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

An Argument in Support of Signing Jim Edmonds: It's Driving Cardinals Fans Crazy

From Bernie Miklasz, writing in Thursday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

The idea of the greatest center fielder in Cardinals history stumbling in wobbly pursuit of balls hit over his head is depressing. The reality that Jimmy will be teammates with Carlos Zambrano — who plunked him twice in a raucous game at Wrigley back in 2004 — makes no sense...

"He feels like he has something left to give this game," Cardinals outfielder Skip Schumaker said. "I'm happy for him. I still think he can play. I don't think he was ready to hang it up yet."

And then Schumaker said something that stings:

"I think he could have picked a few different teams he could have played for." That's right, Jimmy Baseball wanted to be a Cub. He didn't have to be a Cub — he volunteered...

I asked my pal Will Leitch, the editor of deadspin.com and a passionate but reasonable lifelong Cardinals fan. "I don't think Jim understands what this means," Leitch said. "By signing with the Cubs he may be thinking he's getting back at Cardinals management. But the fans who loved him — we're the ones who will feel this. The fan base is forever."

So let's move ahead to July 4 (when the Cubs will open a three-game series in St. Louis) ...

"Can we really give Edmonds a standing ovation when he's wearing a Cubs uniform? Can we really do that? I'm not sure we can," Leitch said. "Any other uniform, sure. It's easy. But THAT uniform? "And if we do give him a standing ovation, he'd better strike out and sit down."

Comments

Welcome to the Cubs! Once you arrive at the game tomorrow, please proceed directly to the corner of Clark and Addison, take down your pants, and let all the Cubs fans punch you in the nuts. Best of luck, TCR

what about the fun part... where you think he'll actually bat? soriano/theriot/dlee/aram/fuku/soto/edmonds/derosa is my guess. and btw, i still like the idea of giving the guy a contract...can he possibly do worse than pie? i dont think pie's junk but he's a bit overmatched and he's not going to get his chance to play out of it. he don't even get the split starts a good chunk of the time. btw...is ronnie cedeno dead?

it seems what's wrong with rich hill is really obvious and easy to fix. the bad news is it's lou and hill's fault, but mostly it's all in hill's mind. "Most of the blame falls on Hill's shoulders, but Lou Piniella's tough-love strategy is also partly responsible for his demise. Twice Hill pitched on eight days rest, something that would disrupt any pitcher's rhythm and routine. And even when he did take the mound, the quick hook always loomed. Clearly, Lou's unsweetened approach bruised the 29-year-old's fragile ego." ... "Outwardly, Hill has appeared frustrated, exhausted and dejected, but he refuses to accept the problem is mental. Instead, he says his troubles are the result of a flawed delivery." WHAT A LAZY BUM. "ALL" HE HAS TO IS ACCEPT THE ISSUE IS MENTAL. TAKE A PILL, SEE A SHRINK ABOUT THE FRAGILE EGO, AND *BAM* 3.00ERA BALL, BABY!!!! CONTROL ISSUES??? WHATEVER, PSYCHOS...THIS IS RICH "WELL ADJUSTED" HILL COMING AT YOU!!! and clearly lou just derailed the kid's career giving him 3 extra days off a couple times. yeah, me and a few others thought it was weird, but wow...we didn't know it was detrimental to hill's career and the 08 cubs on whole. thanks for ruining rich hill lou and...uh...rich hill! jerks. http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/mlb/news?slug=be-noise_050808

'FWIW' - A local [Des Moines] radio station talked @ some length yesterday w/ WGN's Dave Kaplan. Besides hammering on the Edmonds is anxious to jam a bat up the Redbirds' tail feathers angle, he declared that Pie is typically the last to arrive @ the ballpark & has acquired a rep as a lover of the Chicago nightlife, to the detriment of both his game & his standing in the Cubs' clubhouse; said he has a bad case of what the vets call, 'big league-itis'...

Interesting news Wellman......wait I thought Soriano was the egotistic, selfish, lolly gagging latin? Who would of thought it was Felix Pie! I guess it was easy to confuse the two....

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

Well, Soriano and Pie are buddies! They probably party together.

[ ]

In reply to by johann

Haha funny you should say that, I actually saw Pie and Soriano together at a club called Funk (rush and division) last summer. They had the next day off, but it was still in the heart of the race. They were with four women in a roped off area. But I did take a leek right next to Pie. I was excited to see them until I realized that they were out drinking in the middle of the season.

[ ]

In reply to by Thisistheyear

But I did take a leek right next to Pie. I was excited to see them until I realized that they were out drinking in the middle of the season.

Mickey Mantle disapproves

[ ]

In reply to by Thisistheyear

What did Pie do when you gave him the leek?

[ ]

In reply to by Thisistheyear

"But I did take a leek right next to Pie." What are they doing serving leeks at a Rush Street bar?

With Lou and Hendry talking about getting a power lefty to bat 5th, does anybody else think that if Edmonds even hits a little we'll eventually see Fukudome batting 2nd or 3rd and Edmonds batting 5th or 6th? I wouldn't really mind Fukudome batting leadoff, but we all know Soriano isn't leaving that spot (and has been killing the ball lately), and I seriously doubt that Edmonds can hit well enough to bat higher than 6th this year. He'd make sense as our 8th place hitter right now. Pie and Cedeno were both young when they got their first real taste of Chicago. Maybe the Cubs should employ chaperons for their rookies under the age of 25.

Sure, Edmonds is a tool and his slow-down-then-dive technique of flyball catching is contrived, but the moment he puts on the Cubs uniform, guess what, he's a Cub! This notion of hating players because he once played for a rival is goofy. The only thing that matters is if he helps the team win. I could give a rat's ass if he "gets along" with Zambrano, just like I could care less if Zambrano wins 3 Cy Youngs and 2 World Series Championships with the Cubs and then ends his career with the Cardinals. The 25 guys who suit up for the Cubs on a daily basis are all I care about. Billy Williams played for the A's. Santo finished up with the Sox. Fergie bopped around. Sutcliffe and Sutter pitched for the Cardinals. Don't care. Never felt pains of regret at seeing these guys on other teams because my focus was on the 25 guys in Cub pinstripes. Most of us here have played sports and probably experienced playing against a former teammate or best friend (or even a family member), or playing with a former hated rival. You know what? As soon as that former teammate or buddy puts on that other uniform, he/she's the enemy. And as soon as that bitter, hated rival puts on your uniform, he/she's your teammate. You work together to try and beat the other guy. It's good to cheer for a player on your favorite team, but the moment that guy joins another team (MJ, Scottie, McMahon, Andre, etc.), he's kind of dead to me. The inverse, of course, is also true. I've enjoyed (somewhat fruitlessly) rooting against Edmonds, but now that he's in Cub pinstripes I'll root for him to help the team win. If he blows homeless goats, then I'll hope he gets dumped and root for his replacement. Besides, am I the only one who sees the poetic symmetry here? Can't you just imagine the image? A hated player from our most bitter rival pouring champagne over Big Z's head in a locker room in 5 months?? Wouldn't that make cosmic sense somehow??

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.