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

Big 5-Run Cubs 6th Starts & Ends with Balaguert

Yasiel Balaguert laced a double into the left-centerfield alley and scored on a Ben Carhart single to get the inning started, and then ripped an opposite-field line-drive RBI single to right to drive-in Jacob Rogers with the final run of the frame, as the AZL Cubs sent 11 men to the plate and scored five times in the bottom of the 6th en route to an 8-2 victory over the AZL Royals in Arizona League action this evening at HoHoKam Park in Mesa.

box score

The 19-year old Balaguert was a teammate of recently signed Cubs OF Jorge Soler on the Cuban Junior National Team before defecting in 2011 and signing with the Cubs last December ($400K bonus), and while he is not the offensive force that is Soler, he does occasionally show some upside at the plate. However, he has a long swing and is kind of a lug on the bases and in the field (he's not in the best of shape), so I think there probably is some doubt in some circles about whether he will ever be anything more than a AA player.      

20-year old 6'3 235 RHP Trey Lang (Cubs 2012 6th round draft pick by way of Mesa Skyline HS, Northern Illinois University, and Gateway CC) got the start for the Cubs and threw four shutout innings (50 pitches - 37 strikes, 6/1 GO/FO), allowing four hits (three singles and a double) and a walk with five strikeouts.

The husky ex-Huskie throws a mid-90's fastball and a hard slider when employed as a one-inning closer and profiles as a two-pitch late-inning reliever at the higher levels (he was a full-time slugging OF and part-time closer in HS and college), but it's not unusual for a Pitcher with Promise to be used as a starter early in his career in order to get as many innings as possible under his belt as soon as possible.

Cubs 26th round draft pick RHP Jasvir "Jazz" Rakkar (SUNY - Stony Brook) made his professional debut, throwing a scoreless top of the 5th. He allowed a lead-off single and a walk, but he also notched a strikeout. He labored a bit to throw strikes (16 pitches - 9 strikes), but then he hadn't pitched in a game since working in relief at the College World Series in Omaha more than six weeks ago. 

A member of the National Honor Society in Secondary School and the America East All-Academic team in college, Rakkar's pro debut was delayed while he applied for a work visa (he is a Canadian, and had been in the U. S. on a student visa while attending Stony Brook).   

While Lang and Rakkar were throwing goose eggs, Royals starter Miguel Almonte was doing likewise, as the teams were scoreless through the top of the 6th. But then the Cubs erupted for a five-spot, and never looked back.

Cubs 2012 1st round draft pick Albert Almora played CF and hit lead-off (he struck out swinging in his only AB), but he left the game after only two innings with an apparent leg injury. 

Jorge Soler played LF, hit clean-up, and went 0-5 (struck out swinging, three ground outs, and a pop fly out), although he did collect an RBI on a FC in the 6th and later scored a run in that same inning.     

 

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

Thanks, AZ, hopefully Almora is okay. From Rosenthal, and ya I think this got posted elsewhere: "The four untouchables in the Dempster talks, according to major-league sources, were right-handers Zach Lee, Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa, and left-hander Chris Reed." I'm glad TheoCorp didn't cave to them. I still think Cubbery won this round, with Dempster turning down the Braves and Garza managing to get hurt, but it could have been worse.

Grades. I give the deadline deals a C. We got a top prospect in Vizcaino...who is 20, injured, and looks to project as a reliever. We got a bullpen arm in Chapman We got a "maybe" in Villaneuva....he's solid, but in Hi-A Ball. Hendricks might be Casey Coleman with better control. Brigham is repeating AA, and not lighting it up. Meh. We got.....some young players, but...woooooo..... On the bright side, maybe we'll see Jay Jackson, Chris Rusin, Brooks Raley, Josh Vitters, Dave Sappelt.....etc, before the season is over?

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I think, as Beasley points out, that given the hand they had they did pretty well. Now, IF (and we don't know this) HoyStein botched up the communication (remember they have several "heads" on that thing now) between Demp and the Cubs o. the first Braves deal - you have to hold them accountable. But, I think based on their Boston experience they assumed all was well and who knew that not only would their top chip be injured, but the other one would take his time and exercise his Tito's rights to give permission when trade timing is absolutely everything? You have to believe there were multiple suitors for Demp down to the wire, and they did the best they could with this hand, imo.

Dempster on radio Did not turn down "any trades" just asked for more " time to think about " Atl trade. Did not like hearing about Atl trade 2nd hand No problems w Theo now Would come back to Chi Wanted to go to LA to play w Lilly, "best friend" Thinks cubs in good hands w theo, want to win more then one championships

Bruce Miles tweets that he was told by Theo that Gerardo Concepcion is out of action because of Mononucleosis. --- my concern is that Mono cases vary in terms of how weak a patient gets but as we've seen with Hayden Simpson it can have long term implications.

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In reply to by Cubster

my concern is that useless warm body being on the 40-man. i know some people still might not get why me and others didn't like this signing, but at this point you gotta at least have an idea. imo, it was a "walk away" deal the minute he wanted a roster spot...much less $7m bucks...hell, it was a walk-away moment for more than a few teams after he showcased the utter crap his arm had it in. it didn't come close to living up to the small amount of hype it had aside from the ROY award and youth-in-league pitching he went through in Cuba. it's not a huge deal...it's just a bad one. given his luck so far (aside from getting a gift-from-god contract) his mono is probably misdiagnosed valley fever. =p

Bruce Levine‏@ESPNBruceLevine Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson may be called this month. Both would play every day according to Sveum. Carrie Muskat‏@CarrieMuskat With 60 Gs to go, Sveum will meet with brass Thu to discuss roster. B Jackson could be called up.

As expected, Lendy Castillo's minor league rehab has been moved up to Daytona from the AZL Cubs, and he will likely remain with the D-Cubs through a week from tomorrow (August 9th). Castillo's 30-day minor league rehab (position players get a maximum of 20 days, pitchers get 30) began on July 11th and thus will expire on August 10th. While a player does NOT have to be reinstated from the DL once he completes a rehab assignment, if Castillo is reinstated from the 15-day DL no later than August 13th, he will be able to accrue 90 days on the Cubs active roster by the conclusion of the 2012 MLB regular season, and the Rule 5 obligations will be satisfied so that he can be optioned to the minors in 2013 (he will have three minor league options). If he is not reinstated from the DL on or before August 13th, Castillo will not be able to accrue 90 days on the Cubs active roster this season and he will remain a Rule 5 player into the 2013 season, until such time as he has accrued 90 days (total) on an MLB active roster. (The 90 days would include however many days he accrues this season plus next season, added together). If that were to happen (if he is not reinstated from the 15-day DL on or before August 13th and he remains a Rule 5 player in 2013), the Rule 5 restrictions would be removed immediately once he has accrued the required 90 days. So (for example), if he is reinstated from the DL on September 1st rather than August 13th, he would fall 19 days short of 90 days this season, and so he would have to spend 19 days on the Cubs active roster next season (probably the first 19 days of the regular season), and then the Rule 5 restrictions would be removed on the 20th day of the season and he could be optioned to the minors starting that day. In other words, he cannot be optioned to the minors this season even if he accrues 90 days on the active roster by mid-season. A Rule 5 player must spend the entire season following selection on the drafting club's MLB active roster and/or MLB DL (or else be placed on Outright Assignment Waivers, and if he is not claimed, he must be offered back to the team from which he was drafted), but if he remains a Rule 5 player into the following season, he only remains under Rule 5 restrictions until he has accrued the required 90 days on an MLB active roster.

The Cubs have signed two minor league free-agents over the past few days. 29-year old OF-1B Jeff Frazier (who was playing in Mexico earlier this season) was assigned to Iowa, and 25-year old utility INF Vladimir Frias (who played in the Red Sox organization in 2010-11) was acquired from the Gateway Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League and has been assigned to Daytona. Frazier spent a number of seasons in the Detroit Tigers organization before getting a big league "cup of coffee" with the Tigers in 2010, and Frias was originally signed by the Giants.

this is a lost year and all...nonetheless... SP and RP management is showing a trend...especially today after a game like yesterday's... this SP has not only not been taxed...it's not been challenged. i haven't seen this many decent performances by a SP turned into sub-or-close-to-100 pitch outings in...ever, probably...especially with the cubs. the pen is getting a lot work for a part of the team that's one of the weakest. also, the pitcher hit for himself today before being replaced at the top of the next inning...not a usual trait for this manager...it's very lou pinella, though.

well, this game got crap real quick... 7-1, top 8, 0 outs...5 run top 8th and 0 outs...wtf? 7 hits in a row...maybe go get s.camp now? say g'bye to that 2.70era and 1.22 whip, dude. ...finally out of the game with men left on 1st/2nd and still 0 outs. not his day.

2/3 of the way through the 2012 MLB regular season and as things stand right now (very much subject to change), here is the projected MLB Service Time through 2012 for the 39 players presently on the Cubs 40-man roster, plus the two players who are on the 60-day DL (this is presuming that no roster moves are made for the rest of the season, which of course won't happen). Remember... EXAMPLE: 2+014 means two years plus 14 days. 1. The MLB regular season runs 183 days, but 172 days constitutes a "full season" when calculating Service Time. 2. A player cannot accrue more than 172 days of Service Time in a given season. 3. If a player spends fewer than 20 days on optional assignment to the minors in a given season, the player gets credit for a full season. PLAYER AFFECTED: Tony Campana has spent 15 days on Optional Assignment so far this season, so as of right now he will get a full season of MLB Service Time in 2012. PROJECTED MLB SERVICE TIME THRU 2012 SEASON: Alfonso Soriano - 12+079 (signed thru 2014) David DeJesus - 8+146 (signed thru 2013 with club option for 2014) Shawn Camp - 7+170 (FA post-2012) Carlos Marmol - 6+084 (signed thru 2013 - then FA post-2013) Jeff Baker - 6+049 (FA post-2012) Matt Garza - 5+149 (eligible for salary arbitration post-2012 - then FA post-2013) Manuel Corpas - 5+024 (eligible for salary arbitration post-2012 - then FA post-2013) Ian Stewart - 4+050 (eligible for salary arbitration post-2012) Chris Volstad - 4+017 (eligible for salary arbitration post-2012) Jeff Samardzija - 3+028 (no options left - eligible for salary arbitration post-2012) James Russell - 3+000 (eligible for salary arbitration post-2012) Starlin Castro - 2+150 (likely will be eligible for salary arbitration as "Super Two") Luis Valbuena - 2+146 (no options left - likely will be eligible for salary arbitration as "Super Two") Justin Germano - 2+130 (no options left- could be eligible for salary arbitration as "Super Two") Joe Mather - 2+054 (no options left) Darwin Barney - 2+053 Marcos Mateo - 2+025 (on 60-day DL - no options left) Travis Wood - 2+003 (out of options in 2013) Tony Campana - 1+135 Bryan LaHair - 1+100 (no options left) Arodys Vizcaino - 1+050 Casey Coleman - 1+043 Scott Maine - 1+014 Steve Clevenger - 1+010 Lendy Castillo - 1+000 (Rule 5 player) Anthony Rizzo - 0+168 Blake Parker - 0+140 Welington Castillo - 0+128 (out of options in 2013) Adrian Cardenas - 0+114 Rafael Dolis - 0+089 (eligible for 4th minor league option in 2013) Jeff Beliveau - 0+074 Alberto Cabrera - 0+064 Dave Sappelt - 0+053 Blake Lalli - 0+011 Jake Brigham - 0+000 Jaye Chapman - 0+000 Gerardo Concepcion - 0+000 (eligible for 4th minor league option in 2015) Junior Lake - 0+000 Jorge Soler - 0+000 (eligible for 4th minor league option in 2015) Matt Szczur - 0+000 (eligible for 4th minor league option in 2015) Josh Vitters - 0+000

PROJECTED 2013 CUBS MLB PLAYER PAYROLL (as things stand right now): SIGNED: Alfonso Soriano - $18M Carlos Marmol - $9.8M David DeJesus - $4.25M Jorge Soler - $1M (plus second $3M installment of $6M signing bonus) Gerardo Concepcion - $500K SUB-TOTAL: $36.55M SALARY ARBITRATION (rounded-off to nearest $250K): Matt Garza - $13M? Starlin Castro- $4M? (Super Two) Jeff Samardzija - $4M? James Russell - $1.25M? Luis Valbuena - $750K? (Super Two) PROJECTED ESTIMATED SUB-TOTAL: $23M? 17 pre-arbitration players to fill-out 25-man roster: PROJECTED ESTIMATED SUB-TOTAL: $8.5M? (average $500K per player) 13 players (besides Concepcion & Soler) on optional assignment to minors: PROJECTED ESTIMATED SUB-TOTAL: $1M? PROJECTED ESTIMATED 2013 TOTAL MLB PLAYER PAYROLL: $69M? NOTE: Although the Cubs 2012 MLB Opening Day payroll for 25-man roster was reported (accurately) as $88M, the Cubs 2012 MLB player payroll outlay is actually $120M, because of various legacy payroll obligations ($15M+ of Carlos Zambrano's salary paid to Marlins, Carlos Pena $5 deferred salary from 2011, Ryan Dempster $1.5M in deferred salary from 2011, and Carlos Silva $2M 2012 buy-out) and MLB signing bonuses and MLB salaries paid to Gerardo Concepcion and Jorge Soler ($7.5M combined total in 2012). ====================== MLB ARTICLE XX-B FREE-AGENT POST-2012: Jeff Baker (will NOT be tendered "Qualifying Offer") Shawn Camp (will NOT be tendered "Qualifying Offer") NOTE: BOTH ARE LIKELY TO BE TRADED BY 8/31 LIKELY 12/2 NON-TENDER Manuel Corpas Justin Germano Ian Stewart (could be re-signed to minor league contract with NRI to Spring Training) Chris Volstad LIKELY OUTRIGHT POST-2012: Casey Coleman (eligible for December 2012 Rule 5 Draft if outrighted) Blake Lalli (MLB Rule 55 6Y minor league FA if outrighted) Marcos Mateo (MLB Rule 55 6Y minor league FA if outrighted) Joe Mather (MLB Article XX-D minor league FA if outrighted) Blake Parker (MLB Article XX-D minor league FA if outrighted) 41-11 = 30 Therefore 10 roster slots should be open post-2012 for minor league FA, Rule 5 eligibles, and MLB free-agents MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS LIKELY TO BE ADDED TO 40-MAN ROSTER POST-2012 (if not earlier): 1. Brett Jackson, OF (lock) 2. Christian Villanueva, 3B (lock) 3. Kyler Burke, LHP (virtual lock - otherwise 6Y minor league FA) 4. Trey McNutt, RHP (was lock - now just very likely) 5. Brooks Raley, LHP (likely) ON BUBBLE FOR 40-MAN ROSTER POST-2012 (alphabetical): Frank Batista, RHP Marcus Hatley, RHP Dae-Eun Rhee, RHP Zac Rosscup, LHP Chris Rusin, LHP Nick Struck, RHP Logan Watkins, INF Rob Whitenack, RHP

CUBS POST-2012 MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENTS Last updated 8-1-2012 ARTICLE XX-D MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENT: Frankie de la Cruz, RHP Blake DeWitt, INF (elgible for salary arbitration post-2012 if added back to 40-man roster) Rodrigo Lopez, RHP (MLB Article XX-B FA post-2012 if added back to 40-man roster) Randy Wells, RHP (eligible for salary arbitration post-2012 if added back to 40-man roster) MLB RULE 55 MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGEN: SIX-YEAR MINOR LEAGUE FA: Jim Adduci, OF Alfredo Amezaga, IF-OF Juan Apodaca, C Jairo Asencio, RHP Justin Berg, RHP Michael Bowden, RHP Kyler Burke, LHP Brian Esposito, C Jeff Frazier, OF Vladimir Frias, INF Diory Hernandez, INF Jonathon Mota, INF Ryan Rowland-Smith, LHP Nate Samson, INF Alvaro Sosa, C (player-coach at AZL Cubs) Matt Tolbert, INF PREVIOUSLY-RELEASED MINOR LEAGUE FA: Carlos Figueroa, INF (player-coach at Daytona) Michael de la Cruz, RHP ++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOTES: 1. A minor league player eligible to be an ARTICLE XX-D FREE-AGENT is not eligible to be a free-agent if the player is added back to MLB 40-man roster by the end of the MLB regular season. A player eligible to be an Article XX-D minor league free-agent can file for free-agency beginning on the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season up through October 15th. 2. A minor league player eligible to be an MLB RULE 55 FREE-AGENT is not eligible to be a FA if the player is added to his club’s 40-man roster by 5 PM (EDT) on the 5th day following the conclusion of the World Series.

CUBS MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR DECEMBER 2012 MLB RULE 5 DRAFT Last updated 8-1-2012 Jeffry Antigua, LHP Frank Batista, RHP Justin Bour, 1B Michael Brenly, C Michael Burgess, OF David Cales, RHP Esmailin Caridad, RHP Matt Cerda, INF Hunter Cervenka, LHP Evan Crawford, OF Willengton Cruz, LHP Antonio Encarnacion, RHP Eduardo Figueroa, RHP Marcus Hatley, RHP Ty’Relle Harris, RHP Brett Jackson, OF Jay Jackson, RHP Alvido Jimenez, RHP Austin Kirk, LHP Luis Liria, RHP Jeff Lorick, LHP David Macias, IF-OF (player-coach at AZL Cubs) Nate Maldonado, C (player-coach at Tennessee) Trey McNutt, RHP Pedro Medina, RHP (ex-OF) Jose Montesino, INF A. J. Morris, RHP Enyelberth Pena, RHP Felix Pena, RHP Starling Peralta, RHP Nelson Perez, OF Brooks Raley, LHP Dae-Eun Rhee, RHP Rebel Ridling, 1B Greg Rohan, IF-OF Melvin Rosa, RHP Jose Rosario, RHP Zac Rosscup, LHP Chris Rusin, LHP Julio Sanchez, RHP Brian Schlitter, RHP Ryan Searle, RHP Matt Spencer, LHP (ex-OF) Nick Struck, RHP Larry Suarez, RHP Francisco Turbi, RHP Christian Villanueva, 3B Brett Wallach, RHP Logan Watkins, INF Casey Weathers, RHP Rob Whitenack, RHP Ty Wright, OF NOTE: Player not eligible for selection if added to MLB 40-man roster by 11/20.

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 8:56am — QuietMan Thanks Phil. Do you really think Valbuena will be tendered? I'd be happier if he didn't even make this west coast trip ========================= Q-MAN: Yes, but with the idea that he would be the Cubs primary utiility infielder in 2013, not the starting 3B. Valbuena actually can play 2B-SS-3B (not just 3B), and unless the Cubs intend to sign a FA utility infielder (which really is a waste of payroll), Valbuena could be that guy in 2013. Adrian Cardenas is really an offense-first 2B (albeit without HR power) who needs to play everyday (but he probably won't get that chance with the Cubs unless Darwin Barney is traded), and I suspect Junior Lake will be moved to RF (perhaps as soon as next season). BTW, I also would expect the Cubs to sign a veteran FA 3B this coming off-season to hold the position until one of the 3B prospects emerges. Possibly Kevin Youkilis after the White Sox decline their club option for 2013, with the idea being that Youkilis would eventually shift to a 1B-3B-RH PH reserve role. I also would not be surprised to see the Cubs try and sign a veteran Maholm-type LH FA SP like Joe Saunders this off-season, and with only a projected $69M 2013 payroll (at this point), the Cubs could even be players for younger (under-30) FA starting pitchers like Zach Greinke and/or Anibal Sanchez if they so choose, since neither of them will get a "Qualifying Offer" (which would cost the Cubs a draft pick or picks) because they were traded mid-season 2012, and so their new clubs (LAA and DET) can't get compensation if they sign with another club.

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In reply to by QuietMan

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 9:54am — QuietMan Since you mentioned Junior Lake... Have you (or anyone else that would like to chime in) heard anything about his ability to hit breaking balls/off-speed pitches? I heard he murders fastballs but looks lost on everything else. Just trying to confirm. ========================================= Q-MAN: Junior Lake used to have a problem hitting off-speed pitches and breaking balls, but I haven't seen him after he left EXST in May, so I don't know if he has solved that puzzle or not. I will tell you that DSL Cubs #2 bonus baby INF Luis Acosta might be absolutely the worst breaking ball hitter I have ever seen. He was totally lost & confused at EXST, before he was sent back to the Dominican Academy. Hopefully he can figure it out.

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In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Thu, 08/02/2012 - 9:24am — VirginiaPhil This list may not be as hard as previous years. Jackson will be on the 40-man already, and then I would be careful to protect Villanueva, Raley and Rosscup. I would think about protecting Batista, Struck, Watkins and Whitenack. Watkins has quietly gone about having an excellent year at Tenn. Good on base guy, can hit doubles and triples, steady defense at second while still playing a little shortstop, steals twenty-plus bases. Looks like a major-leaguer to me. ============================ VA PHIL: I would think that Logan Watkins will get a slot in the AFL, and how he performs there might be the final determining factor in whether he gets added to the 40 or is left-off.

Jim Bowden gave grades to the teams participating in the trading deadline. The Angels got the only A (Dodgers, A-, WSux B+, Royals/RedSox/Dbacks all C-): Cubs: B plus
Chicago Cubs Notable additions: RHP Arodys Vizcaino RHP Kyle Hendricks, INF Charlie Villanueva, Notable losses: RHP Ryan Dempster, C Geovany Soto, OF Reed Johnson, LHP Paul Maholm Analysis: The Cubs were not able to move Matt Garza or Alfonso Soriano but still have a chance to do it during the waiver period in August or this offseason. They were able to get two power arms in Hendricks and Vizcaino, although the latter is recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Epstein/Hoyer administration continues to follow the blue print of building for the future and are making progress as demonstrated by Anthony Rizzo's performance at the major league level.
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-office/post/_/id/4705/grading-t…

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In reply to by Newport

They're gonna have Charlie stand at the wall and try and goaltend homers. But let's not be so hard on espn, it must be hard to get the facts right when ALL (and I mean ALL) of their resources are focused on Tim Tebow. I mean wtf, it's like the Tim Tebow network . . . What's he doing right now? Let's check in. He missed a pass in mini camp! HE's SITTING DOWN FOR A SECOND. does he have a nuclear bomb or something? I can't explain it. The fucking Olympics are on and 40% of the footage is the Jets mini-camp about a backup QB. Does anyone care? He's a backup QB who more or less cant play. They should just rename the network.

* 26 year old 1B/3B Greg Rohan with 2 HRs in AAA Iowa debut. Iowa Cubs stay consistent at sucking and lose 11-6. Jay Jackson's line in relief: 1IP, 6H, 6R, 1BB, 1KK. * 20 year old 3B (and future RF) Dustin Geiger ties club record with 8 RBI night serving as the DH in Peoria Chiefs' 12-11 victory. 3-5, 1st inning 3-run HR, bases clearing double in the 5th and 2-run HR in the 9th inning. Javier Baez 2-5, with a double, 2 run scored, 1 rbi, 1K. * Umpire tosses Daytona Cubs music intern during game for playing "3 blind mice" after somewhat controversial call at 1st base. Somehow, the Cubs still manage to win the game, 2-1. Lendy Castillo starts and goes 4IP, 3H, 1R, 0ER, 1BB, 4K.

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In reply to by Eric S

Great update! I never realized you weren't allowed to play "3 blind mice" at a ballgame. That's hilarious. They tried to bury Rohan at Daytona but promotions don't seem to faze him and he's now got 19 home runs and 85 RBI. He could easily take Mather's place on the active roster if present trends continue. Speaking of RBI, Justin Bour hit a home run in a 1-0 win yesterday and now has knocked in 86. Oh, and Cub fans should forget about Trey McNutt and Jay Jackson and start focusing on Lendy.

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In reply to by Jim Hickmans Bat

"WTF happened with McNutt?" I didn't criticize Hendry/Fleita at the time, but it would be pretty easy to make the case that both McNutt and Jay Jackson were rushed. By the end of his first full season at age 20, they had McNutt starting in the Southern League (AA) playoffs. Jackson actually made it all the way to Iowa in his first full season! The funny thing is, McNutt is still trying to figure out double-A hitters, while Jackson continues to struggle at AAA. Maybe a demotion or two would help at this point. It appears that a double demotion has finally allowed Hayden Simpson to get his bearings.

K Goldstein: "The Philadelphia Phillies have released LHP Bryan Morgado, a 4th-round pick in 2010." Had good numbers last year. Any idea if he was an injury risk, or high risk behaviorally or something weird? Should cubs look into signing? Anyone seen him pitch?

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In reply to by The Joe

i have facts in this case, f'sure. seen it myself, though many years ago...and others have seen it in person, not many years ago and more than once. saw his wife drag him out of a party, arguing, both pissed...never seen him strike a person, don't suspect that's going on. him and ladies, though...especially him and ladies when alcohol is around. i don't doubt they're in love, but josh could learn to respect something he claims to care about as much as he's learned to make an excuse for his actions. ...as far as this being what's going on with his bat...hell, i dunno. some people are blaming his new "non-flying-bat" grip.

Daytona Bottom of the 1st Christian Villanueva homers (1) on a fly ball to right field. --- Daytona Bottom of the 3rd Timothy Saunders singles on a line drive to center fielder Daniel Ortiz. With Ronald Torreyes batting, Timothy Saunders steals (4) 2nd base. Ronald Torreyes homers (6) on a fly ball to left field. Timothy Saunders scores. Christian Villanueva homers (2) on a fly ball to left field. --- What is more impressive, Villanueva with 2 HR in 2 AB or Torreyes hitting his 6th HR?

dumpster gives up 2 runs in his 1st inning as a ranger. ...and soto has a single in his 1st AB as a ranger. ...and in non-cubs news, mike olt has a single in his 1st AB as a ranger...and MLB'r. ha...standing O for him. the local media must have been serving up strong kool-aid before his arrival.

Dempster pounded for 7 runs through four. Betcha he wishes he was in the NL and possibly in Atlanta - instead of Arlington launching pad with that pesky DH and high powered AL west. Oooops

j.brigham AA cubs debut...that dude from the soto/TEX trade 3ip 5h 3bb 2k (2er, 3r)...65 pitches he walked b.hamilton (CIN) to lead off his cubs career...and promptly gave up 2 SB to him...119 SB so far, btw. followed by z.rosscup 5ip 2h 2bb 5k (1er)...59 pitches i dunno what they're trying to do with rosscup...they're keeping him stretched out, but they're not starting him (yet)...except that 1 start when he first got called up to AA. dunno why brig got a short night, either.

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In reply to by Rob Richardson

Fri, 08/03/2012 - 7:55am — Rob Richardson Can someone (Phil) explain how Soriano's 10/5 rights will impact a waiver claim. If a team claims him and the Cubs don't pull him back can he reject the claim? Also, can we assume that if a team claims Marmol the Cubs will not pull him back. ============================== BOB: Yes. Because he has "no trade" rights, Soriano can refuse a trade or a waiver claim. If it hasn't already happened (and I would think it probably has), the Cubs will absolutely positively place Soriano on Trade Waivers ASAP, and there is NO WAY that any GM in his right mind would put in a claim, because any club that claims him would be on the hook for Soriano's entire remaining salary (about $42M) if he were to waive his "no trade" rights after being claimed and the Cubs do not elect to withdraw the waiver request. Normally, if a player who does not have "no trade" rights is claimed after being placed on Trade Waivers, his club has a 48-hour "window" to try and work out a trade with the club that was awarded the claim (but ONLY with that club), and if a trade cannot be worked-out, his club can either withdraw the waiver request (but then the player cannot be placed on Trade Waivers again for 30 days, which is beyond the 8/31 deadline for playoff eligibility), or the club can do nothing and allow the claiming club to acquire the player for the $20,000 waiver price (but with the claiming club assuming 100% of the player's remaining salary). Note that if a player is claimed after being placed on Trade Waivers and then his club withdraws the waiver request, the player cannot be placed on Trade Waivers again for at least 30 days (that's 30 days from the datethe waiver request is withdrawn) AND a second Trade Waiver request cannot be withdrawn if the player is claimed (the waivers become irrevocable the second time). However, a player with "no trade" rights cannot be placed on irrevocable waivers unless he waives his "no trade" rights in advance, and without knowing which team might claim him, a player with "no trade" rights is not going to take that chance. But since Soriano will not be claimed (because of his albatross salary), this is not an issue. Since Carlos Marmol does not have "no trade" rights, if he is placed on Trade Waivers and gets claimed (and the Cubs might wait until later in August to put him on waivers, hoping that he gets "hot" and/or a contender loses its closer or #1 set-up guy to injury in the meantime), the Cubs would probably first try and work out a trade to see if they can maybe get a decent prospect back, but failing to do that, the Cubs might very well opt to just let Marmol go to the claiming club for the $20,000 waiver price (thus saving about $12M in payroll 2012-13). If Marmol didn't have $12M remaining on his contact, some GM would almost certainly claim him if he were to be placed on Trade Waivers. But Marmol is probably making too much money for any club to risk making a claim. That doesn't mean Marmol won't be traded this month, however, just that it's unlikely he will be claimed off waivers. teams will wait until waivers are secured, and trhen they will approach the Cubs about a trade (with the Cubs probably having to pick-up a significant part of Marmol's 2013 salary for a trade to happen). BTW, here is the procedure for awarding waiver claims: The procedure for awarding waiver claims is different depending on the type of waivers and the time of the year. For Optional Assignment Waivers, Outright Waivers, and Release Waivers, if a player is claimed by only one club, that club is awarded the claim. If more than one club makes a claim, the club with the lowest winning percentage (regardless of league) on the day the player clears waivers is awarded the claim. If two clubs with the same winning percentage make a claim, the club in the player's own league is awarded the claim. If two clubs from the same league make a claim and they are tied in the standings, the club with the lowest winning percentage from the previous season is awarded the claim. If the clubs are still tied, standings from two years back (or three years back, four years back, etc) are used to break the tie. However, in the case of Trade Waivers (only), if a player is claimed by more than one club, the club in the player's own league with the lowest winning percentage is awarded the claim, even if that club has a higher winning percentage than the club or clubs making a claim from the other league. So a player placed on Trade Assignment Waivers must first be "waived out of his own league" before he can be assigned to a club in the other league. For the purpose of determining the awarding of waivers claims, the previous season's standings are used during the off-season and up through the first 30 days of the following season. Then beginning on the 31st day of the season, the standings as of the date the player clears waivers are used to determine the awarding of waiver claims, with the previous season's standings used to break any ties. A club is not permitted to make a waiver claim and then trade the player to another club if the purpose of the claim was to prevent a third club from being awarded the waiver claim. (A waiver claim that is judged to have been made for this purpose will be revoked). One other thing about assignment waivers (Trade, Optional, and Outright): While an injured player on the 15-day or 60-day Disabled List can be traded (as was the case this week with Arodys Vizcaino), a player who is on the 15-day or 60-day DL cannot be placed on assignment waivers (like Trade Waivers) unless the minimum amount of time required for the DL assignment has elapsed AND the player is healthy enough to play. So if the Cubs had not made the deal with the Braves prior to the 7/31 non-waiver trade deadline, Vizcaino would have had to remain a "Player to be Named Later" until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season, when waivers would not be required to make a trade.

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In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Fri, 08/03/2012 - 9:00am — VirginiaPhil You probably wanted Phil Rogers, but I'll take a shot. In their transactions going back to the Zambrano trade, the Cubs have consistently traded money for prospects. So, no, I don't think they will let Marmol (or Soriano) go without getting something in return (besides money). ============================ VA PHIL: You don't think the Cubs would have let him go for nothing if the Marlins had agreed to pay 100% of Zambrano's 2012 salary ($18M)? I do. Same goes for Marmol and ESPECIALLY Alfonso Soriano ($42M!!!) As Henny Youngman used to say: Take Soriano... Please.

Ronald Torreyes makes Baseball America's Hot Sheet: Team: high Class A Daytona (Florida State) Age: 19 Why He's Here: .483/.545/.828 (14-for-29), 7 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBIs, 3 BB, 0 SO, 1-for-1 SB The Scoop: When Torreyes was hitting .184/.250/.259 at the end of May, it looked like the Reds had sold high on Torreyes by trading him to the Cubs in December in the Sean Marshall deal. Yet even while Torreyes was struggling, his contact rate still was superb. Whether it was a change in skill or just better luck, Torreyes has been one of the best hitters in the Florida State League the last two months, and he's batted .342/.402/.515 in 52 games since June 1. He may look like he'd be more at home atop a racehorse than atop a big league lineup, but don't underestimate Torreyes' ability to square up a baseball. He's one of the few players in the game who has not only more walks (25) than strikeouts (23), but also more extra-base hits (29) than whiffs. He's an unusual prospect, but he's also one of the most fun to follow. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/…

BA Prospect Chat: Great to see Torreyes' bat coming around. How does his glove rate, and is Altuve a fair comp for what we might expect to see from him? Ben Badler: He's a good defender at second base. There are some similarities to Altuve, but there just really aren't any comps for a guy who's maybe 5-6, makes contact like he's hitting off a tee and can do some decent damage when he connects too. At the same age, Torreyes is more advanced than Altuve was, both offensively and defensively. Christian Villanueva hit 2HR in his first game with Daytona. Is he still a BA top 100 player by the end of the year? Is his prospect status increase this year? Ben Badler: Solid prospect, but there's enough questions from scouts on how much impact is there with the bat that I think he's on the periphery of that list going into next year. Once Vizcaino recovers, do you believe he'll be a SP or RP? Would you consider him the Cubs' top minor league arm at present? Ben Badler: The track record of his inability to stay healthy just screams reliever. That said, his stuff is absolutely filthy, so there's potential for him to be a dominant reliever. Given the lack of pitching in that system, yeah, I'd say he's the Cubs top pitching prospect. ive heard some good things about baez's power.. would you call me crazy if i compared it to sano's power? Ben Badler: I've gotten 70 grades on his power, but I'd still give the edge to Sano there. As a complete hitter, Baez all day. Any chance Cubs could have a top 5 system by next spring ? t hanks Ben Badler: That would surprise me. Will we see Cubs RHP JC Paniagua pitching this year? Ben Badler: His contract still has to be approved by MLB, so 2013 is more likely. http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/?1344011152

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In reply to by QuietMan

Top 5 system by next spring? I am surprised anyone could ask that. They really have very little in the way of impact pitching anyplace in the system. If a post-TJS Vizcaino is the best prospect, what else is there? Sickels' #5 and #6 preseason prospects were McNutt (who seems pretty screwed up) and Maples (who has pitched one inning). #10 was Dae-Eun Rhee, who has not pitched well. Ben Wells is hurt. Others to think about would be Raley, Struck, Francescon, Loosen and Jensen. While all of those last have pitched decently this year, none of them looks like top of the rotation starter.

Recent comments

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