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

What Jim Harbaugh might look like in Superbowl.

I like Jim Harbaugh.
He's had his ups and downs.
You can't forget the Mike Ditka insani-tirade in that awful Bears loss to the Vikings with the Harbaugh audible, the interception, and the 20 to nothin' Bears lead in the 4th going poof.
I was with my dad at the only bar in Prescott Arizona with cable.
Unbelievably, we were the only Bears fans.
A whole bar-ful of Viking fans in Prescott Arizona?
So I was pretty irate myself when Harbaugh threw the interception.
At first the dressing down by Ditka felt good, but after awhile I thought well...maybe he's been waiting 10 years to blow his stack ever since he decided to get that perm in '82.
We had to skulk out when it was over.
Anyway, Harbaugh.
You saw him in the 4th quarter against the Falcons, right?
Going crazy on the sidelines when it was ruled that Harry Douglas had caught the ball Harbaugh thought had hit the ground?
Wonder where he got that crazy act.
But..pure entertainment, and that kind of crazy seems to be working for the Niners.
That particular play is when I decided to do this painting.

One of the really great things about the Superbowl Sunday?
It'll be followed a week later by... Pitchers and Catchers Report Sunday.
Go Baseball!

The painting style is lifted from one of my fav painters, the great Francis Bacon.





Comments

Don't know why it didn't show up in a different color, but "Ditka Insani-tirade" is linked to the ESPN video recap of that Bears/Vikes game.

I really like the post-modern, neo-existentialist, illusory tiradist escapist feel to this work. And, more seriously, nice!

"Matt garza ‏@Gdeuceswild Just finished my first bullpen of spring! Glad to be back on the bump!" also, C.Carpenter (BOS) cleared waivers and outrighted to AAA.

McLeod-athon on the twitter left sidebar courtesy of Bruce Miles from a Q&A event in Kane County on Friday night.

I'm a bears' fan, who went to Univ of Michigan and I've lived in Ann Arbor for over 20 years after growing up in Chicago etc. My brother went to Indiana and married a lady from Indie during the captain comeback years. I should be the ideal Jim Harbaugh fan and I detest him (though I respect his coaching ability). Is there anyone outside of SF who doesn't want to punch him in the face (figuratively)?

Tim are you working in guache now? Mixed media with pastels and watercolor? Nice work! More of this, please?

ChicagoCubsOnline ‏@TheCCO RT @Tcampana_24 On my way to Phoenix with @whit_law ready to get season goin ready for a #breakoutseason

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

When Chico was traded to the Angels, we got a guy named Todd Fischer who had made 9 MLB appearances, all out of the bullpen, the last of which ended with him getting the loss in an extra-inning game against the Red Sox without throwing a ptich. He entered the game and immediately balked in the winning run. After the trade to the Cubs, he apparently never played another inning of organized ball again after the trade.

jed lowrie's career gets screwed over...traded to the A's to be a part time player. chris carter and brad peacock going to HOU...OAK also gets fernando rodriguez. HOU also gets minor league catcher max stassi. another mindblowingly stupid trade for HOU.

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

for a team with little immediate need, even for a guy like lowrie, i would have left him and his $2.4m plugged into 600+ PA at SS to get something more than a sketchy middle-rotation ceiling pitcher, a A+ ball catcher with a bit of power upside, and a 160+K 1st/DH...especially for a team that doesn't need a 1st. lowrie's not just a guy who plays SS, he plays it good enough to stay there. OAK will shuffle him around 2nd/3rd and bit of time at SS...as it is he'll probably steal more playing time at 3rd with OAK. then again, i don't like c.carter...i think even at his best he's a 25-30HR guy while K'ing a ton. i'd rather gamble on lowrie's upside and worry about trading him mid-season or post-season. HOU's in no hurry and they got a sub-40m roster anyway.

Tim Sheridan‏@BoysOfSpring I watched #Cubs RHP Matt Garza throw at Fitch Park today. Long toss and off the mound, looked very strong. Pitchers and catchers Feb 10!

Today is the deadline for the Cubs to either trade, release, or outright Lendy Castillo.

Saturday and Sunday are not MLB business days during the off season, so the Cubs had to place L. Castillo on waivers no later than 2 PM (Eastern) last Friday so that he will clear waivers today (actually the MLB daily waiver report is issued at 1 PM Eastern, so the Cubs will find out in less than an hour if Castillo was claimed).

If he is not claimed off waivers, I would expect the Cubs to outright Lendy to either Tennessee or Daytona rather than to Iowa.

BTW, Castillo will NOT have the option to elect free-agency if outrighted, but he will be a Rule 55 minor league free-agent (6YFA) if he is not added back to an MLB 40-man roster by 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day following the conclusion of the 2013 World Series.  

[ ]

In reply to by Rob Richardson

PROJECTED LINEUP CF David DeJesus/Brett Jackson SS Starlin Castro LF Alfonso Soriano RF Nate Schierholtz/DeJesus C Welington Castillo 3B Ian Stewart/Luis Valbuena DH Wilson Betemit/Trayvon Robinson 2B Darwin Barney When did Cubs get Betemit and Robinson? And when did they move to the AL?

Looks like Chris Carpenter's career is over. DL, not retirement, so he still gets a dozen millions this year.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/46997

Re: Can Hak-Ju Lee stay in the majors with an empty .280 BA because of his defense?

Yes. For a long time. Also gets a boost because he can run.

Obligatory Vogelbach question

Klaw: Obligatory reference to his weight

Re: Most overrated prospect, is it Mike Olt?

He'd be in the mix. Solid player, not a star. Syndergaard, but that may just be a function of unverified reports he threw 102 plus the coverage he got when he was traded. Also a solid prospect. I'm ignoring the guys like Ruf, Gattis, Junior Lake, Szczur, fringy guys who are treated by their own fans as future stars.


Re: How close was Pierce Johnson to Top 100?

Wasn't. Arm action scares me. Would at least like to see a full healthy year first, since he's had so much forearm trouble.


still going on, so there may be more

"Orioles claimed INF/OF Russ Canzler off waivers from the Yankees." lulz. another week, another team. maybe he'll stick with this one.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.