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

Game Preview: Angels(39-32) @ Cubs(30-38)

The Cubs try to avoid the sweep and hopefully save my little Katie and I from years of humiliation. Colvin sits against another lefty (don't ever go 0/4 again kid), but Baker still gets to play after yesterday's Brook Robinson impression. I should be in chat for most of the game if anyone is around and still cares.

cf byrd, 3b baker, 1b lee, rf nady, c soto, lf sori, ss castro, 2b riot, p zambrano

Have you felt like there's been a lack of timely hitting by the Cubs and wasting good starts by their pitchers? Well reader WISCGRAD was wondering the same thing and calculated the numbers of wins as a percentage of quality starts. Unsurprisingly the Cubs are worst in the NL and third worst in the majors behind the poor Mariners that can't buy a run and the Land of Misfit Cubs Toys known as the Orioles.

Chart after the jump...

Please note, if it's not obvious, that is the percentage of all team wins, not just wins in games where the team had a quality start

Happy Father's Day, hopefully the Cubs make it a little happier

Comments

Len just called Dempster the de facto ace. Thoughts? **Update** Shortly after that he says "I guess a case could be made for Silva" Fuck, really?

Hunter's diving catch on Castro's ball? "Marlon Byrd-like" How TF does Len Kasper live with himself?? (Or have a job?) **This post is dedicated to Steve Stone**

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

My favorite announcers were Harry and that kid he had as his straight man for the White Sox. Ducks. Sorry, my dad was a White Sox fan. I think the kid's name was Bob Waller or some such, but don't quote me on that. That was when Harry said, "That wouldn't be a home run in a phone booth" and "Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhd Carew". Harry was a great Cubs broadcaster but he was a better Sox announcer. I also remember Walt Williams spitting into his helmet every at bat, and rubbing it on his not so shabby afro. There really is some good Sox lore out there. I'm glad my dad was a fan so I could enjoy some of it. If you wanna know why I turned on the old man, it was the 69 Cubs and Brickhouse. God I loved that team.

A percentage implies a part of a whole. I'm not sure this percentage is very meaningful. But no sense splitting hairs, because the point remains... the Cubs are getting decent starts and not winning. Lack of offense. Same ol' story.

All you have to do is look to the right of this page and you can see Ricketts is stuck with Zambrano, Soriano, and Fukudome until their contracts expire (almost $50M/year through 2011) unless he and the family want to eat some serious cash (probably not likely). For that matter, add Ramirez at another $15M through 2011 also. What makes no sense is Lou playing Koyie and his OF stiffs over Colvin. Lou isn't going to win anything with this current roster (one of the most unwatchable Cubs teams since 2004). If Hendry and anyone else in the leadership hierarchy expects him to, then they should replace Lou now. I cut bait with Kosuke, make Zambrano the 5th starter for the forseeable future, and play Soriano everyday provide he maintains his average above .290 and produces runs. I give Castro, Soto, Ramirez (when he returns), Theriot (until I find a trade partner), Colvin, and Byrd everyday playing status. I trade Lee as soon as I can find a taker because I wouldn't re-sign him or Nady; and leave the the last one standing to play 1B until October. By late summer I would have Jay Jackson, Diamond, Schlitter, and Russell up here to see if they're ready to get MLB hitters out. I would try to trade Grabow and Lilly to contenders. In the off season, this team needs a first-baseman (maybe ARam) or third baseman, an OF (maybe Brett Jackson), at least 2-3 relief pitchers, and 1-2 starting pitchers (depending on Cashner moving to the rotation or staying in a setup role). I would suggest Samardzija try football.

Santo scaling back...not going on this road trip to his home town of Seattle. On the radio broadcast yesterday in relation to conversation about players getting uniform numbers in 1932, and the numbers given were based on where one batted in the lineup (Ruth #3, Gehrig #4, etc), Pat Hughes teased Santo in that his #10 was because he only dated "tens". He asked Santo if any of his old flames would visit the booth when they were in Seattle (so I think not making this trip was a decision made yesterday).
Ron Santo has agreed to cut back on travel because of his health....said he may miss more trips this season and that next year he and WGN agree that limiting his trips to the Midwest only would help his health.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0621-cubs-bit…

and no, it's not cuz I write twice a year for his Bears blog. I really have to say that I keep trying other Cubs blogs and this is where I always end up. I'm not a stats hound, but I'm learning how to become one, and AZ Phil is ridiculous, and most of you posters are insanely knowledgeable about baseball. I just want to say thanks to you guys. This is a sucky season, and you all knew it coming in, and still here you are. And no, I did not have a near death experience. I'm just sort of nostalgic today (see my earlier post about the White Sox). But, I don't love you guys. I only like you.

Cubs 29th round pick LHP Casey Harman is starting for Clemson at the College World Series this morning versus #1 ranked Arizona State. Harman was Clemson's "Friday Night starter" (#1 starter) this season and was projected to get selected somewhere in rounds 6-10, but inexplicably fell all the way to Round 29. He had an outstanding outing (albeit taking the loss) in Clemson's opening Super Regional game versus Alabama a week ago Saturday (one earned run, nine strikeouts, and no walks), and should command "5th round money" despite his draft position, although the Cubs can't sign him until Clemson finishes playing in the CWS. Harman throws an 86-89 MPH sinker with "average" curve and change, but he has outstanding control (he has not walked more than two batters in any game throughout his college career).

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • 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.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • 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)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • 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)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch.