Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL 

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, ten players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, two players are on the 15-DAY IL, and two players are on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* 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: 10 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 2 
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Patrick Wisdom, INF 

15-DAY IL: 2
* Justin Steele, P  
Jameson Taillon, P 

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Zombie: A Tool or Five?

Submitted by Mike Wellman on

Is there anything Carlos Zambrano can't do on a baseball field [other than keep cool]? What is he, an ace or an ass?

Dave van Dyck speculates in this morning's Chicago Tribune that if Zombie [call him Big Z if you like; I call him Zombie - it will make a good stage name when he becomes a pro wrestler] misses his Friday start in Milwaukee one of three Iowa Cubs will take his place: Randy Wells, Mitch Atkins or Jose Ascanio.

Atkins' first two starts were poor and as a result he still carries a bloated and somewhat misleading ERA of 6.99. The last three have been better.

Wells has been solid from the outset in compiling an ERA of 3.13.

Both Atkins and Wells have K/BB ratios of 3:1 and are big, imposing righthanders.

Ascanio has made five starts and sports a sparkling ERA of 1.25 but only in his last outing did he go five innings. His pitch count that night was 81, the first time he's been that high as he transitions from relief to the rotation. Of the three candidates van Dyck names, Ascanio seems the least likely from here.

This morning's Des Moines Register says Wells will start the opener of the I-Cub homestand tonight versus Nashville. The team's website tabs Atkins. A complicating factor might also be that the team's last two games over the weekend in Memphis were rained out.

Atkins' last appearance was on April 30, Wells' was April 27 and Ascanio was May 1.

There's always Samardzija...MW

Tags
Iowa Cubs update

Comments

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:45 am

The White Sox signed first baseman-outfielder Daryle Ward to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Ward hit .250/.300/.393 in 28 at-bats this spring before the Reds sent him packing. He played for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League during the month of April.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:09 am

The problem with Samardzija, and apparently Ascanio, is that they aren't properly stretched out. You can't have them start knowing basically best case scenerio is they get 5 innings. I'd rather take a flier on Wells.

Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:33 am

Mike Wellman: Dave van Dyck speculates in this morning's Chicago Tribune that if [Zambrano] misses his Friday start in Milwaukee one of three Iowa Cubs will take his place... Isn't that Heilman's job? And besides, I don't think you'll find many ball players as exciting as Zambrano. I think many of us want our Cubs to be high-energy ball players like that. I'll take the risk of him hurting a leg trying to beat out a bunt. That's effing awesome.

Submitted by Jeff_Pico on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:35 am

These type of spot starts you just have to see what happens. Chances are you aren't going to see any of them put up great numbers in their first major league starts. If no one goes on the DL, I'd say Samardzija is the choice for 4-5 innings and then Guzman and Patton after that.

Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:52 am

Too bad for Heilman he's been an effective late inning reliever. If he had been stretched out, or stayed stretched out, he'd make plenty of sense. How long has it been since Samardzija made a start? He ought to still be at least as stretched out as Ascanio, right? I believe AZ Phil mentioned in a recent post that Randy Wells would be the most likely replacement starter at this point in the season (if anyone is called up from Iowa to start). If Phil thinks it's a good idea, I'm for it.

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Submitted by Cubnut on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:26 pm

Tonight's interview with the Red Stars player may have been historic: she was so uninteresting, Len dismissed her even before the second out of the half inning. As much as we hate these interviews, Kasper and Brenly must hate them more.

Santo seems quite happy with them, however, as though he is receiving company in his living room.

Loved this Santo question of Peter Cetera—"So what are your hobbies?"

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Submitted by Jeff_Pico on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:11 pm

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog?post=4135612&name=levine Here's the post from Levine. Of course equating Zambrano's injury to Sutcliffe is a little premature. So I'm assuming we'll get to see a couple of starts from one of the Iowa guys. I bet Z only misses 2-3 starts. As for the 'should he have bunted' question? He's just as likely to pull his hamstring on a groundout to short as a bunt. I'm just glad this happened in a game he started and not a PH appearance. Baseball is a game of risk you can't wrap the guys up in bubble wrap.

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Submitted by The Joe on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:39 pm

I agree. He's a ballplayer, if he gets hurt running to first, you can't really fault him for that. I think it was Kruk who said something to the effect "that's why power hitters don't bunt". Saying, if you bunt for a hit, you are guaranteeing a sprint to the base as opposed to a basehit where he doesn't necessarily need to go full speed. I think it's a good point, but I'm still fine with Zambie doing what he does.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:57 pm

The reason Kruk didn't bunt was because he was too fat. The reason power hitters don't bunt is because they don't want singles, they want doubles and HR's. Some power hitters who are reasonable athletes will bunt, particuarly to get rid of a shift. I remember Edmonds doing that a couple of years ago.

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:47 pm

I for one am in favor of giving Samardzija the start. He needs the innings anyway (he should be starting in Iowa). Otherwise, reports no Randy Wells seem to be positive.

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Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:07 pm

I agree 100%. Z isn't going to be out 4 wks. It's not an arm injury. Also agree that shit happens. Of course you be careful with these guys but if they can help the team, ie pitcher PHing, well that's what he's there to do.

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Submitted by mannytrillo on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:32 pm

We all know the Cubs and their injury reports, so let's just hope it is 2-4 weeks and that Z gets 100% healthy and it is not something he needs to deal with the rest of the year. Even 4 weeks is not the end of the world, and with a $140MM payroll, the Cubs should be able to handle it. Unfortunately their minor league system is not very good, but with 2 off days the next 2 Mondays, we should be able to skip that spot a few times.

Submitted by Mike Vail on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:44 pm

Did anyone ask Fergie or Mad Dog to take Z's spot in the rotation? Was anyone at the game yesterday? How was the ceremony? I missed the ceremony but saw the game.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:10 pm

I was at Atkins start in Memphis last Thursday. He didn't look good at all. Sam Fuld saved his bacon on several occasions. Atkins was giving up line drives in the gap all game. There was a light rain/drizzle all night to effect the hitters, and it still didn't matter. Topped out at 90 pitched mostly at 86-88.

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:19 pm

That's cool, Dr. The only MiLB game I have seen ever was at Wrigley last summer. One of these years I want to hit Peoria, Indianapolis (I've been told its a great park), and Lansing. Re: Z Meh. As I posted the other day, I love the guy, and he "tweaked" his hammy with a perfect bunt! Sean Marshall cannot even get a fucking bunt down when he squares up, let alone a thing of beauty like Z, Until there is DH in the NL, this stuff will happen. I don't have a problem with the way it did.We knew that we'd have a starter go down at one point or another. It sucks that not only did we trade Marquis, but Hendry DFA'd the pitcher we traded for! That makes perfect sense to me...

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Submitted by Wes on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:30 pm

Indianapolis is indeed a beautiful ballpark. Best minor league park in the country and it isn't close. Great view of the Indy skyline from behind home plate. I'd wait a year or two if you plan on making a special trip down, however. They're building a new hotel across the street and there's a bunch of construction equipment and stuff behind the LF fence that really detracts from the view right now. I'll be there tonight. Hoping for an A-Rod rehab sighting so I can boo the shit out of him.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:08 pm

Any word on Vizcaino? I think the Cubs 10 days are up. Did he get traded, accept assignment or did the Cubs just released him?

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:33 pm

Randy Wells pitched one inning for Toronto after they selected him n the Rule 5 draft, and I think 2 innings for Chicago last year. Samardzija, of course, has some MLB relief experience. Ascanio pitched a few innings for the Cubs last year in relief. I don't think Mitch Atkins has made any MLB appearances. So, minimal.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:20 pm

According to BP, his last three years in the minors translate to about what Henry Blanco did for us last year. He's actually down a little bit on his typical BABIP numbers in Iowa this year, so at least to this point those numbers look legit. Hopefully he'll perform well enough to send Gathright packing.

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:40 pm

...and Z officially goes on the DL. no idea replacement...looking like scales, though. esp. if he's at wrigley taking grounders.

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:56 pm

I'm sure AZ Phil or Mike W could respond in more detail, but it looks like the only two starters doing much at AA are Casey Coleman and Casey Lambert. Coleman was drafted just last year and is very young; he's also just getting his first taste of AA ball. Lambert has less impressive strikeout numbers, but his WHIP is lower and he's got an ERA of 2.76 in 127.1 minor league innings. However, until this year he's mostly been used as a reliever. Lambert would be more likely to be called up to replace Cotts (or just to be a second lefty) than he would to fill a rotation spot. These guys have to be behind Wells, Ascanio, Atkins, and Caridad on the depth chart.

Submitted by Paul Noce on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:46 pm

I always wondered how much money these minors leaguers see for a small cup of coffee, so I did a quick calculation. If Scales is with the club for four days, M/T/W/Th before being sent back down, he would get almost 10 grand, plus daily meal money. (Lg. minimum salary 400k over 6+ months is about 2,200 day for rookies). Not bad. Especially if he's only making 25-35k in the minors. Imagine how just getting called up for September can be a huge financial plus to a fringe player.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:21 pm

Musket says: It'll be LF Soriano, SS Theriot, RF Bradley, 1B Lee, 3B Ramirez, C Soto, CF Johnson, 2B Miles and P Dempster.

Submitted by Romero on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:43 pm

The irony of Zambrano going to the DL is that we lose our most dangerous pinch-hitter. :) That said, I look forward to seeing what Scales can do if he's called up. These are his AAA stats since 2005 (which have steadily improved each season): 1628 AB, 481 H, 94 2B, 20 3B, 50 HR, 215 BB, 398 K .295/.378/.470 (.848 OPS). To me, that's a pretty solid, consistent, AAA line over a large sample size. This shows me he has a good eye, decent power, but will strike out a lot (which might be a big problem). What I'd kind of expect is for Scales to hit better than Aaron Miles and be able to play 3B, 2B, 1B (behind Lee and Hoffpauir) and in LF and RF (he's played over 250 games in the OF in the minors). As a switch-hitter, he gives Piniella better options against LHPs than we currently have. It's possible that Scales only stays on the roster for a few days, but in the best of all possible worlds, I imagine Scales could hit near his minor league numbers (I'd gladly take anything over .330-.350/.400-.450) and play passable defense at multiple positions, allowing Miles to stick to being ONLY the back-up SS (and emergency catcher and also motel-room security) with Scales also being Fontenot's platoon partner at 2B against LHP (instead of Miles). And for the human element, I don't see ANYTHING but positive things coming from a 31-year old making his MLB debut. Certainly that has to have a motivating effect on the rest of the team. If Scales could do all these things, I see that as more valuable than Joey Gathright, who has only contributed a few innings with his glove and is 1 for 3 in SBs. GO CUBS!

Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:55 pm

ASG voting going on now, if you are into that sort of thing. I'm not eff-ing around with voting 25 times, but I voted once and Ramirez, Fukudome, and Soriano made my list. I considered writing-in Bobby Scales but decided against it. *rolls eyes*

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:37 pm

randy wells starts Friday per Hendry on CSN, tonight. shitty ab by reed johnson w bases juiced.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:44 pm

Ok seriously what juice is Theriot on? :) This is amazing...

Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:59 pm

Cubs should have at least six runs. bases loaded 3x. very frustrating... oh well, still 4-2 good guys now

Submitted by Q-Ball on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 05:06 pm

Question, for Iowa Mike or AZ Phil: Who is Greg Reinhard? He's from Marinette, and went to UW-Whitewater, so he's a cheesehead and borderline Yooper. He also has a very high K-rate at AAA, and a .55 ERA, after a pretty good campaign in AA last year. Prospect at all?

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Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 05:10 am

Cubs got him in the trade for Jae-kuk Ryu along with OF and OF Andrew Lopez. I'm sure he was recommended by Wilken who drafted him for the Rays.

 The biggest thing was last year I kind of figured out what kind of pitcher I was going to be out of the ‘pen. Along with the slider, I started throwing a split. When I was in Tampa, they converted everyone to curveball and changeup. I think now I’ve been able to get back to a slider and split. When I first came over (in ’07), I was still trying to throw a changeup. I’m throwing a slider and then a split-finger. … I just started throwing [the split] last year. I was kind of having trouble with the changeup and when I went to Iowa, Mike Mason asked me if I’d ever thrown one, which I had, so he gave me the green light. 

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 05:58 am

Maybe 3/44, but from the bottom notes section of a Cubs.com article it says that Luis Vizcaino was released by the Cubs, so they found no takers for a trade after designating him. Interesting to see who signs him and how well or poorly he does.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    cubs getting crazy good at not having player moves leak.

    taillon we 100% know is pitching tonight.  who he's replacing and any additional moves are unknown as far as i can tell.

    p.wisdom was not in today's lineup in iowa (rained out) and he was removed from the game last night mid-game, but not for injury.  good bet he's with the team in the bigs, too.

  • Bill (view)

    A good rule of thumb is that if you trade a near-ready high ceiling prospect, you should get at least two far-away high ceiling prospects in return.  Like all rules-of-thumb, it depends upon the specific circumstances, but certainly, we weren't going to get Busch for either prospect alone.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Right on schedule, just read an article in Baseball America entitled "10 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Our Attention".  Zyhir Hope was one of the prospects featured. It stated that he's "one of the biggest arrow-up sleeper prospects in the lower levels right now."

     

    Not sharing to be negative about the trade, getting a top 100 prospect who is MLB ready should carry a heavy prospect cost.  But man, Dodger sure are good at identifying and developing young talent. Andrew Friedman seems to have successfully merged Ray's development with Yankees financial might to create a juggernaut of an organization.  

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    I suspect Brown will spend some time in the bullpen due to inning restrictions.  Pitched only 93 innings last year and career high is 104 innings in 2022.  I would expect them to be cautious with a young player with his injury history.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    I wanted Almonte gone last week, but that was before Merryweather went down and Little got demoted. Almonte in his last 5 appearances has gone 4.1 IP with no ER or Runs. NO hits, 3 BBs and 8 SO. He did hit 96 with his 2S FB in AZ on Tues.
    I don't see Jed waiving him when we have injuries all over and guys with options that can be sent down.
    I probably won't like the move Jed makes, but he can't play the "let's hope no one wants his 1.7mil remaining deal and we can hide him in Iowa" card.
    That's why I think the current Bullpen stays as is and Wicks goes to Iowa.
    I don't like that, but that's the fix I see.
    We'll find out soon enough!!!

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Teheran minor league deal is done, per MLB.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Based on Phil’s sound analysis it sounds like a no brainer for Almonte to be placed on waivers as today’s roster move. We shall see.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I suspect Counsell/Hottovy will use the piggy-back extensively, with Taillon and Hendricks pitching as the "pig" (and with a very short leash) and some combo of Wicks, Brown, and Wesneski (whichever two do not start) as the "backers."  

    Keep in mind that Keegan Thompson has a minor league option available, and if Yency Almonte is not outrighted by 4/26 he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent after that date. Almonte is out of minor league options, so I am talking about him getting outrighted to the minors if he is not claimed off waivers, and if he is claimed off waivers, the Cubs save the pro-rated portion of his $1.9M salary, which helps lower the Cubs 2024 AAV.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Totally agree. The 26 man roster very rarely consists of the 13 best position players and 13 best pitchers.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Based on what Jed has done in the past, I’d say the plan is to

    -give Hendricks another few starts
    -give Taillon some runway ot get his season underway

    -Mix and match in the bullpen and see what sticks

    Jed usually doesn’t do a whole lot of waiver wire plays in-season, at least early in the season. He only reallly did that after he blew up the rosters in 21 and 22 because they needed bodies (guys like Schwindel, Fargas, etc).

    I think he’s a little handcuffed by a full 40 man in that he can’t really maneuver much with giving anyone showing ability at AAA (R Thompson/ Sanders/ Edwards etc). Brewer has the most tenuous grip there, and we will see what kind of chance he gets. Other than his spot, there isn’t a ton of 40 man wiggle room.

    I’m very curious to see what happens with Brown now that Taillon returns. Bullpen? Wicks to Iowa? 

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