Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

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

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

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
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

One More Look at Hawks/Wings

TCR reader Jacos survived the cold and wind and a close encounter with Ronnie Woo-Woo to return with some nice shots from the Blackhawks/Red Wings game (including a shocking image of Red Wing players having to pass through a cloud of poison gas on their way to the rink--an allowable "home ice advantage" under NHL rules). Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again to jacos for the photos!

Comments

but anyone else noticing that the rest of the Central doesn't seem to really want to bother with 2009?

Cardinals will probably be better just with Carpenter and Wainwright potentially pitching full seasons and I think Greene was a nice upgrade, even if Ludwick falls back a bit.

Reds may have a real good starting staff, but they had a lot of ground to make up.

and then everyone else is considerably worse as of today... weird.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

STL is supposedly trying to shed an OF'r in trade for a middle-rotation starter...but that was something that had a lot more steam many weeks ago. MIL has to have money to spend. Wonder if they'll attempt to re-sign sheets...

Thanks for posting. Some comments on pictures.. Picture 1- There were placards on our seats which we were directed to hold up at a certain time. When fans found out it spelled Red Wings they immediatley became frisbees. I would have liked to seen it on TV but when I turned on my TIVO recording, my 5 year old daughter manually changed the channel to Disney channel 30 seconds into the recording. Picture-2 Players coming out to the ice.They were walking right pass home plate which along with the pitcher's mound was uncovered. I was in section 215, 15 rows up from the main aisle. Great seats. Picture-3 As we head to our seats before the game, Tony Espisito, Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull were being taken to the field. I obivously startled the Golden Jet a bit. Picture-4 Attention whore Ronnie Woo-Woo. Who's jersey now says OBAMA 08, which I'm sure the president elect is proud of such admiration. Picture-5 Wrigley Field, 1/1/09. Very surreal and very cool. Great time. Here's a video of the national anthem from my seats- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JosSFS8AW58

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

I wonder if Olney is going to write 23 more of those columns, because outside of both New York teams, Atlanta, Cleveland, San Francisco and Washington no body else has done anything to improve themselves. The recent sheeding of payroll is meant to add Bradley and pitching help. Even absent a move for pitching help really how is a healthy Bradley and a Fontymiles platoon any worse than Derosa & Edmonds, especially when you got 3 young pitchers who given the bad shape of your farm could all be amongst your pre-season top 25 prospects for Derosa?

There were placards on our seats ------------- I don't remember exactly when they had a grandstand TV shot of the placards but I do recall them spelling out "Happy New Yr" in white background, at one point. That stuff is more of a football thing but as long as they were not doing the wave I guess it's ok for a national tv audience. Did they have the blonde bimbo puck shooting contest in the 2-3 period intermission?

Address glaring needs, sure jacos. 2B was a glaring...wait...no. I will say this until proven wrong this season;if Milton Bradley doesn't play at least 120 games in RF, putting up numbers comparable to last season, this trade stinks. Aaron Miles.....wow. I agree though...Brian Giles...ugh..

DeRosa 21 HR 87 RBI Fuku-Sucko- 10HR 58 RBI Bradley: 22 HR 77 RBI Miles 4 HR 31 RBI Discuss? Because I don't think the Cubs would sign Miles to a 2 year deal at $2.25, $2.7 per to sit on the bench, would they?

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

1. Fukudome is still on the team 2. The first pair had a lot more PA's and runners on base when they batted than the second pair 3. Miles is going to be the short side of a platoon at second, and occasionally spell Theriot at Short against righties. 4. Counting on 21 HR's and 87 RBI's in 2009 from DeRosa lies somewhere between unreasonable and delusional on the reality spectrum.

[ ]

In reply to by Charlie

sounds about right to me if he manages 450+abs... (.270+/.340+ avg/ob%...10-15 homers). woo...boring! i'll take it. it seems aaron miles takes the spot that dero was supposed to fill in lou's head...the 2nd/SS/3rd+ replacement who can rest some regulars and still get a nice amounts of ABs. dero just never quit hitting consistently (except for 1 month) the whole time he was here...hard not to play him everyday when he's healthy and doing that. i can understand if the team breaks with miles as their initial 2nd, but if he's not earning it by may+ then i hope the team adjusts.

http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/st/archives/2009/01/3_up_bosox_hitt.html the Rockies have been trying to obtain Marquis since he was a free agent after the 2006 season. Marquis is among the majors' best hitting pitchers and Rockie officials think that will give him a distinct advantage in the offensive haven that is Coors Field. But the most interesting element for the New York readership is that the Mets really did have interest in Marquis and - all things being near equal - Cubs GM Jim Hendry was trying to direct a Staten Island kid home. However, the Mets are working methodically this offseason, addressing one shortcoming at a time before moving on to the next item. The reason they are doing this is so that they can calibrate how much money they spent and how much they have left next for the next piece. .... The Cubs were willing to make Marquis about a $5 million proposition for the Mets by eating some of the $9.875 million he is due in 2009

so are they better off just writing off the $4M they would have had to eat in a Mets transaction (probably a low level Met prospect would have come our way) vs the $4M salary they now are stuck with if they acquire L. Vizcaino? Hopefully Vizcaino's Cub stay is Omar Infante like (Infante wasn't horrible, Viz is)

3. Miles is going to be the short side of a platoon at second, and occasionally spell Theriot at Short against righties. ------------ Which implies that they will unload Ronnie Cedeno at some point, no?

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

I come up with a 13 man positional player list of: Soto Bako Lee Hoffpaiur Fontenaught Miles Theriot Ramirez Sorian Fukudome Johnson Bradley Gathright Right? So no room for Pie and Cedeno. No options left on them either so Hendry will try to send them to teams in ST who get injuries. At this point I would imagine most teams will try to wait on the waiver line on them, particuarly on Cedeno because of his service time. I like Cedeno. I think he's going to blossom given a chance.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

"I like Cedeno. I think he's going to blossom given a chance" I liked him, too. He was given a chance - and was given the starting SS job two years ago. He stunk. Bad base-running. 0 baseball instincts. Strikeout king. Hasn't gotten that much better, imo. My guess is he'll always be a back-up on a good team. Maybe a starter on one of the worst teams. Time will tell.

Ok..if DeRosa had 10 HR 72 RBI as in 2007, he's still better than Miles, platoon or no. I like Mike Fontenot, but will he produce at last year's .305/.395/.514, or more like 2007's .278/.336/.402? How is counting on him to repeat those numbers in another 300 at bats? Is that foolish? Fukudome is still on the team. Ok..but will he play enough to produce any meaningful stats if the Cubs sign Milton Bradley? Who sits, him or Reed Johnson? Bradley batted cleanup...should generally get lots of opportunities there with runners on? Might've had more opportunities if he played more than 126 games? Miles batted second the most of any slot in the order. Miles at SS? Great....

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

It's probably reasonable to expect the Fontenaught to hit about halfway between his '07 and '08 numbers. "Who sits, him or Reed Johnson?" Yes, or neither of them if Bradley is hurt. "Might've had more opportunities if he played more than 126 games?" Yes, but I have a sneaking suspicion if Bradley is unable to play on a given day, that Piniella will go ahead and replace him in the lineup with another player. Barry Bonds once hit 45 HR's and drove in 90 runs. There's more to RBI's than meets the eye. "Miles at SS? Great...." He's not exactly pushing Arod or Ozzie Smith to the bench. These moves give Lou the ability to run out a lineup consisting of 8 left handed hitters, compared to last year where he could only field 5. No one's arguing that Miles is better than DeRosa.

So a 12 man pitching staff looks like this? Z Dempster Harden Lilly Marshall/(Samardzija?) Marmol Gregg Shark Gaudin Vizcaino Cotts 2nd Lefty - to be acquired? Inventory: Hart, Wuertz, Guzman, Patton, Stevens, Ascanio, Atkins, R Hill (?)

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Dan O'Dowd thinks the secret to late inning relief at Coors is high K/9 numbers. See Hawkins, Latroy and Julio, Jorge, among others. Seems like he always comes up with one guy a season who ought to do better than they do for their K rate. That, and his agent must be really good. Some guy named Bean Stringfellow, if that is real name.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

btw on Vizcaino...

he did have a rather extreme split last year...OPS against

vs lefties: 1.171

vs righites: .529

and 3 year splits

vs lefties: .820

vs righties: .683

but not at all for his career

vs lefties:.769

vs righties:  .719

I'm not sure why that is, even as recent as 2006, he had a reverse split (.817 vs righties, .569 vs lefties), so I'm not sure if it's just a whole lot of small sample size.

Is Miles better than Theriot at SS? Bradley had a career year last season, and couldn't stay healthy DH'ing most of the time. Lol...I am willing to bet that LouPa will be playing another player in RF quite a bit in 2009.

All the DeRo hubub - I really liked him personally, and he was a productive player at a nice "value". But how many think he'll repeat the last two year's numbers again, in 2009? It just is not likely.

MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that the White Sox and Orioles are talking about a Brian Roberts for Gavin Floyd swap. I'm not sure if I'm pissed that the Cubs might miss out on Brian Roberts or if I'm amused that the White Sox fans are going to be treated to months of a rumor that will never come to pass.

Anyone have any insight into the firing of K-Fu's translator? Will a new translator have any impact? How does one say "take a seat" in Japanese? (Just kidding, I hope he has a great year, getting off the bus running...no, uhm, that's been used...)

Andruw Jones deal approved by the MLB Players Assn...Hello Manny! Boras needed to get this Jones deal done. Boras, by getting Texeira his big contract had eliminated the real remaining suitor (Yankees) for ManRam. Thus Although Boras pimped the Dodgers with the Jones contract last year (remember Coletti likes expensive but shorter contracts of 2-3 yrs max opposed to 5 yr or longer deals, ie. Furcal, Schmidt) he needed to creatively change how the Dodgers were screwed so that it's now a long slow shafting instead of a completely useless player getting high end money for one year, but this will now accomodate Ramirez to get a 2-3 year deal. The saga never ends, it just overlaps. ------------------------ http://hotstove.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/01/dodgers_jones_reach_agreem… Andruw Jones and the Dodgers have reached an agreement to defer much of his remaining salary while virtually assuring he will not be with the club in 2009. Jones will either be traded or released before the start of Spring Training and perhaps sometime this month, according to an industry source. The agreement will allow Jones a fresh start elsewhere after a nightmare of a first season and provide the Dodgers with additional payroll flexibility that could be used to re-sign free-agent outfielder Manny Ramirez. The Major League Baseball Players Association approved the unusual agreement because Jones will receive his entire salary, as well as the possible benefit of free agency should he be released.

just looking at the Jacos' pics a bit closer... I wonder why nobody was paying attention to Mark DeRosa standing behind Bobby Hull's left shoulder

taking Alabama at a 34 pt confidence level in your office college bowl pool when you were in your first place...

f me....

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Well Andre Smith made alot of money tonight as a pretty good Alambama o-line through out the season look down right horrible tonight without him. I am still preplexed that Saban (not known as rules enforcer) suspended him the entire game for talking to an agent, which is something that most if not all quality underclassmen do anyways. Saban himself got the Alambama inpart due to unethically talking to school officals during his last year with the Dolphins, while denying it until he resigned the Dolphins job. I am guessing the agent bought him a car and was dumb enough to show it off before the game. The Lions who havent been able to keep their QBs from getting sacked consistently for about 3 years would be wise to take him number 1.

wondering out loud, but can the Cubs just cut Cedeno even though they offered him arbitration? I can't see why not, but unless there's an injury in spring training, there's just no room for him on the team. I guess they can still option Theriot and Fontenot but that's bloody unlikely. I suppose they'll just try and pull another Freddy Bynum trade. At least with Pie, cutting Gathright and his $800K wouldn't really hurt much if Pie has a strong camp.

so assuming this Bradley thing happens, care to guess Lou's lineup?

I'll go Soriano, theriot, lee, bradley, ramirez, Fontenot, Soto, Fukudome possibly switching lee and ramirez in the 3 and 5 spots.

what I'd like to see is soriano, Lee, Bradley, Ramirez, Soto, Fontenot, Theriot, Fukudome

and if Fukudome can get in the 280-300 BA range and 360-380 OBP range, then put him in the 2 spot and maybe something like Soriano, Fukudome, Ramirez, Bradley, Lee, Soto, Fontenot, Theriot

vs lefties, I'm guessing Lou goes

Soriano, Theriot, Lee, Bradley, Ramirez, Soto, Johnson, Miles

while I'd probably go Soriano, Lee, Bradley, Ramirez, Soto, Johnson, Theriot, Miles

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I don't know what your theory is, but mine is that One and Two are speed guys, Four through Seven are sluggers, and Three is a combination of speed and power. Since Lee is a fading slugger who is the slowest guy in the lineup outside of Soto, he should be somewhere near the bottom of the order, not a Two or a Three. Following my own logic, I would bat Soriano third. I won't tell you who I would bat leadoff, but you can probably guess.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Dusty, is that you? Leadoff: good OBP guy with excellent baserunning skills 2nd: able to take a pitch (to let leadoff guy steal), hit behind the runner, good baserunner, doubles power 3rd: Your best hitter. Period. 4th, 5th, 6th: power guys 7th: occasional power 8th: has to have good eye, since he won't see anything hittable with the pitcher behind him SO: 1: Fuku, making a HUGE assumption that he can hit at least 280/380 OBP 2: Fontenot 3: Bradley 4: Ramirez 5: Soriano 6: Lee 7: Soto 8: Theriot

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Since Lee is a fading slugger who is the slowest guy in the lineup outside of Soto, he should be somewhere near the bottom of the order, not a Two or a Three.

Aramis Ramirez appreciates that you've noticed his blazing speed..he also wonders what you're smoking.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I'm smoking my old Derrek Lee jersey, along with with crumpled up newspaper clippings that describe Lee as a five-tool player. (How did they know how strong Lee's arm was?) Ramirez is a more aggressive runner than Lee. I did baserunning stats that put Ramirez in the middle of the pack on the Cubs, with Lee below Edmonds and above Soto. The stat that hurt Lee the most was 6 for 30 going from first to third on a single. Ramirez was 6 for 19 in the same category.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

Love your Lee in the 2 hole idea. Here's a guy, that despite his perceived struggles, still hasn't had an OBP under 355 as a Cub. I'd ideally move Fonzie down, but I think we all tend to agree that just ain't going to happen. I guess I completely agree with your second 9, there. If I had my druthers, (YES I SAID DRUTHERS. SO WHAT? YOU WANNA FIGHT ABOUT IT?) I'd write Theriot Lee Bradley Ramirez Soriano Soto Fontenot Fukudome. But, that all hinges on Theriot getting on base at a 2008-esque clip. If Theriot struggles, I'd have no problem putting Fontenot at the top if he can continue to hit. If neither of them do, we're probably not going to get far anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

Submitted by Chifan on Sat, 01/03/2009 - 12:31am.

Guzman and Wuertz have no options so I imagine they have spots, with Shark going to down to AAA and one of Gaudin or Viscanio traded to clear up payroll.

=======================================

CHIFAN: With Michael Wuertz likely to get about $1.2M in arbitration and Ronny Cedeno likely to get around $800K, I would think Hendry will try very hard to trade both of them to free-up $2M in payroll. He could free-up another $3.5M by flipping Luis Vizacaino once the Cubs get him (presuming the Marquis deal is done but just hasn't been announced), and $5.5M is halfway to Jake Peavy's $11M 2009 salary.

If Wuertz & Vizcaino were to get moved, I would expect the Cubs to probably go with Zambrano-Dempster-Lilly-Harden-Marshall/R.Hill in the starting rotation, with Marmol-Gregg-Gaudin-Cotts-Guzman-Marshall/R. Hill-Samardzija/Hart/Ascanio/Stevens/Wells in the pen.

Of course the pitching staff slots would change if the Cubs acquire Peavy.

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 01/02/2009 - 8:52pm.

btw on Vizcaino... he did have a rather extreme split last year...OPS against vs lefties: 1.171 vs righites: .529 and 3 year splits vs lefties: .820 vs righties: .683 but not at all for his career vs lefties:.769 vs righties: .719 I'm not sure why that is, even as recent as 2006, he had a reverse split (.817 vs righties, .569 vs lefties), so I'm not sure if it's just a whole lot of small sample size.

=============================================

ROB G: The type of splits Vizcaino suddenly started to put up last year would usually indicate the pitcher lowered his arm slot to sidearm, making him essentially a ROOGY (death on right-handed hitters, but dead-meat against lefties). Vizcaino has had shoulder problems off-and-on going back at least to September 2007, so that would be a reason for him to lower his arm slot.

Submitted by Rob G. on Sat, 01/03/2009 - 1:10am.

wondering out loud, but can the Cubs just cut Cedeno even though they offered him arbitration? I can't see why not, but unless there's an injury in spring training, there's just no room for him on the team. I guess they can still option Theriot and Fontenot but that's bloody unlikely. I suppose they'll just try and pull another Freddy Bynum trade. At least with Pie, cutting Gathright and his $800K wouldn't really hurt much if Pie has a strong camp.

 =========================================

ROB G: The Cubs can trade or release Ronny Cedeno at any time. They can't outright him to the minors, though, not just because he can refuse the assignment and become a FA (he has three years of MLB Service Time so he can refuse an outright assignmentm to the minors), but because even if he were willing to accept the assignment, Cedeno is eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league, and so he can't be outrighted after the fourth day following the conclusion of the World Series until he signs a Major League contract for the following season.

But the Cubs haven't offered salary arbitration to anybody, and they probably won't. The only players who are actually offered arbitration by the club are Article XX Type "A" or Type "B" MLB free-agents (on 12/1).

The Cubs did tender contracts to Ronny Cedeno, Kevin Gregg, and Michael Wuertz (as well as to the 20+ auto-renewal guys) on 12/12, though, and if Cedeno, Gregg, and/or Wuertz don't sign by Sunday (tomorrow), either the player or the club have ten days (1/5 - 1/15) to request salary arbitration, and a hearing is then scheduled by the three-person arbitration panel for some time during the first three weeks of February.

Once salary arbitration is requested, the player and the club can continue to negotiate, making offers and counter-offers. But prior to the hearing, the player and the club each must submit a final salary figure to the arbitration panel for consideration (and the player and the club can present their "supporting evidence" at this time), and then the panel chooses one or the other. No matter whether the player or the club is victorious at the hearing, the contract is for one-year (non-guaranteed) with no minor league split.

A non-guaranteed contract means if a player is released anytime up until 15 days before Opening Day, the club owes the player 30 days termination pay (1/6 of his salary). If a player with a non-guaranteed contract is released during the last 15 days of Spring Training, the player is owed 45 days termination pay (1/4 of his salary). If a player signed to a non-giaranteed contract is released anytime during the regular season (starting on Opening Day), the player gets 100% of his salary as termination pay. (Players signed to minor league contracts get two weeks termination pay no matter when they are released).

After arbitration has been requested, the player or the player & club (mutually) have the right to withdraw anytime up until the arbitration hearing, even if it's 30 seconds before the hearing. If a contract is awarded by the arbitration panel, the player receives a standard non-guaranteed Major League contract (no minor league split and no performance bonuses), and if he is released anytime during Spring Training, he gets only 30 days or 45 days termination pay. However, salary arbitration is a very sensitive issue with the MLBPA, and so if a player who gets a contract via the arbitration process gets released during Spring Training, where the player has not been clearly out-performed on the field by other players competing for his roster spot (as measured by Spring Traoining game stats), the player can (and will) file a grievance if he gets released prior to Opening Day, requesting his full season salary as termination pay.

For instance, Todd Walker (a Type "A" FA who accepted the Padres offer of salary arbitration on 12/1/06) won $3.9M+ in arbitration in February 2007, but was released by the Padres just prior to Opening Day 2007 and got 45 days termination pay ($900K+). Walker filed a grievance, but (fortunately for the Padres) he lost because he actually was outperformed (statistically) in Spring Training games by Marcus Giles and Geoff Blum, so there was no room on the 25-man roster for him.

But it's that possibility--that a player a club really doesn't want gets a contract through the arbitration process and then has a great Spring Training--that motivates clubs to not offer arbitration to Type "A" and/or Type "B free-agents on 12/1 and to non-tender arbitration-eligible guys on 12/12.

As for Ronny Cedeno, even though he isn't likely to get more than $1M in arbtration (probably more like $800K), I would bet he will get traded prior to Opening Day, probably sooner rather than later.

Aaron Miles at SS:107 games, .958 fielding pct, 18 errors, 3.88 RFg 3.88, lgRFg 3.99. Theriot last season: .975 pct, 14 errors, RFg 3.68, LgRFg:3.95 Theriot has less range, which is easy to believe, but is more sure to make the play. Coat Aaron Miles any way you want. He was non-tendered by the Cardinals, even after hitting a career high .317. Couldn't they have just had Fontenot starting against RHP and some LHP, and then used Cedeno or some minor leaguer to fill in for 30 games or so rather than dropping a couple mill a year on a player with one strength, hitting for average? Milton Bradley for $8 million sure...his new era of amazing hitting would be good to have for 90 games or so. The 3 year-$10 million per being floated around would be a waste of money.

[ ]

In reply to by Dusty Baylor

fwiw...aaron miles 2005 isnt 2008...nor 2006, nor 2007... no spreadsheet on the planet that i know of will show you his improved footwork he displayed last year. he doesn't have a leaky glove...he has issues being able to do everything afterward. he's got a decent arm, though not wonderful. long story short...he became a better fielder last year and you're gonna need to watch it to see it.

[ ]

In reply to by Seamhead

Yep. I heard the first 10 minutes - all I need for a good summary. Marquis deal should be finalized this w.e. or Monday. Discussed DeRo being traded at length - Cubs really want to stay at the $140MM payroll mark, DeRo really was the most valuable commodity and brought the most in the way of decent prospects. Really a business move. Payroll is now freed up to acquire Bradley which is probably happening for $8-$9MM/3. The "Roberts for G.Floyd deal" is a "load of crap" - he has heard from his sources on this. Finally, BRUUUCE, believes that Hendry indeed will make another run at Peavy with the new inventory and other pieces. I have just saved you three hours out of your life that you never could have gotten back. :)

He was non-tendered by the Cardinals, even after hitting a career high .317. Not to make Miles out to be more than he is, but decent players get non-tendered every winter because of financial concerns. If the Cardinals had offered him arbitration, Miles could have wound up making even more than the Cubs are going to pay him, and that might have been too steep for their budget.

E-man's summary is excellent because it's concise, but I listened to a recording of the Levine show and had this detail to add...The Cubs section was the first 20 minutes followed by an interview with Oneri Fleita. the Bruce Levine talking baseball show also had Chet Coppock. The good news is Chet only asked one question. The bad news is it was 3 hours long on a 2 hour show. also some additional detail: --BL discussing the DeRosa trade: Premise: Cubs locked into $140M payroll (for 40 man roster) at $140M before DeRosa, Marquis trades...saves $11M. (Marquis trade will be announced Monday or Tuesday) $2.5M for Miles $8-9M for Bradley (my take: implying year 1), not so sure it implied $8-9 per yr x 3 yrs DLee has no trade, can't trade ARam, Fuku, Soriano...locked into your Pitchers. ...this left DeRosa as the tradable player, age 34 on last year of his contract. The only way to get more left handed was to move DeRosa. Not the most ideal situation, as at times he was the most valuable and flexible player on the team. This deal gets the team (organization?) younger, more left handed and gets players to help go after Jake Peavy one more time in January (also inplying the salary unloading factor plus young pitching aquisition). --Chet Coppock over-unders Bradley and Fukudome at bats. BL expects 400-500 AB's for Fukudome in a platoon with Reed Johnson, late in games expect Gathright will be late inning defensive replacement with Fukudome moving to RF. Fukudome won't be coming out of games that much because of his defensive skills. --Hendry giving LouPa a roster with the possibility of 4 starting Lefty bats in a game. (implying Miles, Fonty, Bradley, Fukudome) --Hendry is going after a #1 pitcher and that's why Jake Peavy is back on the radar. Caller Question: Aaron Miles, What kind of defensive player is he? Can he fill in SS and can he hit from both sides of the plate?. --Miles is not an everyday SS but he's sure handed, decent arm, not a great arm, not alot of range, can't go in the hole at SS, not an everyday SS but good for 15-20 games at SS. Similar to Theriot defensively. He can hit lefty, a .300 hitter who has come a long way. The lefty element will of that switch hitting will be a key. The Cubs didn't have a lefty infielder last year (BL temporarily forgets about Fontenot? but he talks about him shortly). --Not sure that Cedeno, Pie will be on the team, both are out of options. Both will be involved in trade talks in the next 2-3 weeks. Not surprising if they both get moved. --The development of Pie is a disappointment in the Cubs organization. The hitting part has not worked out at the major league level. (they get to interview Oneri Fleta shortly asking him about Pie as well). Discussed a comparison with regard to Corey Patterson, as a touted prospect from the farm system, as busts although CPat got more major league time until it was clear he was a failure. Caller Question: How does DeRosa's departure affect Fontenot? --I see more at bats for Fontenot now that DeRosa isn't here. He showed the capacity to hit well and in the clutch last year. Fontenot will platoon with Miles and backup Theriot at SS at times. Miles will also play at SS so both Fonty/Miles gives LouPa lefty flexibility at SS as well as 2B.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

I strongly suggest that they don't start The Fontenaught at short in games where Zambrano is pitching.

Recent comments

  • 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?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).