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, twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, one player is on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-18-2024
 
* 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
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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

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

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Luke Little, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 
* Justin Steele, P   

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




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Ramirez and Pena are Type B Free Agents

Submitted by Rob G. on

The best thing MLB Trade Rumors ever did was buy the rights to Eddie Bajek's reverse-engineered Elias rankings. This year he nailed all but two free agents before the official list came out (Kelly Johnson and Joel Zumaya).

As for the Cubs, Ryan Dempster exercised his $14M option for next year, so his Type A status is a moot point. But the Cubs did exercise their $16M option on Aramis Ramirez last night and it seems to be a mere formality at this point that Ramirez will decline it to seek a multi-year deal. That saves the Cubs $2M on the buyout and the Cubs will likely get a supplemental draft pick if and when Ramirez signs somewhere else as he just missed Type A status and is a Type B free agent. Carlos Pena also qualified at Type B status and his situation is a bit trickier as he could potentially accept the Cubs arbitration offer.

That being said, with about 1/5th of the information that the Cubs front office has on the situation, I would probably take the chance. No, the Cubs probably don't want him back although if they miss out on Fielder or Pujols, there's not a whole lot better out there and he certainly is a guy that "grinds out at-bats". Yes, the Cubs could go cheaper and try Bryan LaHair there, but where else do you spend the money this offseason? There isn't a lot out there in free agency, although with the new regime, you would hope there's more leeway to save money in one season and use it another season. Also, the Cubs need a RF'er and possibly a LF'er and if Pena did come back, they could try LaHair out there. Or the most likely outcome, that Pena just does not accept the offer which the majority of free agents end up doing. And even if he does accept, the Cubs can release him in spring training as arbitration contracts are not guaranteed and would cost the Cubs just 45 days of pay. It's a bit of a risk on the Cubs part to do it, but I think the odds are on their side that it would ultimately be beneficial.

Also should note that Kerry Wood is a Type B free agent, but he already let it be known that he's either a Cub next year or retiring.

Tags
Cubs News
Free Agency

Comments

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:46 pm

Mon, 10/31/2011 - 12:36pm — jacos Re: Ramirez and Pena are Type B Free Agents Sullivan tweets Cubs decline Ninja option signing to cheaper deal ================================ JACOS: Now that the Cubs have declined his 2012 club option, Samardzija becomes an "auto renewal" player (he won't be eligible for salary arbitration until after next season), and so the Cubs can unilaterally cut him a max 20% from his 2011 salary. So expect The Shark to make around $2.5M (and it would NOT be guaranteed money) in 2012. This also means Jeff Samardzija no longer has "no trade" rights.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:42 pm

I think Bryan LaHair will platoon with Alfonso Soriano in LF in 2012. LaHair is a below-average defensive 1B and actually would be a better fit in LF than at 1B. He can also be a back-up at 1B. If the Cubs offer Carlos Pena salary arbitration and he accepts, and then the Cubs were to sign Price Fielder or Albert Pujols, the Cubs could trade Pena. While MLB Article XX-B free-agents who sign a contract with a new club (or re-sign with their old team) after the five-day "exclusive" period following the World Series get automatic "no trade" rights through 6/15, Article XX-B free-agents who are offered arbitration and accept do NOT receive automatic "no trade" rights. So the Cubs could offer Pena arbitration, and he could accept, and then the Cubs could still trade him if they were to subsequently sign a Fielder or a Pujols, or keep him if they don't. As for RF, the Cubs will need to acquire a proven middle-of-the-order run producer to play there, probably by trade rather than a FA. I think there is a good chance that Brett Jackson will win the starting CF job (and lead-off hitter gig) coming out of Spring Training, pushing Marlon Byrd to the 4th OF job (replacing Reed Johnson in that role). Or Byrd could get traded.

Submitted by Rob Richardson on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:00 pm

If offered arbitration do we think Pena will accept? I would assume that he would be able to get a multiple year deal, but then I guess he couldn't last off season. Also, don't the Cubs still owe him $5 million of his $10 million contract?

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:36 pm

He'd probably do whatever his agent told him to do, based on what discussions he had going up to the deadline for accepting/rejecting with other teams. I can't see any team making him a priority, which means his agent will probably hear lots of "we'll get back to you" which means a $10 million contract from the Cubs is going to be mighty tempting. There's not going to be teams lining up to hand out a mult-year deal to aging first basemen who had .819 OPS's last year. So when it gets right down to it, I expect the Cubs to offer (95%), and I expect him to accept (60%).

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:03 pm

I read in previous post that Quade and Theo have second meeting I picture it kinda going like this- Quade talks like Gill from Simpsons Q-"Oh Geez Epy, I'm sorry I scared you off from last meeting. I just got out of the shower and I didn't know you were in the room. My wife had the same reaction the first time she saw me naked too." Theo-"No problem. What you think about the roster?" Q-"Well I was going over this with Ivy and Bobby D and I thought we could make some changes in the field..." Door bursts open...Koyie Hill, Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt in uniform come in doing a can can. Q-"Oh geez fellas, you entered too early on the cue. You couldn't pick a worse time.. Eppy? Eppy?" Florida screen door bouncing off its hinges. END SCENE

Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:26 pm

Offer Ramirez Don't offer Pena and Woody Target Price Fielder in Free agency 7/150 Target Paul Malholm in Free agency 3/18 Target Nate McLouth on a 1 year incentive laden deal Trade for Chase Headley Off-season success, Cubs contending in 2012.

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Submitted by Paul Noce on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:08 pm

He should be able to add payroll, but the bigger question for 2012 is, if we aren't realistically going to contend, why add payroll? If it's a move like adding a premium player a year early, I can understand it on that level because those guys aren't available every year (i.e. Garza). But the bigger question really is, can they field a contending team next year with all of the holes on this team? They would need some very lucky moves, because the free agent pool is pretty weak. Theo has made a point of repeating in several interviews that he doesn't like the idea of short term fixes that might make the team good for a year but see us dropping off again for 2-3 years. He wants to build an organization that can contend consistently, which sounds great. If it takes stepping back for one year to get a better grasp of what talent we have, while slowly adding good pieces, and getting good coaches in place throughout the entire organization to develop the kids into solid major leaguers, I'd rather do that than rush out and give away huge contracts again that we will later regret.

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Submitted by Paul Noce on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:20 pm

Not sure where you're getting your info, but Theo pretty clearly said he intends to make moves that will give the Cubs a chance to contend this year. --- Where am I getting my info? Theo's 87 interviews where he repeated this in almost every one of them. Here is one quote from one of the 87 interviews where he addresses this very issue: "What can you say to Cubs fan to expect from next year’s team?" (asked by Waddle and Silvie, ESPN 1000) Theo's response: “The work of building a foundation is going to take some time. We have to enter every winter no matter what is on the roster or what happened the year before saying what can we do to put ourselves in the best possible position to win. Opportunities to win are sacred. We know our fans feel that way and we feel that way. Our fans deserve it. The interesting part comes when those two interests conflict. If we are faced with a situation where there is something to do to marginally improve next year’s club and make it more competitive but it takes away a lot of resources such as too much payroll or prospects. When it’s time to break that tie I’m going to defer to the long term health of the organization. Simply because I think what Cubs fans really want as much as you’er excited about 2012 and making sure we’re competitive, trust me I’m excited about that too, but I think what you really want is to be competitive every year. You don’t want that one year where things go well and you happen to win ninety two games and a couple series and then you disappear for the next five years. I think what this is all about is building a foundation to have a core that can get us in deep, deep into September and October every single year. Then we can make tweaks each winter to maximize that chance.” http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2011/10/26/theo-epstein-boston-red-sox… He said that same thing almost word for word in multiple interviews.

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Submitted by Paul Noce on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:17 pm

You really don't understand that the talent and situation of the Red Sox were/are in is completely different than what the Cubs currently have, do you? Theo has said signing a big free agent deal when you feel you are one player away from winning is the only time it makes sense. AKA, Gonzo and Crawford being added to a contending team. The Cubs don't have a core to build around right now. You could sign all of the guys you just named and we aren't winning the division, and you'll be regretting those moves in the near future. Each one has major issues. Signing any big money, long term deal with any free agent right now doesn't make sense for the Cubs. Maybe they'll have a much better core group of players by this time next year that they can start looking at big money free agents, but this offseason isn't going to be it.

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Submitted by Dr. aaron b on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:15 pm

I think they NEED to ATTEMPT to be competitive. Ricketts spent too much on the franchise to allow a perception that he isn't trying to be competitive. I'm not advocating that we sign a bunch of vets and set lighting traps. Fielder, Headley, Maholm and even McLouth are additions that will be useful beyond 2012. None of the guys other than Fielder will break the bank either. I'm advocating a measured approach to bridge us to a farm system that can produce in 3-4 years.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:02 pm

If Epstein thinks that Fielder is a guy likely to produce for the next 6 years at a very high level, he'll go after him. When you talk about the best players in the game, they don't become available every off-season. If the Cubs are going to contend in 2013 or 2014, who's going to be their big masher at first (or 3rd, right or left where almost all contending teams have at least two and preferably three power bats)? That being said, it doesn't look like Epstein feels that way about Fielder, but he may just be smoke screening.

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Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:01 pm

Throwing out Daniels, Teixeira, and Dunn (Daniels out of MLB before he reached those years), the rest of the list only averaged an OPS+ of about 4 below their career average across what would represent Fielder's 2015 through 2017 years (which would includes generally some worse numbers as they go 34+). The three thrown out though would make those numbers look much worse, Dunn and Teixeira had bad years this year. Player 31 32 33 Avg Career Difference Griffey Sr 120 103 121 115 118 -3 Helton 144 117 133 131 136 -5 Mayberry 119 128 91 113 123 -10 Bagwell 162 152 139 151 149 2 Thome 197 154 144 165 147 18 Thomas 125 163 94 127 156 -29 Bonds 136 133 122 130 129 1 -3.666666667 Based on that, not a slam dunk either way. Fangraphs did a article the other day. Gloomy results, but there were a lot of problems with his methodology. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/how-will-prince-fielder-age/

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:17 pm

I wonder whether Bonds is a relevant comparison for any player playing outside of the steroid era, though I'm not sure at what year we speculate as the beginning of his steroid regimen. It's possible that the same concerns are justified for Bagwell. Thome, on the other hand, put up some pretty monstrous numbers even after testing was implemented. I have no idea what to do with Fielder's comps. Not to mention, how many of them had the same kind of body type concerns that frighten potential Fielder suitors?

Submitted by Paul Noce on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 10:15 pm

Ronnie "Rock for Brains" Cedeno's option NOT picked up by Pittsburgh. I've never seen a player with a more arrogant attitude who sucks more than Cedeno.

Submitted by The Joe on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 11:07 am

Carrie Mustache is one damn fine writer: "CHICAGO -- There are some hitters whose at-bats you don't want to miss. Starlin Castro is one of those players. The Cubs' shortstop doesn't launch balls over the left-field bleachers and onto Waveland Avenue at Wrigley Field on a regular basis. But Castro does hit, and he did that more than any other player in the National League this past season." "What Castro does need to improve upon is his defense -- he led all Major League shortstops with 29 errors. He has been known to botch a throw, yet he can scramble and track balls and fire a strike to first off balance that makes you gasp and wonder, "How did he do that?" " Poetic, even. Oh yeah, he's up for some stupid-ass award: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111021&content_id=25…

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 11:36 am

Red Sox considering Sizemore for RF... wonder if both teams will be consistently vying for the same players.

Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 11:14 pm

I can easily see a roster next year that includes B. Jackson, Flaherty, LaHair, Campana and Pena, all lefty hitters, with Colvin trying to straighten himself out so he can join them. There might be room for a righty-hitting OF or 1B (or 3B), but not another lefty. Of the names mentioned above, only switch-hitting Beltran makes any sense to me (but not for three years). I yield to no one in my dislike of Soriano, but in this environment he actually serves a purpose. There are a few fast-rising righty-hitting OFs in the organization, most notably Ha and Szczur.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 11:18 pm

Rotoworld blurb on G. Sizemore He's played in only 104 total games over the past two seasons, but several teams are expected to make him incentive-based offers this winter in an attempt to catch lighting in a bottle.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 11:34 pm

will figure out how to actually make reading their stats user-friendly... they've put up their own plate discipline stats, slightly different than Fangraphs, and you'll be shocked to learn that Soriano was 3rd worst in baseball at swinging at pitches outside of the zone among regulars (Vlad and Fat Panda ahead of him). Reed Johnson pretty high on the list as well. Soto seemed the best at not swinging at outside pitches, about 21st among hitters that saw at least 1000 pitches (289 total qualified).

Recent comments

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Totally depends on the team and the player involved. If your team’s philosophy is to pay huge dollars to bet on the future performance of past stars in order to win championships then, yes, all of the factors you mentioned are important.

    If on the other hand, if the team’s primary focus is to identify and develop future stars in an effort to win a championship, and you’re a young player looking to establish yourself as a star, that’s a fit too. Otherwise your buried within your own organization.

    Your comment about bringing up Canario for the purposes of sitting him illustrates perfectly the dangers of rewarding a non-performing, highly paid player over a hungry young prospect, like Canario, who is perpetually without a roster spot except as an insurance call up, but too good to trade. Totally disincentivizing the performance of the prospect and likely diminishing it.

    Sticking it to your prospects and providing lousy baseball to your fans, the consumers and source of revenue for your sport, solely so that the next free agent gamble finds your team to be a comfortable landing spot even if he sucks? I suppose  that makes sense to some teams but it’s definitely not the way I want to see my team run.

    Once again, DJL, our differences in philosophy emerge!

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    That’s just kinda how it works though, for every team. No team plays their best guys all the time. No team is comprising of their best 26 even removing injuries.

    When baseball became a business, like REALLY a business, it became important to keep some of the vets happy, which in turn keeps agents happy and keeps the team with a good reputation among players and agents. No one wants to play for a team that has a bad reputation in the same way no one wants to work for a company that has a bad rep.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate it too. But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

    On that topic, I find it silly the Cubs brought up Canario to sit as much as he has. He’s going to get Velazquez’d, and it’s a shame.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Of course, McKinstry runs circles around $25 million man Javier Baez on that Tigers team. Guess who gets more playing time?

    But I digress…

  • Sonicwind75 (view)

    Seems like Jed was trying to corner the market on mediocre infielders with last names starting with "M" in acquiring Madrigal, Mastroboney and Zach McKinstry.  

     

    At least he hasn't given any of them a Bote-esque extension.  

  • Childersb3 (view)

    AZ Phil:
    Rookie ball (ACL) starts on May 4th. Do yo think Ramon and Rosario (maybe Delgado) stay in Mesa for the month of May, then go to MB if all goes "solid"?
     

  • crunch (view)

    masterboney is a luxury on a team that has multiple, capable options for 2nd, SS, and 3rd without him around.  i don't hate the guy, but if madrigal is sticking around then masterboney is expendable.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    I THINK I agree with that decision. They committed to Wicks as a starter and, while he hasn’t been stellar I don’t think he’s been bad enough to undo that commitment.

    That said, Wesneski’s performance last night dictates he be the next righty up.

    Quite the dilemma. They have many good options, particularly in relief, but not many great ones. And complicating the situation is that the pitchers being paid the most are by and large performing the worst - or in Taillon’s case, at least to this point, not at all.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Wesneski and Mastrobuoni to Iowa

    Taillon and Wisdom up

    Wesneski can't pitch for a couple of days after the 4 IP from last night. But Jed picked Wicks over Wesneski.

  • crunch (view)

    booooooooooo

    also, wisdom and taillon are both in chicago.

  • TarzanJoeWallis (view)

    Tonight’s game postponed. Split games on Saturday.

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