ace, and it allows them to consider trading Snell for a bat in the off-season.

henry — July 31, 2007 @ 2:39 pm az phil. i do not completely understand this process, but what is the possibility of either griffey or dye clearing waivers? thanks ========================== HENRY: Getting a player through Trade Waivers depends entirely on whether a club's rival located lower in the standings wants to block a trade by putting in a claim (sometimes called a "nuisance" claim). For instance, let's say the Cubs want to acquire Jermaine Dye from the White Sox sometime in August, and Hendry and Ken Williams have already agreed on the players. But the Brewers know that the Cubs are looking for a right-handed bat who can play RF, and so when they see Dye's name on the waiver wire, they make a claim. If the Cubs happen to be above the Brewers in the standings when the waivers expire, and both the Brewers and the Cubs have made claims, the Brewers--because they are lower in the standings--are awarded the claim, and the Cubs can't get Dye. Of course, the danger in making a "blocking move" like that on the waiver wire is if the team that puts the player on waivers chooses not to pull the player back after he gets claimed by the "wrong" team, and so then the claiming team would get stuck with a player they don't want or need, possibly one making a lot of money. This happened to the San Diego Padres a few years ago, when they made a waiver claim on Randy Myers to keep the Braves from getting him, but then they got stuck with a second closer they didn't want or need (they already had Trevor Hoffman) who was making a lot of money. So GMs need to be careful when they make blocking claims just to keep a competitor from getting a player. Generally speaking, the teams with the best W-L records have the most difficulty making trades in August, while contending teams in 2nd or 3rd place do not have as much of a problem, because there probably aren't any clubs under them in the standings who would care enough to make a blocking claim that would prevent them from making a trade. Also, the players making the most money (especially if they have multi-year contracts) usually sail through Trade Waivers, because if a club makes a "nuisance" claim and the orginal club doesn't pull the player back, the claiming club is stuck with the player (and 100% of his contract).

AZ Phil. Thanks for your analysis. It certainly made it much clearer. One question: Let's say the Red's put Griffey on waivers. And it got to the Cubs without anyone claiming him. Could a deal then be worked out between the two teams without Griffey having to go all the way though the circuit, or does every team get a chance to claim him? Thanks

Just a guess is that they want a nominal ace, and it allows them to consider trading Snell for a bat in the off-season. Morris is an ace? Even a nominal ace? He hasn't had an ERA below 4.11 since 2003. In contrast, both Snell and Gorzelany currently have ERA's well below 4, and both probably project to be significantly better than Morris. It is just an odd trade for Pitt - not sure why they would be willing to take on that contract with where they are at right now. Then again, they also traded for Izzy.

Yeah, dave. I don't think you should expend too much brain power trying to figure out Littlefield... Just move on... there is no explanation...

I can't believe we're already past the trade deadline. It seems like all year we've been saying, "It's still early, everyone will catch up to their career numbers eventually." Now, it's starting to look like that might not be the case. If we get less than 30 HRs from Soriano and Ramirez, less than 20 HRs from Lee, and less than 10 HRs from Jones/Floyd (combined) that would have to be about the unluckiest combination of career lows ever. After not adding anyone good to this team, we better hope Marquis picks it up. This offense simply doesn't have the pop to cancel out his historically poor second half performances.

BTW... on the Bob and Len podcast yesterday, Bob (i think... maybe it was Len) predicted that Derrek Lee would end up leading the Cubs in home runs this year.

Pittsburgh is trying to win something to save face. They have been Milwaukee pre 2005 for 15 years now. They gave up nothing to get Morris. I say good job Littlefield.

Braves acquired LHP Royce Ring from the Padres for LHP Wilfredo Ledezma and LHP Will Startup.... what a great name, Startup as your closer?

Morris is an ace? Even a nominal ace? He hasn’t had an ERA below 4.11 since 2003. Well, that's wrong. He hasn't finished a season with an ERA below that since 2003 is what you meant to say. There's more to being the staff's #1 starter than having the lowest ERA. Unless you think Marshall is the ace of the Cubs rotation? How about 'veteran leader'?

I have mixed feelings about this: On the one hand, our team has been playing awfully well with young players/players recently signed. We don't want to give away the farm for the short term and sacrifice the long term. The risk is too big. On the other hand I want to win. Bad. But you can't create something from nothing and the lack of deals may well be because the sellers on the market were too conservative this year. I don't think that a rental player has any impact on the impending sale. The revenue generated from postseason play far outweighs the monetary cost of a rental even if that rental comes with another season attached and $4-6M more. Postseason play brings in a ton of revenue.

Well, that’s wrong. He hasn’t finished a season with an ERA below that since 2003 is what you meant to say. You know what I meant. There’s more to being the staff’s #1 starter than having the lowest ERA. Unless you think Marshall is the ace of the Cubs rotation? How about ‘veteran leader’? So was Maddux the Cubs' ace last year? An ace is your team's best pitcher. An ace is a stopper, a guy who you can trust to stop a losing streak, things like that. Morris is decent. Maybe even above average. But he sure isn't an ace.

Morris wont be the ace in Pittsburgh. But he sure as hell is better than that VanBenschotten character they have been running out there every 5 days. Plus he should have significant trade value going forward. I'd flip him today for Jason Marquis if the Pirates would do it.

"Can the Braves please stop making trades to improve their team?" Personally I really think they have hurt themselves long-term than they helped themselves short term. Tex away from Arlington is really nothing special. his line career wise is: 264/358/489/847. Yeah it is an improvement for them at 1b, but is it enough of the one to trade your top 3 prospects and 2 other top 50 guys for? Also Kyle Davies is a pretty steep haul for an average relief pitcher in Dotel. They only smart move they made was in the Ring move.

I don't doubt that Morris will be better than other pitchers in Pitt. But I wouldn't think that a team in last place, 19 games below .500, should be thinking about adding salary. It just seems like a waste of cash to me.

Thanks for your take on sports lingo dave. Write that down and mail it to me, I am short on toilet paper. The fact remains that next year, the Pirates start Morris on opening day - making him the ace of the rotation. The best card in your five card draw. The nominal ace, just like I said. Playoff experince? Check. 20 Game winner? Check.

dave — July 31, 2007 @ 3:56 pm I don’t doubt that Morris will be better than other pitchers in Pitt. But I wouldn’t think that a team in last place, 19 games below .500, should be thinking about adding salary. It just seems like a waste of cash to me. ...................................................................... Hopefully they are setting themselves up to deal him to the cubs for Jason Marquis.

Jace, Because of the 12.5 Million pieces of cotton with George Washington's picture on it he is owed for the next 1.5 years.

"Playoff experince? Check. 20 Game winner? Check." don't forget the major surgery between that 20 win season and now.

As was the case last year, b/c so many teams are still in it, I am sure any deals bore heavy prices, or poor matches. And, if the team can't even sign Z to a deal, as was said over, and over, how would anyone think that they'd pull in Griffey, Tex, or any other marquis (sorry) player. And, speaking of Marquis, if he should lay a stale matzoh ball tonight, do any of you think he'll be replaced in the rotation and moved to the 'pen? With Lou's short trigger, how long can he take it?

I'm with Mr. Whipple (#23) on the first part of his comment. The Cubs seem to have some decent youngsters in the system for once and could be on the cusp of sustained competitiveness by building from within and making a few strategic trades. Kinda like the Braves did for so long. At least until they went way against form with the Teix deal. Gotta be better than the trading away the farm (even though it sucked) and overspending on crappy free agents plan the Cubs have been on for (ever) years. I'm all for some continuity and building a team. Plus, I don't think this team is "one player away" from kicking butt. I think the team is solid, but not spectacular. Can it win it all? Yes. How good are those odds? Ehhh...

I don't know where you guys are getting this sepia-toned image of the Braves as the team that did it right. For every player they developed they had three guys they bought. The only formula for success is having good players. How you get them is not important.

Chad, everyone knows that developed players are three times better than "bought" players. That is why everyone loves to rag on the Cubs for not producing any since Ryno.

The Braves definitely bought guys over the years, but they were usually trying to fill a strategic hole or two, not plug a collapsing dam. They only had a few holes to plug because they had plenty of home growns to fill in other gaps and to be used to trade for the occasional bigger name. And I'm not saying that home grown is always better, but it is usually a lot cheaper. If you can grown your own for most of your needs, then you can splurge on the occasional big name. For example, wouldn't the Cubs be in a much better position if they had been able to develop a RF instead of dropping free agent money on Beer Nutz and Jock?

Two things: "Rich", the Hendry-is-fat-joke is awful, and people have been making it since '03. Please refrain from repeating it. The other one: Morris is 0-3 with a 8.48 ERA in July. He's also 4-5 with a 4.83 ERA away from his cozy home park. Complaining about not getting him is insane; he's not even better than Jason Marquis.

Gold Glove All-Star Cesar Izturis was traded for a PTBNL, maybe Morris will turn out to be the player.

"Let’s say the Red’s put Griffey on waivers. And it got to the Cubs without anyone claiming him." This sounds far - fetched, but could you make a case that the Reds owe the Cubs some consideration here? I seem to recall they did the Reds a favor regarding the Josh Hamilton deal during Spring Training. Hey, I can dream...

Blah, blah, blah. Red herrings for everyone! We have a decent sized payroll. The more players you develop yourself, the more money you have for stars on your team. Nobody can have a team full of stars without spending over $200 M on payroll. The fewer positions you need to spend big bucks to fill, the better team you can have. I'm sure nobody is arguing otherwise. Nobody is claiming that the Cubs haven't produced any players--the Cubs have had some pretty good pitchers come through their system--even those that have been plagued by injury. The Cubs have had a difficult time producing decent POSITION players. Player development problems have been a longstanding issue with the Cubs. Are you really arguing this point NO or are you just bored and looking for something to distract you from your case of the Mondays? I can't believe we're having this discussion.

The Cubs didn't develop Ryno, the Phillies did...Dallas Green came to the Cubs as GM from the Phils organization and traded Ivan DeJesus for Sandberg and Bowa.

"Chad, everyone knows that developed players are three times better than “bought” players. That is why everyone loves to rag on the Cubs for not producing any since Ryno." Uh, the Phillies produced Ryno.

The Cubs Produced Ryno? But I guess they didn't produce Mark Grace or Rafeal Palmeiro?

Griffey falling through waivers until the Cubs claim him can happen. We claim him then we have 10 days to workout a deal or the Reds can pull him back or release him for nothing. that's how Larry Walker got traded and that is the way it will continue to happen. The only teams that would claim griffey are the teams that are currently ahead of us in the standings.

I wish I shared your optimism Chad. the only thing reds fans care about this season is griffeys chase for 600. I'm sure the front office would like to keep ticket sales up.

The fact remains that next year, the Pirates start Morris on opening day - making him the ace of the rotation. The best card in your five card draw. Except he is not the "best card." He is, at best, the third best pitcher in the Pirates' rotation.

Mark, I'm just saying that Griff could easily pass through the system to us. If the Reds still want to keep him, that is another story entirely.

OK here's what I see happening: Jason Marquis turns back into a diamond. Tom Glavine wins 300 Barry Bonds hits 755 and the Cubs take over a share of first place for the first time this late in the season since? 2003? 2001? 1989?

ew 2001 at the close of business on 7/31 the Cubs were 4.5 games UP. I just threw up in mouth a little bit. And on my keyboard and a little on my monitor.

Morris had some harsh words for the Giants last week, accusing them of losing their "focus," and he reiterated similar criticisms in a conference call today, saying of the environment with last-place San Francisco, "It's been hard. You almost learn to accept losing. I hate to say that, but it's true." He also called it "laid back." Gads, just substitute "Pirates" for "Giants" in the above statement, and it doesn't seem like this trade is going to do any wonders at all for ol' Matty's attitude.

The Braves sure are real pressed to lose yet another NLDS, aren't they? Mortgaging their future just to get beat by the Diamondbacks or somesuch team in October? Whatever. If the team could only win ONE World Series with Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine how are they even going to sniff one with Smoltz, Teixeira and "some other dude"? And why the hell would the Cubs need Griffey, anyway? I thought the problem was that they didn't have a RIGHT-handed masher to play RF? And yes, the Pittsburghs are DUMB.

Nice of JJ to take a nap in centerfield. We want him well rested. He lost the ball... it happens to the best of them.

Phillies pitcher got hit with an A-Ram line drive. He ended up staying in the game.

"And yes, the Pittsburghs are DUMB." They only gave up a Tom Goodwin clone in Rajai Davis for him. Given that Kyle Lohse is the cream of the FA crop after Z and Schilling at 1/9 Morris could be thought of as a hot trade commidity in the winter. Even if Pit throws in half of Morris contract they probably end up with 2 players better than Davis out of it.

Referring to JJ losing a ball in the lights in center, dave said: It happens to the best of them. When I google "lost the ball in the lights," I don't find that it happens to the best outfielders. It happens more often to infielders. I did turn up this item, dated June 10, 2005:
59. Aaron Gleeman Brutal. Jacque Jones has lost the ball in the lights (or worse, like that) about 10 times this year.

Hey, did anyone else see the A's released Bobby Kielty? Glad we didn't trade for him, but I wouldn't mind picking him up just to take a look-see...

Re: #69 (and can't believe I'm defending Jacque), but in the interest of fairness, his home ballpark was the Homerdome, whose lights and light-colored ceiling are famous for causing outfielders to lose flyballs.

When I google “lost the ball in the lights,” I don’t find that it happens to the best outfielders. It happens more often to infielders. I did turn up this item, dated June 10, 2005: Not the best way to prove a point. Have you really never seen an outfielder lose a ball in the lights/sky/roof?

Maybe I'm behind the times but I still find Hendry fat jokes amusing. I also laugh at various noises that emminate from the human body so yeah, I'm a bit juvenile.

"I don’t know where you guys are getting this sepia-toned image of the Braves as the team that did it right." Chad, I almost had Pepsi coming out of my nose on that one! The sepia-toned image part. lol.

Determined not to boo: Cubster and I at the game tonight. I was astounded when I saw JJones lose a moderately hard hit ball in the lights. I fought hard, but decided not to boo (for once). Fortunately, he redeemed himself w/an opposite-field double. So - I actually felt better. This time.

did anyone mention that Jason Kendall got a hit and drove in some runs? what's with that?

I about fell out of my chair when Kendall got that hit. Hopefully, he can heat up a little bit and hit .250 the rest of the way.

henry — July 31, 2007 @ 3:09 pm AZ Phil. Thanks for your analysis. It certainly made it much clearer. One question: Let’s say the Red’s put Griffey on waivers. And it got to the Cubs without anyone claiming him. Could a deal then be worked out between the two teams without Griffey having to go all the way though the circuit, or does every team get a chance to claim him? Thanks ================================= HENRY: Every MLB team has a chance to make a claim during the 47 hours that as player is on waivers. It doesn't move from one team to the next to the next. Then after the waivers expire, the MLB office sorts out the claims and announces the outcome. Here is how it works: Today is the first day of the new waiver period, the one that runs from August 1st through November 10th. What is special about this particular waiver period is that from August 1st through the last day of the regular season, players on MLB 40-man rosters can only be traded after first clearing “Trade Waivers” without being claimed by another club (players on minor league rosters can be traded without restriction). "Trade Waivers” are a certain type of waiver, different from “Outright Waivers” (which are used to move a player from an MLB 40-man roster to a minor league roster via outright assignment) and “Release Waivers” (which are used to remove a player from a 40-man roster when outright assignment to the minor leagues isn’t possible, like if the player has at least three years or more of major league service time and thus can refuse an assignment to the minors). A player “rides” the waiver wire for 47 hours. Requests for Trade Waivers, Outright Waivers, and Release Waivers are transmitted by the MLB office to the 30 MLB clubs every day Monday through Saturday at 2 PM (Eastern time), and the waivers expire two days later at 1 PM (Eastern time). So if a player is claimed, the MLB office makes that notification when the waivers expire at 1 PM on the third day. Unlike Outright Waivers and Release Waivers (which are irrevocable), Trade Waivers are revocable, meaning if a player is claimed by another MLB club, the player’s original club can revoke the waivers and recall the player. As a result, there is no risk for a club to place its entire 40-man roster on Trade Waivers, because if a player is claimed, the waivers can be revoked. So most MLB clubs place their entire 40-man roster on Trade Waivers right at the start of the August-November waiver period, so that each club will know ASAP exactly who can and cannot be traded. Because only seven players can be placed on Trade Waivers per day, and because the MLB office is closed on Sunday, it takes about a week for an entire 40-man roster to clear waivers. Once a player clears Trade Waivers without being claimed, the waivers are good for the entire waiver period, and the player can be traded at any time, just like prior to the July 31st trading deadline. It is not necessary for his club to request waivers on the player again during that waiver period. However, if a player is claimed by one or more of the other MLB clubs, then the following occurs: 1. If only one club makes a claim, then that club is awarded the claim. 2. If more than one club makes a claim, then the club with the lowest winning percentage in the player's own league is awarded the claim, and if no clubs in the player's own league make a claim, then the club with the lowest winning percentage in the other league is awarded the claim. Because Trade Waivers are revocable, the player’s original club has up to 48 hours to decide what to do. Either: 1. Allow the claim to stand. The claiming club then must pay the player’s original club $20,000 (that’s the fixed waiver price, and has been for many years), and the new club assumes 100% of the player’s contract. 2. Work out a trade with the claiming club. 3. Revoke the waivers and “recall” the player. If a player is claimed off Trade Waivers but the waivers are subsequently revoked, the player cannot be placed on Trade Waivers again during that waiver period.

Sheffield/Cornelia — July 31, 2007 @ 9:26 pm Hey, did anyone else see the A’s released Bobby Kielty? Glad we didn’t trade for him, but I wouldn’t mind picking him up just to take a look-see… ==================== SHEFF: Because the A's were unbable to move Bobby Kielty in a deal prior to the conclusion of the trading deadline, they had to release him. That's because Kielty was Designated for Assignment a week ago Monday, and although the A's had ten days to trade or release him, they really only had eight days to decide, because it takes a player two days to clear Release Waivers. Kielty could not be placed on Outright Waivers because he has too much MLB service time, so the only two options the A's had after they DFA'd him were trade or release, and they just ran out of time. If the Cubs do sign Kielty as a FA, they will only have to pay him the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary, and the A's will be on the hook for the rest. Kielty is making $2.1M in 2007 (with about $700K left), and so the Cubs would only have to pay about $125K (the prorated portion of the MLB minimum) of the $700K. So maybe that was Hendry's plan all along. However, if there is great demand for Kielty's services, he could possibly squeeze a signing bonus and/or a 2008 contract out of his new team.

AZ Phil, What if two teams have identical winning percentage? Is the practice to put the guys you think will clear as your first 7? Also how long do teams have to take the guys off of waivers if they get claimed? And finally, isn't there an exception to the playoff roster deadline if you have an injury? So that theoretically a player picked up in September could still be on the playoff roster?

The Real Neal — August 1, 2007 @ 2:57 am AZ Phil, What if two teams have identical winning percentage? Is the practice to put the guys you think will clear as your first 7? Also how long do teams have to take the guys off of waivers if they get claimed? And finally, isn’t there an exception to the playoff roster deadline if you have an injury? So that theoretically a player picked up in September could still be on the playoff roster? ====================== REAL NEAL: What if two teams have identical winning percentage? The last time I remember it coming up, they did a coin toss. But that was several years ago and I don't know if they still do that or not. Is the practice to put the guys you think will clear as your first 7? You would want to get the guys through waivers ASAP that you would be most likely to use in an August trade. For the Cubs, that would mean the first seven would probably be Cedeno, Cherry, Moore, Murton, Petrick, Rapada, and Soto. D-Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Zambrano, Lilly would go in the last group, because they're not going anywhere. In fact, the Cubs might not even bother putting the latter guys on waivers. Also how long do teams have to take the guys off of waivers if they get claimed? If a player is claimed off waivers, the player's original club has up to 48 hours to decide whether to allow the claim to stand, revoke the waivers, or make a trade. And finally, isn’t there an exception to the playoff roster deadline if you have an injury? So that theoretically a player picked up in September could still be on the playoff roster? The exception works like this: The 25 players on the 25-man roster as of midnight August 31st are the club's playoff roster. However, any player on the 15-day or 60-day DL as of August 31st can be activated for the post-season (replacing any player on the 8/31 25-man roster), and any player in the organization (including players not on the 40-man roster) can replace a member of the 8/31 25-man roster who is unable to play in the post-season because of injury, although the player would have to be added to the 40-man roster first if he is not already on the 40. So theoretically, if Kendall, K. Hill, Soto, and Blanco were to get hurt in September, Josh Donaldson could be your 2007 Cubs World Series catcher! A player acquired in a trade with another organization after the midnight August 31st deadline is NOT eligible to play in the post-season. No exceptions.

DWard is ahead of schedule! Excellent news from this mornings Tribune: General manager Jim Hendry said trainer Mark O'Neal told him Daryle Ward likely will return from his right calf strain by the middle of August instead of at the end of the month, as was expected.

Things got so bad for the Brewers last night that they used Bush, their scheduled starter for tonight, in the 13th. They're scrambling to hang on.

Things got so bad for the Brewers last night that they used Bush, their scheduled starter for tonight, in the 13th. They’re scrambling to hang on. The Mets used Sosa, their Thursday starter. Does that mean they are "scrambling to hang on?"

Yesterday would have been Sosa's side day. He must not have thrown his bullpen before the game or he wouldn't have been in there. Yesterday was NOT Bush's side day. He can't throw tonight. I see they've now scheduled Claudio Vargas. Sosa can still throw tomorrow.

The Mets used Sosa, their Thursday starter. Does that mean they are “scrambling to hang on?” Why yes, it does.

I am just saying that using a sp in one extra-inning game does not mean the team is "scrambling to hang on." It just means that they were short on pitchers.

Using tomorrow's SP is scrambling. You're out of options. Then you have to jumble your rotation. Can't use Bush today. I am just saying that using a pitcher who starts two days later who has to throw 60 pitches that day anyway is different.

Using tomorrow’s SP is scrambling. You’re out of options. Sure... I don't disagree, but the implication was that the Brewers were scrambling to hang on to the season, not the game. I agree they were scrambling for the game, but not for the season.

And Wes... is it really realistic that Sosa had not thrown his side session at 10:00 at night? Just curious, because that doesn't make much sense that he would wait until after a night game to throw his side session.

I meant that the Brewers were scrambling to hold on to first place. I know with two months left that their season did not come down to last night's game.

Apparently, dave. He can't come in and throw an inning after he threw more than 50 pitches in his side session four or five hours before. Your arm can't turn around that fast. You can't throw 50 in the side session, then get up and throw 30-40 more in the bullpen in extra innings and then come in for an inning. I don't know when he threw his side session, but it wasn't yesterday afternoon. I have heard that some guys do like to throw their bullpens after the game instead of before. All the fans leave after the games. If you're throwing your bullpen during BP, there are fans down by your bullpen bothering you. I've also known a few guys who threw their side sessions the day before their start as opposed to two days. Maybe he's one of those.

It's also possible that Randolph told him to wait until after the game to throw it. He may have told him that he might need him to throw an inning due to some of the bullpen needing a day off (or sucking badly. I'm looking at you Schoenweis and Sele.) He burned through his bullpen trying to protect the lead because he'd already used his setup man in the seventh.

Yea... who knows why/how it happened. All I am really saying is that we can't learn much off of one game. As much as we think that Milwaukee is scrambling, I don't expect the go anywhere and expect this to be a race through the final week.

Someone told me that Steve Stone is claiming the Cubs will re-sign Zambrano in the next week or two. Can anyone who might be listening, back this up or explain what money allowance whoever happens to be running this team, has given Hendry?

The brewers had an off-day Monday. Juggling the rotation isn't a problem. You can just push a couple guys up until Bush is ready to make his start, and they'll pitch on regular rest rather than a day extra.

I think the Cubs/Brewers would of done everything they could to win last nights games, for the simple fact that media/fans would of been looking for hides since both teams didnt make any improvement to the roster @ the deadline. more of a psychological win. "We Can DO IT"

Brewers were also short one body in the pen last night ... Linebrink was with his wife, who just had their child. I think he's back tonight though.

OK, everyone knows the White Sox traded Mackowiak to San Diego yesterday. But who knew that they were trading their leading hitter (.278)? Just found that to be very amusing.

re:#72 Have you really never seen an outfielder lose a ball in the lights/sky/roof? Sure we have dave, Why it was just last year. Remember? http://tinyurl.com/23hbhk I bet Z will never forget it.

Right... Jones is the only outfielder to ever lose a ball in the sun/lights/sky. And still waiting to hear you say something about JJ's double yesterday...

Brewers sent Rickie Weeks down. Tony Graffanino/Craig Counsell now the Brewers 2B option. Wow... wasn't really expecting that, though it isn't like Weeks deserves to stay up in the bigs right now. They also put Linebrink on the bereavement list (Garagiola can grant the bereavement list when nobody dies?) and will put Elmer Dessens in their bullpen. Bereavement? Not sure how bereavement can be used for a birth of a child, but oh well. I do think that mlb/brewers should be supportive of Linebrink being with his wife and new child, so I guess bereavement would be the only option.

It would seem that JJ pulls the old "lost the ball in the ether" trick on a regular basis. And, Why would I comment on a double by JJ? Was there something special about it? Well, on second thought, I guess ANY hit by JJ is special this year.

And, Why would I comment on a double by JJ? Was there something special about it? Because you won't shut up when he does something negative (like striking out last night), yet you completely ignore the positives, like his run scoring double. Its getting old.

when did JJ become some guy who cant catch a popup? the old roof at the metrodome isnt even remotely fair..even hunter lost some out there before they repainted it off-white...still, with the roof/lights/speakers/rafters its not easy even with the re-painting. its a notorious park for losing balls in the IF and OF on popups. when it comes to the guy in the field i'd be a lot more worried about floyd/murton, honestly. JJ can track a ball and isnt afraid of the ivy. he can take some weird routes (that 360 the other day was funny) but he's got the track more than he's lost out there. he got a f'n workout yesterday with him playing shallow/midfield CF with the marquis positioning...the groundball pitcher didnt deliver.

Jacque is hitting .280 with a .362 OBP since the All-Star break, that's pretty darn good from the bottom of the lineup. If he can keep that up, I'm perfectly happy with him at CF. Because, and I know this is shocking to people, not everyone in the lineup is going to hit .300. If we can have the majority of the hitters at .280 and up, we will do pretty well. Aside from the suck at catcher, we have that.

The slugging still isn't there for Jacque, but he's not the only one. That disease is apparently contagious. His back to posting near his career line (minus the homers). That's what he was signed for, isn't it?

The slugging still isn’t there for Jacque, but he’s not the only one. That disease is apparently contagious. The lack of home runs this year for the Cubs has been really odd. Here is a list of players who are on pace to be below the career (or at least recent) averages in home runs: A-Ram (though he is pretty close) Soriano Lee Jones (Barrett) Floyd

And the more I think about the bereavement thing, Floyd was put there when his father was ill earlier this season. I read the Linebrink's had some serious complications with the birth, so I suppose if you grant one, you have to grant the other.

I read the Linebrink’s had some serious complications with the birth, so I suppose if you grant one, you have to grant the other. I hadn't heard about the complications... hope everything is okay. And yea - I read that mlb bereavement is used for "family emergencies" so it seems that it would make sense. I have no problem with it.

Sheff, I was listening to WSCR on Monday when Stone said (and this as close to an exact quote as I can remember), "I believe in the next couple of weeks you are going to hear that Jim Hendry has signed Carlos to a contract extension in the 4/$70M range. Instead of taking on a 'short term' commitment from a trade deadline deal, I believe this is in the best interests of the Cubs." Again, that's about as close as I can remember. I can tell you Stone cited no sources for his comments, but he did say it with a certainty that he 'knew something'. I hope he is right as do most Cubs fans.

still waiting to hear you say something about JJ’s double yesterday… Jones's double wasn't his last plus or minus in the game. In the ninth, he ran and dove for a ball that was . . . how to say this delicately? . . . catchable. Something wrong with your hand-to-eye if you over-reach and the ball hits your wrist or the heel of your glove. I can hear the chorus beginning to swell: he did a great job just getting to the ball! No gold stars for effort. You have to catch the damn ball. It left two runners on for Howard and Rowand. Look at the play again. Look at the closeup. It's pretty ugly--Patterson-esque. Someone like DeRosa, who dives for and catches a lot of balls, would not do this.

It’s pretty ugly–Patterson-esque. Well... that says a lot right there if you think Patterson wasn't good defensively. And DeRosa wouldn't have been anywhere close to getting that ball. I talked about it in the chat, how I knew people would be bitching about that play. Oh well... I expect nothing less from the JJ haters on here.

Speaking of DeRosa versus Jones, I noticed DeRosa made a nice slide and was safe at home yesterday when the throw beat him. I try not to be a Jones hater. I'm getting counseling for it. Here's the advice I've been given: Don't think of Jones as a highly remunerated experienced professional player. Think of him as the eternal rookie. He plays every game like it's his first.

Speaking of DeRosa versus Jones, I noticed DeRosa made a nice slide and was safe at home yesterday when the throw beat him. Why are we comparing DeRosa to JJ? I believe that DeRosa is a far better all-around player than JJ. But to get pissed at JJ for losing the ball in the sky/lights or for not catching the ball in the 9th is just silly.

Dave I have to take you to task for this whole Jacque Jones thing. You are confusing a couple of things here. 1. He's a major league player. He can't lose the ball on a pop up. We expect major league players to make that play every time. Can it happen sure. But when you are Derrek Lee or Aramis Ramirez we can forgive you as you are hitting a ton and can make up for it. But if you're not gonna hit, you better field 100% of the balls you should. 2. So he hit a crucial double. So what? Once again, he's a major league baseball player and we expect him to get a hit time to time. So he got one in a big spot. That does not make up for the rest of his shitty season. The missed fly ball was yet another reason why we don't like him on the giant mound of reasons we already have. the crucial hit was a reason on the small mole hill why we do like him.

Blah... we obviously disagree, and I am tired of going back and forth on whether or not JJ should be excused for losing a ball in the sky/lights. Shoot... even the dreadful Mike Murphy, who is a JJ hater, got upset at ignorant fans for booing JJ after that play. But oh well... I will move on.

Well then I guess all complaints about Neifi Perez were unfounded cause he hit a grand slam that beat the cardinals.

Well then I guess all complaints about Neifi Perez were unfounded cause he hit a grand slam that beat the cardinals. Straw Man I never said people shouldn't complain about JJ, did I? Nor did I say that people shouldn't complain about JJ because he hit a double, did I? I did say that it was silly to complain about losing a ball in the lights/sky or for not making a play on a very tough diving play. And I also said that it was ridiculous to comment about one of JJ's at-bats (a strikeout with the bases loaded) and ignore his earlier at-bat when he came through with a double.

No! I am saying that when you look at the balance sheet that is JJ the debit column is more filled out than the credits. So we can complain. We don't complain about ARam doing the same thing last night cause we've seen him come through time and time again. The one time JJ does come through does not excuse the suck. So we ignore it as the aberration it is.

No! I am saying that when you look at the balance sheet that is JJ the debit column is more filled out than the credits. And that has nothing to do with what I was talking about. And I did not say his double excused the suck... ever.

I know. I am saying we can still rag on the bullshit and ignore the good. until the point that the good catches up to the bad. until then every little thing he does wrong is going to get amplified to 11.

But his second half has been good. Not great, but good, which is just fine to me. Would I like great at every position? Sure, but we can't afford it and all we need to win this thing is good in the second half from some positions that were crap to begin with and great from positions that were pretty good. Jones hitting .280 with a .360 OBP is perfectly acceptable and about what we pay him for. If Lee keeps hitting HRs at the pace he's been doing since the All-Star break and if Theriot keeps hitting well, the only real hole is Kendall, who we should probably hit 9th every time.

Anyway, it's the day after the interleague trading deadline and Jones isn't going anywhere. We all root for him when he comes to the plate wearing the uniform. He'll always be controversial among Cub fans and it's probably better to leave it alone. I'm as guilty as anyone.

#120 "but (Stone) did say it with a certainty that he ‘knew something’." That's the way Stoney says everything.

dave, 42 posts out of a 135 post thread, are you bucking for a capital 'D' in your name, or just out of work?

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • 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)

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  • Arizona Phil (view)

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  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

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  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

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