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40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

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Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

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

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
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The Dominos Start to Fall

Late Friday night, Bud Selig apparently had enough of the Cubs and Red Sox distracting from what now appears to be a real good World Series and the two teams sent out press releases saying Theo to the Cubs is official. The issue of compensation still needs to be resolved, with talks picking up after Tuesday's press conference and they have until November 1st before big bad Bud has to settle it for them through a game of RBI baseball.

- Theo stopped by the Cubs' offices today and the press conference is Tuesday at 11AM. On his way out, he fired everyone (well I'm sure he really wanted to).

- Boston Herald has a nice rundown of the Theo years. Here's a good one of Jed Hoyer by Tom Krasovic.

- The Sun-Times has some nice things to say about Randy Bush (and more bad things to say about Crane Kenney). One of those, "thanks for all the info over the years, hope this helps your future job search" articles.

- I wonder how the Theo jerseys will sell.

Comments

http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/10/24/baseball-on-fox/
But, all in all, he has become a hard listen. Al Michaels*, in explaining the art of broadcasting, said that he sees the game as the music and the announcing as the lyrics. And by that he means that the lyrics need to fit the music, they need to enhance the music, it must blend together. The worst thing an announcer can do is jolt the viewer out of the moment, stop them cold, take them away from the game. McCarver does that to me way too often now. I find myself 20 times a game taken away from the ballgame and wondering if what I just heard was (1) True; (2) True but misleading; (3) Significant in any way.

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In reply to by Cubster

With Troy McClure as the field reporter? That would be awesome... "Now let's bring in Troy McClure who has an update on the Cardinals." "Hi, I'm Troy McClure. You might remember me from such driver's ed films as "Alice's Adventures Through The Windshield Glass" and "The Decapitation of Larry Leadfoot."

http://insidethepadres.blogspot.com/2011/10/hoyer.html I added this to the post, but a good take on Hoyer.
Above all, he is energetic. If his salary was pegged to hours worked and time spent thinking about baseball and potential trades and signings, the Padres got their salaries' worth. I doubt any other GM will outwork him.
Hoyer showed himself adept at gathering and sifting information from a variety of sources. He struck me as deliberate. He never sounded sentimental when talking about Padres players, a good thing. When talking baseball, he gave vivid examples from both the statistical and the scouting realms. He's a baseball junkie. When he talks about baseball, the effect is that of torrents of information competing for expression.

The Phillies declined options on Lidge (yawn) and Oswalt today.

Team USA beats Cubs 12-10 in Pan-Am semifinals to advance to Gold Medal Game. doesn't appear Jackson or Beliveau played...actually Jackson hasn't started in any of the games, foot injury must have been worse than originally implied. He did get one pinch-hit AB vs. Mexico in the game before they played Cuba. Beliveau pitched 1 scoreless inning vs. Mexico with 2 K's.

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In reply to by Paul Noce

I don't care what Kenney's title has been or what his role is supposed to be post-Epstein. The fact is that this crap falls entirely on Ricketts. It's a matter of how long Ricketts wants to put up with Kenney and his act. The print and broadcast media in this town have had Kenney's number since 2008. It's not a well kept secret that he has been VERY involved in on-field, baseball business despite his supposed role. I really don't see Epstein putting up with any of Kenney's crap, and he would personally have to get Emanuel to lead $200M of funding to rebuild Wrigley Field for Ricketts to keep him on the payroll. Personally, I think you could put Kenney and a couple of hand grenades without the pins in the same room, and the worst thing you'd lose is shrapnel. In other words, he is worth less than zero. I would have fired his ass 3 years ago.

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In reply to by big_lowitzki

i can't believe everyone is caught up into kenney fever without a shred of proof of him effecting the product on the field. he owned ARZ, but all people care about is that he pisses off sportswriters...some of the same sportswriters people bitch about. people can pretend he's running things, but it doesn't make it so. so much has been written about so little without much being said. --- "Perhaps the biggest blot on Kenney's resume was the "Greek priest" episode of 2008." oh no! what a f'n criminal! i bet he's the one that signed soriano and broke mark prior and gives ronnie woo free tickets to annoy people so they can be tandem-annoying.

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In reply to by crunch

I was gonna say that this dead horse was starting to smell, but actually, after reading that article, I see your point. There are many annoying details but no tales of "baseball" decisions gone wrong thanks to him that I can see. What he appears to have the power to do is affect the narrative, which stinks, and which is partly Kenney's fault and partly the media's. To wit: If Kenney tries to interfere with Epstein & Co., and causes distraction or annoyance or angst or malaise, I will be really mad. If Sullivan makes it his season-long business to suggest (over and over again) that Kenney is interfering with Epstein & Co. and consequently we are all DOOOOMED, I'm going to be furious.

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In reply to by Pell Mell

it helps that kenney is a redsox fan, i guess. well, he's a cubs fan as long as they employ him. he was busted for being a "fake bleacher fan" back when he was on the board of the trib...stretching the truth of his involvement in going to games and hanging in the bleachers when people couldn't remember him. he didn't even know how much a beer cost at the game.

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In reply to by Pell Mell

There are many annoying details but no tales of "baseball" decisions gone wrong thanks to him that I can see. "...overruling Hendry on more than one occasion because Kenney felt outside pressure to reel in high-priced veterans." he was prez when they signed Soriano, so even if it was McDonough's idea, he signed off on it against Hendry's advice. I'd say taking credit for anything baseball related would also not really inspire the folks below you to do their best work. fwiw, Kaplan and Levine seem to like to defend him, must give them good scooops. the fact that Ricketts felt the need to reel him in these last 2 seasons says enough about how detrimental he was to the organization. But yet he still has a job, so he must be really good at squeezing money out of folks, or give great blowjobs...maybe both.

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In reply to by Rob G.

who pressures kenney over money? owner(s). fine, he told the GM he couldn't sign someone because they already had too much money tied up. there is nothing unique about that part of his job to the cubs, kenney, or most any organization that's not the yanks. trade first, sign later...lot of teams have to work under that constraint unless they have something they know they can shift. it makes some of hendry's payroll-relief trades make a little more sense, though...he's shifted guys just to nickle-and-dime a few million some years even when they still had use. hell, even pinella said in that linked article he barely had to deal with him because he's not involved in baseball operations.

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In reply to by Rob G.

I didn't see the language you quoted in the Trib article linked to above, which is what I was writing about. The quote is from a Ringolsby column that I hadn't seen or read before. It's also unsourced, and it contradicts previous reports/rumors to the effect that it was McDonough who drove the Soriano deal (http://bit.ly/sLQFgg). And if it goes beyond the Soriano deal, I need to know who Ringolsby is talking about. Fukudome? Bradley? The latter has always been acknowledged as a Hendry deal (as far as I know), and if there were some way to connect it to Kenney I can't imagine the media would pass it up (same goes for Fuku really). If true, the stories Sullivan tells are upsetting. I still gnash my teeth about the priest incident, all of it. I also consider the source, though. This is the same Sullivan who takes time out of nearly every story he writes to skewer Zambrano somehow, and who dishonestly edited a quote to make the hapless Quade seem like a raving lunatic (the "we might not have a Cy Young winner, but we're pretty good one to five" incident). Funny thing for him to revel in calling Kenney a liar, in light of that. I just have a feeling I'm being set up here, that however true any of these stories about Kenney might be, the media's point in telling them is just to do another variation on their theme: "Excited, Cubs fans? Happy about a new development? Yeah? Well, DOOOOOOOOOOM. There is always something that will louse it up. Trust us, we know, and we will pick at it all season. Have fun."

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In reply to by Pell Mell

so because it contradicts, it's wrong? You don't think it's possible, even likely that him and McDonough decided together(even if McDonough spearheaded it) that they would go against the advice of their baseball people and get the Soriano deal done at all costs. that being said, I don't know the exact details, this isn't Woodward and Bernstein and there's isn't gonna be a smoking gun, a signed memo or audio files revealed, unless Hendry or some soon-to-be-fired employee decides to sing on the record. If true, the stories Sullivan tells are upsetting. I still gnash my teeth about the priest incident, all of it. I also consider the source, though. This is the same Sullivan who takes time out of nearly every story he writes to skewer Zambrano somehow, Sun-Times, WSCR, few national writers as well have been on Kenney, even some of the Boston ones now. Could be the same source or two recycling stories, could be a lot of different sources..we don't know. We do know it keeps coming up. and let me make this clear, in no way is anyone even insinuating that he is the sole reason for the Cubs mess the last 3 years, just one of the guilty parties and one that does more harm (some) than good(almost none) on the baseball side. He's certainly done enough to draw the ire of quite a few people in the know (not crunch) and to think taking credit for stuff, or representing the baseball side of things when he shouldn't be, and generally impeding and interfering with the baseball folks is all harmless is naive.

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In reply to by Rob G.

"in no way is anyone even insinuating that he is the sole reason for the Cubs mess the last 3 years, just one of the guilty parties and one that does more harm (some) than good(almost none) on the baseball side." That is the essence of my problem with Kenney. Unless he was the person who got the AZ Complex done, unless he is going to be the man to get public financing for the Wrigley re-do, then why does he still have a job? Theo and his staff should put a piece of white tape on the floor, and give a security guard instructions to kick Kenney in the balls if he ever crosses over to Theo's side of the offices.

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In reply to by George Altman

he still has a job because of your 1st paragraph...and why he still has one on owner #3. he did an awesome job with ARZ, even lobbying the citizens for a tax/bond issue after MLB slapped down a tax he had the government sold on...the ARZ government...sold on a tax... -blink- the bond and the hotel/bed tax passed...by voters.

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In reply to by Rob G.

so because it contradicts, it's wrong? Jeez. C'mon. When you have two conflicting stories, it is difficult to know which is true. There are people who spend their entire careers dealing with this problem. You and I can surmise that it was a joint McDonough/Kenney production, but that doesn't make it true. I'm therefore back where I started: not knowing what the hell happened other than that the Cubs screwed up (again). I know you're not saying Kenney is Cubs President Evil. I'm not at all saying that Kenney is a delicious cake made of rainbows. I'm not even saying he's tolerable. Nor am I naïve about the heavy burden a disruptive, me-first coworker or superior can be. I just think the on-the-field evidence of his baleful influence is rather thin, and I deeply suspect the media's motives here and all the time. Bah. All I care about right now is that ultimately Kenney was not an impediment to the Theo hire, about which I remain throughly geeked.

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In reply to by George Altman

he's not been very involved on field...he's been involved in pissing off sportswriters and bugging others. he's been very inovolved in ripping off ARZ's local government and is about to do the same in chicago. so much has been written that calls out his credit taking, credit distracting, and talking too much...NOTHING has been written about him shaping the team. nothing. he annoys people...he also rips money from governments and business. he's on owner #3 and it blows people's minds he's still around...it shouldn't.

but all people care about is that he pisses off sportswriters...some of the same sportswriters people bitch about. --- so he's got that in common with Milton Bradley.

but all people care about is that he pisses off sportswriters...some of the same sportswriters people bitch about. --- Yoda: The sportswriters, particularly whiny lot are they.

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In reply to by Cubster

they don't appreciate being fed b/s or half-truths. the upper office don't appreciate kenney being the human-info-leak-machine. that said, annoying people isn't building a team or signing players. he's busy raising revenue and playing civic government twisting. it seems some fans think he's running around making the cubs roster and holding people back from getting cubs-related things done. "president" doesn't mean what it used to...we're about to have a president that's really partial-GM and some of his presidential duties shifted to sub-president-whatever. nolan ryan isn't out there trying to talk the state of florida into financing a tax on a new stadium.

Let's go Rangers! *clap* *clap* Let's go Rangers!

it would be nice to see the Rangers break open the non-alcoholic bubbly on the Busch Stadium turf.

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In reply to by johann

fielder also puts a team leader in the clubhouse. i wonder what role k.wood has in the clubhouse since his return besides hardcore respect from pretty much everyone. byrd is a vocal guy, but he's more of a guy keeping others loose and positive...same for dumpster. seems dumpster is the closest the team has to a leader right now, though...or at least he's the most vocal about the pulse of the team's feelings outside of the clubhouse.

Is it true the douchenozzle Kenney has his own Cubs uniform that he actually wears in the dugout during games? Really?

Why Theo left Boston (in his own words):
Football legend Bill Walsh used to say that coaches and executives should seek change after 10 years with the same team. The theory is that both the individual and the organization benefit from a change after so much time together. The executive gets rebirth and the energy that comes with a new challenge; the organization gets a fresh perspective, and the chance for true change that comes with new leadership. This idea resonated with me. Although I tried my best to fight it, I couldn’t escape the conclusion that both the Red Sox and I would benefit from a change sometime soon.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/…

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In reply to by Cubster

(page 2)...
All of a sudden, we found ourselves needing to pick a new manager, a decision with long-term implications and one best made by someone who could lead the Red Sox baseball operation for the foreseeable future. Then the Cubs asked permission to interview me. The Cubs - with their passionate fans, dedicated ownership, tradition, and World Series drought - represented the ultimate new challenge and the one team I could imagine working for after such a fulfilling Red Sox experience.

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In reply to by Cubster

Gotta Love controlling the strike zone and grinding at-bats... The Cubs new vision:
Beyond the results on the field, I believe the (Cubs will) Red Sox came to stand for certain things over the last (next) decade. Pride in the uniform. Appreciation of our history. Controlling the strike zone. Grinding at-bats. Having each other’s backs. Rising to the moment. Never backing down. Connection to the fans. Hard work. Playing with passion and urgency. These concepts were taught in the minor leagues and reinforced at the big-league level by our homegrown players and by Tito, a selfless leader who always put the Red Sox first. These principles united the organization and came to define us.

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In reply to by Cubster

...but the 12-year-old in me will be rooting for the Red Sox (except, of course, when they play the Cubs in June).
Articulate. Thoughtful. The next decade should be awesome. Good job Tom Ricketts. Timing counted and although he had been criticized for moving too slowly on the decisions regarding Jim Hendry, this scenario /opportunity could not have opened up without the Red Sox September collapse. TE and Francona would have stayed in Boston one more year had they gone to the playoffs. Just like one of those Star Trek episodes where the timeline changes. This is going to be really fun. Someone on the radio this morning said as far as baseball management goes, this is not your father's oldsmobile.

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In reply to by Cubster

Grinding at bats? That alone is enough to make me happy. And I agree on the kudos to Ricketts. I also am acquiring enough faith in Ricketts -- based on this big change and the way he adroitly handled the Hendry thing, that I assume he feels Kenney offers something worth keeping. I'm not worried about his influence on the baseball side at this point, not with Epstein around.

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In reply to by Cubster

Timing counted and although he had been criticized for moving too slowly on the decisions regarding Jim Hendry, this scenario /opportunity could not have opened up without the Red Sox September collapse. TE and Francona would have stayed in Boston one more year had they gone to the playoffs. Just like one of those Star Trek episodes where the timeline changes. --- I'm pretty sure I saw Q standing in the corner at the press conference.

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In reply to by Cubster

...and drinking beer in the clubhouse with a bucket of chicken. (speaking of overblown...heh). i do like how beckett said something along the lines of "yes, it was inappropriate and stupid of us in retrospect, but it ultimately didn't put the game in danger." stupid, yet harmless, imo. that said, it reflects a little negatively on their ex-manager...perhaps unfairly.

As most everyone else I'm very excited about Theo and company coming in. I was very dissapoined in Rickets and was wondering if he was the right owner. All has been forgiven. He took a business like consevative approach to study and then acted swiftly and brought in a dream team. I will be OK with anything Theo wants to do excpt one thing - Q has to go. If he keeps Q it will be a huge damper on an otheriwse extremely upbeat time.

Thanks for that CUBSTER. I think the majority of us here have mostly been on Hendry's ass for seemingly having no "plan" or a system-wide philosophy in which to hang your hat on. I am looking forward to this changing.

When my family introduced ourselves as the new owners of the Chicago Cubs almost two years ago, we stated our # 1 goal was winning a World Series Championship. Today, we took another big step toward that goal by announcing today that Theo Epstein has joined the Chicago Cubs as the new President of Baseball Operations reporting directly to me. In his new role, Theo will be given the resources and opportunity to build a strong foundation and the winning culture that our organization and fans deserve. We are energized about our future and hope you're equally excited for the possibilities ahead. Thank you for your tremendous support this year and I look forward to seeing you in 2012. All my best, Tom Ricketts Chairman, Chicago Cubs

Theo press conference starting on Comcast Sports Net (and I'm sure ESPN News and other outlets for you out of towners). Also, Kaplan just said Theo will be a guest on Chicago Tribune Live tonight at 5:30 (also on CSN).

"We're gonna have to grind our way to the top, together" Watching the presser. Plus a half hour of off-camera stuff where talent didn't know that stream was going out hahaha!

BACK Going to work on "Paralell Fronts" with minors from the ground up, while also addressing the MLB club. Will set the tone in the front office, and winning culture message will be carried forth at every level. Understanding that "winning is the most important thing". Can't remember any GM of the Cubs stating this...

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In reply to by Ryno

"I wonder if the on-the-field baseball personnel would just roll their eyes at such a thing..." Some of them probably would. They could go work for the Royals. The best thing about a manual is that it would be uniform. You don't have guys telling you to do one thing in A ball, then a different set of things in high A the next year. Then when you get to the majors you already know what the expectations are, and you know, in theory, what you're supposed to do.

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In reply to by The Real Neal

The question, from WSCR's David Schuester, was how will he seek to improve the NL's worst defense (actually, he stated the number of errors - I am paraphrasing). I heard the "Organization Manual" specifically addressing defense, and the same way to be played in A-ball, all the way through the Majors. Management at all Cubs affilliates would implement this.

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In reply to by navigator

Actually, Navi-puff

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In reply to by The E-Man

E-douche-bag

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In reply to by navigator

Guys, guys: You're both douche bags

Any interest in signing Roy Oswalt to a short term deal? His option was declined by the Phillies. (along with Lidge) I mean like a 1 or 2 year deal with a club option? $8 mill or so? He was 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA last season, K/BB was 2.82, ERA+ of 105.

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In reply to by Dusty Baylor

Theo said during the conference they were going to try and get some lightning in a bottle guys and compete for 2012... I would certainly think Oswalt would be one of those type of guys. He'd seem like a better fit for a better team, like the Phillies or Reds, though. Any contract that's 2 years or less is OK with me. Signing Fielder for 7 (at like $150 million) years is OK too. Otherwise I think we should stay away from free agents.

I'm not 100% sure but I thought he admitted that he was the guy in Starbucks near Wrigley on that Saturday morning. Maybe we can give Sullivan credit for a Theo-related scoop, after all.

WSCR-land is gushing about Theo today. It was nice, but let's not go overboard- Theo could have gotten in front of the press and said anything today. What matters is not talk, what matters is 1. commitment and 2. action. I like what Ricketts has done to the front office so far (though, I still wonder about Crane Kenny and what he does exactly), but time will tell if these positive changes will really filter down through the organization.

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In reply to by Ryno

i'm just glad they got a guy who most likely won't let the ricketts family "pull a steinbrenner" with how much pressure they put on the club's roster decisions...i'm also glad the ricketts are choosing this kind of path. i'm not too stoked about seeing what becomes of 2 player-for-suits compensation packages in order to get it done, though. i hope they give up nothing more valuable than a vitters-type...really really really don't wanna see carpenter/cashner go.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15358 Few players in Arizona are generating more questions than Lake. The shortstop is hitting .355 in 15 games with four home runs and 11 stolen bases. The tools have always been there; Lake has above-average raw power, average-at-best speed, and one of the best arms you'll find. While he made progress in his second go-around in the Florida State League this year, his second half of the season in Double-A still presented plenty of questions about his ability to hit the breaking ball and whether his physical growth will keep him from playing up the middle. Teams have inquired about Lake in the past, wanting to convert him to the mound, and in the minds of many, this AFL showing is just delaying that opportunity.

"Our only mistake in this process was not having a seat for Carmine at this press conference." - B.Cherington lulz, boston sportswriters after the theo-era.

no matter who was hired to run cubs, quade was goner. he was hendrys guy. Of course, why pay theo $3.7M to leave status quo

I had thought ROB G would have changed the header logo to be "Theo Cub Reporter" to honor him today, but it was not to be.

interesting larussa press conference... evidently pujols has the power/permission to call his own hit-and-run plays while at the plate without any manager/coach calling the play.

Theo said a few interesting things on his Chicago Tribune Live appearance just a few minutes ago. One was that he has the OK to eat contracts if it's necessary, and then he said something along the lines of, "it's our job to get the most out of a player, and if we can't, to realize that and cut bait." The show isn't over yet, so it's not on their website, but I think they'll have the full interview up soon. http://www.csnchicago.com/ Theo also confirmed that it was him at Starbucks, which he alluded to this morning, and said that he "was so excited to be in Chicago that I blew it and asked, who is Theo Epstein? The guy said, 'now I KNOW it's you!' So to that guy, sorry, but you didn't have to call the newspapers on me."

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In reply to by John Beasley

He also said something interesting when asked about day baseball and winds at Wrigley, and Theo said that he needs to look into that more, study it, and see how the Cubs can take advantage of it. He said he's heard players complain about the day games, but said while that's tough on our players, it should be even tougher on the opposition who isn't used to it. He also said he wants to understand the wind patterns and see what kind of trends there are. He gave an example of the Red Sox trying to sign left handed hitters who had an opposite field swing to attack the Green Monster and right handed hitters who were pull hitters. And he said signing Bill Mueller was a good example of that because he was a switch hitter who did both and was a perfect match for Fenway. So far everything I've heard him say makes sense and he doesn't sound full of himself at all. I'm impressed. I don't expect us to win a World Series, but I do think that it's a great thing to actually have a plan (that also sounds like it's smart), and be bringing in a bunch of smart people. That's never a bad thing.

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In reply to by Charlie

It doesn't really make any sense, though. There's 100's of thousands of years of data, and plenty of studies that shows most people are wired to work during the daytime. The Rangers probably have a higher average game temperature than the Cubs, yet they seem to have wandered into the World Series quite regularly as of late.

beats Team USA 2-1 to win Pan-Am Gold. No Jackson, Beliveau pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit, 2 GO and 1 FO.

Epstein, regarding LaHair (according to Rogers): "The reality is, I'm not so sure there is something called a 4-A hitter. It's just (a) pretty good major league hitter who never got an opportunity." "We need to build assets because we don't have enough of them. We're not going to look past one that might be sitting right there in our organization."

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In reply to by VirginiaPhil

as always, I do hope I'm wrong about LaHair. Team could use a RF or possibly a LFer anyway. If the Cubs are punting 2012, might as well let him try 1b. It's just not like there's anything out there where saving money at 1b in 2012 could be put into another position presuming Sabathia is deemed a bad idea, as it should be. On the other hand, throwing money at Fielder or Pujols and a SP or two (Oswalt and another "lightning in a bottle" guy) and saving in RF or LF seems like a way to make 2012 interesting. more telling info from that quote is the understanding that anyone owned by the Cubs right now is a potential asset. Hope he feels the same about Z. Has anyone asked him about that yet?

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In reply to by Rob G.

He says if he's going to invest in a premium free agent he'll be young, good defensively and ideally an up-the middle player. Fielder misses out on two of those criteria, if you go by UZR... or the +/- deal (though UZR wasn't particuarily kind to Gonzalez either). Pujols misses on two as well. I am starting to think that Pujols will be the Derrek Jeter of this off-season where he's worth so much more to his current employer than to anyone else, that he'll have to stay there, and they'll have to pay him more than he'd get elsewhere.

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In reply to by crunch

I doubt Pujols or Reyes gets that. More like $25 and mabye $18 at the very top end for Reyes. I don't see Reyes as a very good option for the Cubs, either. Especially if Theo is as happy about Castro's defensive capability as he seems to be. He'd be a nice fit as a leadoff hitter, and would push Darwin to a utility role, though.

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In reply to by crunch

I'd rather pay him in pocket lint, but we'll see what the market bears. I think his injury issues will keep it more in the 6/108 range with some sort of mid-contract player friendly opt out. I don't know enough about his defense, but the offensive numbers he put up for a shortstop last year are similar in impact to what Fielder did at first base for a ballclub. Whether he can keep it up is for Theo and the other GM's to decide. But him, Fielder, Pujols and Sabathia(if he opts out) are the only FA's worth making any real effort at this offseason. I presume with Castro around it's not gonna be much of an issue for the Cubs anyway. You really want to watch Darwin Barney for another season?

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In reply to by Rob G.

i dont want theriot-lite at 2nd another year for 500+abs, but i don't want to pay reyes $18-$20, either. that's a situation where i think finding another $5-ish for p.fielder helps the cubs more. i think reyes is awesome...the problem is he's awesome and due for his prime-of-career longterm deal. btw...i don't think the crawford deal is awful because i thought he was going to have a season like 2011...i think it was a waste of money on an over-priced resource BOS didn't even need. hell, they signed him to play LF, even. i expect crawford to rebound from this lost season, but even at his best i don't think he's worth what he's paid on the team he's playing for.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

"Has anyone asked him about [Zambrano] yet?" Phil Rogers:
"You said it yourself, this is a team that needs pitching,'' Epstein said. "To be the organization we want to be, we're going to need pitching. He's got talent. Obviously things haven't gone the way he would have liked or the organization would have liked the last few years.'' Zambrano worked only 145 2/3 innings last season, spending time on baseball's restricted list after an incident on Aug. 12 when he left the clubhouse in Atlanta in mid-game and told clubhouse employees he was retiring. Tom Ricketts said in September that he had trouble picturing Zambrano pitching again for the Cubs, who owe him $18 million for 2012. "I need to get to the bottom of that,'' Epstein said. "I think the best organizations get the most out of their players, even the ones that might be harder to get the most out of it. But the best organizations also know when it's time to move on.''
Paul Sullivan:
Epstein said he would go to Florida to speak with manager Mike Quade about his status, and also said in a "Chicago Tribune Live" interview he wanted to get to know Carlos Zambrano before forming an opinion on the controversial starter.

[ ]

In reply to by Ryno

i wouldn't be surprised to see quade finish out his tenure...people are going to be stoked about spending all this money the cubs have to spend, anyway. i can't imagine it'd be that much of a distraction while theo and the new outsiders get close to the organization. quade has seen a lot the minor leaguers/kids working their way up the system. it just sucks all this money is tamed by needs at 3rd, RF, 1st, and at least 1 SP.

Recent comments

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s a fantastic deal for SF

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?