Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-23-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 9 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P   

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

DFA: 1 
Garrett Cooper, 1B 
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Phoenix Top Dog in AFL East

Submitted by Arizona Phil on

Danny Espinosa (WAS) had three hits and drove-in four runs and Josh Bell (BAL) cracked a three-run homer to cap a seven-run 4th, as the Phoenix Desert Dogs drubbed the Mesa Solar Sox 11-1 this afternoon at HoHoKam Park, clinching the AFL East crown and earning a berth in the 2009 AFL Championship Game versus the Peoria Javelinas next Saturday afternoon at Scottsdale Stadium. 

box score

Starlin Castro (playing 2B and batting 2nd) and Josh Vitters (playing 3B and hitting 6th) were in the Solar Sox original starting lineup, but Vitters was a last-minute scratch. I don't know why Vitters was pulled, but he did suffer a muscle strain taking batting practice a couple of weeks ago, so perhaps that problem flared-up.

Castro got four AB, and went 1-4. He lined-out to the CF (laser-rope) in the bottom of the 1st, ripped a ground-single through the box into CF, stole 2nd, and advanced to 3rd on an overthrow in the third. grounded out 4-3 (outstanding stop & throw by Desert Dogs 2B Jemile Weeks) on a "bang-bang" play in the 5th, and popped out to 3rd on the first pitch he saw leading off the bottom of the 8th.  

Andrew Cashner is scheduled to make his final AFL start for the Solar Sox tomorrow afternoon against the Surprise Rafters at HoHoKam Park.   

Tags
Starlin Castro
Arizona Fall League

Comments

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:01 am

The main problem with UZR for outfielders (besides the in the gap problem that applies to infielders as well) is that it doesn't take into account balls that both people can catch. If your RF always backs up your CF on catches that they both can make - guess who winds up with a great UZR and guess who winds up looking like crap at the end of the season. Any range factor metric is going to have this exact same problem. The +/- system takes a step towards addressing it, but does so at the expense of allowing in subjectivity.

[ ]

Submitted by thedirtbag on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:45 pm

I think you can make a case for all three pitchers, but in the end I think that it will be a Cardinal. Carpenter has the ERA, Wainwright made giant strides this year and has the innings, wins, and a nice k rate, while Lincecum rolls with the K's and doobies while equipped with an anemic offense. In the end, it goes to Wainwright.

Submitted by thedirtbag on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:26 pm

Adam Wainwright- ERA 2.63; 233 innings; 8.19k/9; 212k's; 19 wins; WHIP 1.21 Chris Carpenter- 2.24 ERA; 192.2 innings; WHIP 1.01; 6.8k/9, but a 3.7:1 k/BB; 17 wins; 144 k's. Tim Lincecum- 2.90 ERA; 225.1 innings; 10.44k/9; 1.15 WHIP; 15 wins; 261 k's.

Submitted by thedirtbag on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:35 pm

Anyone know if Bruce Levine has had any update on Bradley? Last week he said something about a trade in the next 3-4 days.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:58 pm

I offer Grabow arbitration and wait to see if he takes it...chances are he will because a team doesn't want to give up a draft pick for a set-up man. That'll cost the Cubs probably an extra $1M this year, but if Ricketts is serious about propping the farm system, he'll roll the dice. Maybe the Cubs get lucky and a team with a protected pick signs him or one that signed a few other FA's and the Cubs score some extra draft picks. If he does sign with another team, I wait until February when inevitably some lefties will still be around and sign one or two on the cheap. I imagine you can find a few on the trade market for Jake Fox who will likely be traded, since he's out of options and in Lou's doghouse.

In general,  I could care less if the Cubs have even one lefty in their pen. It's a stupid unnecessary crutch for a manager so he can make safe moves that the media won't blast him on. The Angels did plenty good for awhile with their pen with no lefties (before Oliver and Fuentes). Better off finding good relievers that can get guys from both sides of the plate and you'll trust for an inning or longer. Cubs had a great LOOGY in Ohman and couldn't figure out to use him.

And I don't mind Grabow, he can get guys from both sides of the plate, I just think's just slightly above average and I'm also not sure Lou will use him properly, which is a full inning at a time, rather than a match-up lefty.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:21 pm

You do not think that he would walk into the set-up role?

he could, but he's a reliever, they're more volatile than a sorority house right before their periods*.

If he has two lefties in the pen, he'll probably let him go longer, but if Marshall gets hurt and Gaub is not ready, he's gonna hold him back for lefty match-ups just like he did with Marshall when he was the only lefty in the pen, although he can get lefties and righties out as well.

*(buy your cheap misogynistic jokes right here)

[ ]

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:44 pm

I don't really see what all the fuss was/is about Grabow to begin with? 5 BB/9 isn't really someone I think you just assume is an 8th inning guy. Lou will use him as a Loogy because he is a lefty. Splits aside. I just don't think you kill your budget on a Middle reliever. The better approach is to make your trades and fill the rest of the team out. Then you re-assess what is out there and what you have to spend. Last year Joe Beimel and Will Ohman BOTH took deals in March in the One year 2 million dollar range. Looking at their 2008 stats and Grabow's 2009 stats, and you can make that case to an arbitrator. I don't see any realistic way that John Grabow gets 5 million from an arbitrator. 2.5 to 3 million is absolute max. Hendry holds the hammer. He should excercise his leverage and give himself some payroll room.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:53 pm

the guy is an innings guy...the guy is an iron-man when it comes to being able to throw many games a year without needing time off...the guy has a low/mid 90s fastball with a nice change and slider...he's left handed. the guy is looking to make 3-4m a year, not 10-15m... will ohman, unlike grabow, is a 2-pitch (fb/slider) loogie...btw. ...and joe beimel probably should be used more as a loogie than he is.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:58 pm

maybe if he had more control...esp. vs. righties. he uses his change effectively vs. righties, but the fastball has to be "on" ...and his slider is almost ineffective vs. righties. he's got 3 pitches that are good, but in reality he's working with 2 pitches per batter, per side. his control, though not awful, is pretty important day-to-day to his effectiveness.

[ ]

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:10 pm

I doubt that scouting reports are going to come into play in a courtroom. Grabow is 31. He is what he is at this point. Stats, lefty middle reliever, age, Player A,B and C are comps and make 2 million per season. A note from Ma Grabow and a recommendation from TCR reader Crunch isn't going to get him double and a half what Ohman and Beimel got. That isn't how arbitration works. Someone with a BP script needs to look up his closest comps and see what they make.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:24 pm

it goes by service time, not age and although you can argue anything, it's going to ultimately come down your basic stats of ERA, holds, IP, saves and that he was ranked a Type A free agent...

being a lefty isn't going to matter...

Affeldt might be a good comp, he got 2/7 plus a $1M bonus and guys like Howry and Eyre got in the 3.5 to $4M range, so I back off $5M. $3.5M-$4M is more reasonable...

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:28 pm

fwiw, Ohman was his second comp on BP and the only recent one, not that it would ever get mentioned in arbitration case

amusingly, here' their 2007 take on him..

You can make a strong argument that no team needs a LOOGY. Mike Scioscia won 92 games and a division title in 2004 without having a lefty reliever on his team. LOOGies do more harm than good because they end up facing just as many righties than lefties as a result of walks and pinch-hitters, and take up precious roster space without providing enough innings.

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:33 pm

im saying what he is...not a recommendation. he is what he is. he's also not comparable to will ohman, fwiw. i'm giving you beimel out of his use, but the ONLY reason he sees batters vs. righties is ONLY because he can keep the ball in the park when he screws up vs. them. beimel the reliever's only saving grace being an innings guy rather than a loogie is his ability to keep the ball in the park.

[ ]

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:03 pm

I'm sure there's a point in there I'm failing to follow...

fwiw, and anyone that has paid attention in the last 30 years of baseball analysis woud note, a quick look at the top and bottom baserunning teams by BP's metric shows very little relationship between a good offense or a good team.

It's nice to have, and you certainly would prefer your team to be good at all areas of the game, but it's very much low on the totem pole of areas you need your team to excel at....

[ ]

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:14 pm

im still pissing around about wasting the best power hitter on the team in the 1 slot for a few years. the team hasn't been a base stealing team for years no matter where you put soriano and his power, though. i'm just glad this long-running stupid joke of soriano being a leadoff man is over. for all the bitching about guys like pierre leading off the soriano thing made even less sense to me by far.

Submitted by rokfish on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:53 pm

So what did Jake Fox do to not play much in september and piss Lou off? Was he being benched to not hurt his offseason trade value. Or like one other player from previous season does Lou get pissed about player saying the wrong things in the press.

Recent comments

  • Bill (view)

    I would have kept Cooper rather than Wisdom, but at least I can understand why they did it.  In a team that lacks dominant power hitters, Wisdom can be a dominant power hitter, at least in streaks.  I suppose that there is always the possibility that the streaks longer in both duration and frequency.  I will be content if they essentially make a 100 % DH commitment to Mervis against righties and Wisdom against lefties.  When a regular needs rest, give them total rest, rather than a DH rest.  Do this for at least 2 months, and then re-evaluate at that point.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    This is Cubs adjacent but…


    Jordan Walker just was optioned by the deadbirds. For all the talk of the Cardinals development machine, they’ve really missed on a lot of can’t miss superstars lately. Walker has struggled. Gorman has been okay. They’re already trying to push Carlson out the door. Their pitching system has been so bad they had to go out and sign basically a full rotation over the last two offseasons.

    They’ve still developed a few of those pesky solid players, like Donovan, Edman, and Nootbaar. Their two best prospect to MLB players have been Adolis and Arozarena, neither of which is a cardinal.

    I hope they never figure it out again. Cardinal failure brings me such joy.
     

  • Raisin101 (view)

    Thank you so much! I really appreciate not only all your posts but how eager you are to respond to our questions.

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Is it just me or does it seem that official scorers are becoming less likely to call a misplay an error? 

     

    Guess I've hit my cranky old-man phase in life.  "I remember back in the day when an error was an error.  Official scorers have gone soft.  Now where did I put my readers?!!??"

     

    Sidenote, maybe Bellinger should be a little more careful against the Astros.  That was the series last year that a play at wall put him on the IL.   

  • crunch (view)

    i hated the almonte pickup, but he's 9-10 out of 12 for good outings, following a great spring.  hope he can keep it up.

    i already miss cooper, but yeah...the thin OF roster backup the team seems to want to carry probably got wisdom preference over cooper.  i could live without seeing wisdom at 3rd unless it's a blowout, though.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Things I've been wrong about:

    -Tauchman is fine as a 4th OF. I knew that. I just want a better LH DH option and he was really the DH for us until Seiya got hurt. I'm glad Mervis is getting a chance at it. Caissie is coming for that job for sure. But Tauchman continues to be highly useful as a 4th OF with Seiya being hurt

    -I wanted Yency to go to get guys at Iowa a chance. Guys like Palencia and Sanders or RileyT. Maybe even Hodge! But Yency has been better the last two plus weeks. He did hit 96 the other day. He was 93 in Texas to open the season.

    -Leiter has his split working enough. It just needs to stay there

    -I was surprised Jed picked Wisdom over Cooper. I wonder if this happens if Seiya wasn't hurt. Wisdom has more power. Cooper is the better hitter. Jed picked Wisdom and Wisdom had an option left as well.

    -Palencia just doesn't miss enough bats. Similar to ManRod, just two yrs younger. ManRod is killing AAA for TB right now!

    Things I got right so far:

    -Hendricks. Sorry Kyle. You got paid though!

    Jed, you missed there.

    -Smyly. If Jed could've traded him before or during ST, then he should have and saved some cash.

    -Mastro.  Not a LH DH. Pinch runner. Defensive utility. Maybe he's better than Madrigal but didn't get a legit chance to prove it.

    -Luke Little is good. He's had one bad outing. That's it. Needs to get better entering with guys on base. But he needs to stay in MLB.

    -Oh yeah....Morel is doing fine at 3B! He'll get better as well!!

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger "right rib contusion"

  • Childersb3 (view)

    South Bend just lost the lead in the bottom of the 9th on the weirdest scenario, ever.

    It's absolutely pouring rain....men on 1st and 2nd, 1out....JPatterson asks for a new ball, but no time out was called....he throws the old ball toward the dugout (not sure if it rolled out of play).....the ump declares the runners get two bases each so one run scores. Then a single up the middle ties the game.

    The rain was coming down in buckets at this point.

    Just weird

  • crunch (view)

    ...and bellinger is gone in the 7th because of that 2nd blown chance and the wall he bounced off of...

    hopefully his rib cage/shoulder feels better tomorrow, we just got happ back.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil,

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