Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

37 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (three slots are open)

Last updated 11-17-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 20
Adbert Alzolay 
Michael Arias
Javier Assad
Ben Brown
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
Porter Hodge
* Bailey Horn
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Daniel Palencia
Michael Rucker
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 8
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Luis Vazquez
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 7
Kevin Alcantara
Alexander Canario
* Pete Crow-Armstrong
Brennen Davis
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

 


Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

2016 Hall of Fame Results

Submitted by WISCGRAD on

Ken Griffey Jr. was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, receiving 99.32% of the vote. He becomes the 51st player elected in their first year. His percentage of votes is the highest all-time. Mike Piazza was also elected in his fourth year on the ballot. 

With three players (Maddux, Glavine, Thomas) elected in 2014 and four players (Johnson, Martinez, Smoltz, and Biggio) elected in 2015, this now makes a total of nine players elected in a three-year span. This is only the third time that has happened in history, following 1954-56 and 1936-38.

Jeff Bagwell (71.6%), Tim Raines (69.8%), and Trevor Hoffman (67.3%) were very close to election, boding well for next year.

The 2017 ballot will include all of the hold hovers from this year’s ballot who gained at least 5% of the vote (Mark McGwire and Alan Trammell have reached the limit of years and will drop off). The key newcomer is Ivan Rodriguez, considered to be one of the greatest offensive and defensive catchers of all-time he has a chance to be a first-balloter. Vladimir Guerrero will garner some significant support. The only other addition of note is Manny Ramirez, but so tainted by PEDs, he will likely get the Palmeiro or Sheffield treatment.

Looking further ahead, two clear first-balloters—Chipper Jones and Jim Thome—come on the ballot in 2018, along with Scott Rolen, Omar Vizquel, and Andruw Jones. In 2019, Mariano Rivera will debut and almost certainly be elected, and then two more interesting cases—Roy Halladay, a dominant starter along the lines of Schilling and Mussina without a lot of wins, and Todd Helton, phenomenal offensive numbers but gained at Coors. Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman, and Miguel Tejada also debut, but won’t gain much support. In 2020, Derek Jeter debuts and will get elected, but is the only real legitimate candidate (the best of the rest include Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi).    

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Hall of Fame

Comments

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Wed, 01/06/2016 - 01:22 pm

My predictions were pretty good, especially since it was difficult this year given that 100 voters were dropped from the voting. I predicted Griffey and Piazza and that's who went in, and I had Raines, Clemens, Bonds, Smith, Kent, McGwire, and the rest of the down ballot players all within a percentage or two. But there was a general rise in support across the entire ballot--due to a combination of those voters dropping and the continued effect of the new 10-year limit--that I underestimated. Bagwell jumped about 11% more than I predcited. I knew that Schilling, Mussina Edgar Martinez, and McGriff were all going to go up, but under predicted by about 7% on all of them. Hoffman also got way more on his debut than I thought he would, and Billy Wagner somehow pulled off 10% (I figured he'd just barely survive). Finally, Alan Trammel soared all the way to 40.9% of the vote on his last year, with perhaps voters hoping to make a statment for him as he is turned over to various veterans committees in the future. 

Submitted by crunch on Wed, 01/06/2016 - 01:26 pm

finally...the trammel pleas go to the vet's committee rather than the voters. the roid era rules seem to be fully cemented at this point. known roiders are getting the shaft and suspected roiders are being treated as "you'll get in, but it's not going to be for a while."

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Submitted by George Altman on Thu, 01/07/2016 - 01:09 am

I don't think they ever will get in. I still see more than 25% of BBWAA who will continue to block the Roiders for various reasons. Then when their 10 years are up, the Veterans Committee (e.g. living HOF members) will never elect one of them. I'm not saying it's right, just don't see any of them getting in.

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Wed, 01/06/2016 - 01:30 pm

Next year might be another huge class. Given their percentages this year, I would expect Bagwell, Raines, and Hoffman to all get in, along with newcomer Ivan Rodriguez, for another class of four.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Thu, 01/07/2016 - 01:23 pm

Yes, Pudge has some suspicions, but never failed a test, and I think given Bagwell's jump this year and Piazza getting in that voters are starting to treat them differently, especially with the 100 older voters culled from the voting roll this year. It wouldn't shock me if Pudge gets 75-80% and gets in the first year, but it also wouldn't shock me if he gets 60-74 and falls short, and it takes him another year or two. I think Guerrero has very little chance next year. He has a hell of a batting average and a nice home run total, but his overall value according to advance metrics was not that great. He'll do better than Larry Walker, but probably will fall in the 40%ish range with Edgar Martinez. 

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Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 01/07/2016 - 01:55 pm

I think Vlad is closer to Dawson than Walker, big reason Walker is so low is because no one knows what to do with Coors numbers. Vlad only suffers from not reaching milestone marks and the few that will look at defensive WAR. Of course that'll probably be enough to keep him off the first ballot at least.

Catchers notoriously have a slow go getting into Cooperstown. The accusation(s) against Pudge are a little more concrete than Piazza having back acne. I don't think he'll end up on the Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Palmeiro, Manny discard pile but I'll be surprised if he gets in on the first go...just my reading of the tea leaves...not the way I'd personally vote Or handle the situation.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Thu, 01/07/2016 - 01:18 am

Yeah, early first round draft picks were mostly busts or just solid major leaguers (e.g. Monday, Baines, Moore, Horner). Strawberry had a chance to make the Hall but threw it away. So Griffey was really the first #1 pick super star. Chipper Jones will join him in a couple of years. And who knows about A-Rod eventually. Mauer has an outside shot eventually.

Submitted by jacos on Thu, 01/07/2016 - 01:52 pm

Saw "Force Awaken" again the the other day. Let me know if you want a mildly spoilerish Cub parallel.

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Submitted by johann on Fri, 01/08/2016 - 01:09 am

I wasn't disappointed at all! Thought it was a great movie all around. All those young, new actors coming up will be exciting to watch over the next 4 years and I hope none of them have Boras as an agent. Also Harrison Ross maybe can't move like he used to but he can still throw out some great lines and I bet he was a great teacher in the studio to all those young players. Also Cardinals suck and I'd still be good with seeing Carrie Fisher in some silk pjs.

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Submitted by Ryno on Mon, 01/11/2016 - 01:55 am

Gender and Twitter princess photos aside, I would differ on Rey- I would say it's Rey-Schwarber. I mean in 2015 he was supposed to be called up for a week as a fill-in and ended up dropping an epic home run ball on the new videoboard. The force is strong with that one.

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 01/08/2016 - 01:36 am

3/31m and he may not be healthy opening day (hip)...though he's claiming he should be ready. not a bad price for the gamble, but they're betting on a guy who's legs make up a huge part of his D + hitting.

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Submitted by crunch on Sat, 01/09/2016 - 01:12 am

pj francescon was getting a bit of rumored love from the rule-5 market as a possible cubs loss. hope he shows up "a little bit late" in 2016 ready for competition. even though he profiles as a middle reliever at best, the team needs all the close/ready MLB pitchers with club control they can get.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 01/09/2016 - 01:58 pm

Although he has been suspended for 50 games and has been placed on the Restricted List, P. J. Francescon can pitch in Cactus League Extended Spring Training games with no restriction (just like a player on the DL rehabbing from an injury) until his suspension expires on or about May 29th (with 5/29 being Iowa's 51st scheduled game of the 2016 season).    

Submitted by Cubster on Sat, 01/09/2016 - 01:38 am

Jeff Passan/Yahoo hammers the Cardinals for the hacking crimes... This was a break in trust, and if baseball is concerned enough about fair play to suspend performance-enhancing drug users for half a season, it will hammer the Cardinals well beyond their checkbook. Money is no object for any team these days, and a fine alone wouldn't act as a deterrent. A stand-alone fine may well embolden teams to skirt the rules similarly, knowing that the penalty is tantamount to being lashed with a spaghetti strand. What speaks to any organization – what especially speaks to one like the Cardinals that have built their team through savvy drafting – is the prospect of losing picks. It's a penalty with legitimate teeth and unquestionable consequences. Take away picks. Take away draft-pool dollars. Take away international-bonus money. Hit them on the field as a consequence for their duplicity off it. Around the game, as the Schadenfreude reverberates, rivals temper their excitement. They fear the influence of Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr., among the game's most powerful men, will buy St. Louis lenience. This is no time for commissioner Rob Manfred to play favorites, not with the awful message it would send. The ugliness demands action beyond the norm, and if Manfred is at all balking at delivering it, he need remind himself of a single, simple sentence: One baseball team committed federal crimes against another.

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Submitted by crunch on Mon, 01/11/2016 - 01:57 pm

i think this is a misplaced reply to a comment a few threads down...been there. "Submitted by clyder on Mon, 01/11/2016 - 1:08pm Permalink I feel everyone is overlooking Logan Watkins return & possibly making the 2016 roster. He can play 7 positions, and all very well. Left-handed bat returning from injury. I think he is the only possible non-roster invitee that has a chance to make this ball club, especially if he is more impressive than Alcantara. However, I do like both of them very much."

Submitted by kid08 on Mon, 01/11/2016 - 01:28 pm

Hi Phil. Rule 4 (E) Negotiation Right. A MLB club that has selected a player shall be deemed to have tendered the player an executed Minor League contract. What is the difference from the old 15 days rule that was used as a loophole to become free agent ? Is there a contract tender to all selection (formal) ?

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 01/15/2016 - 01:55 am

KID-08: The loophole has been closed.

As part of the draft process, all players selected in the Rule 4 Draft are automatically tendered an entry-level minor league contract when they are selected. However, it is not necessary for a club to offer the drafted player a signing bonus.  

While a club does not have to offer a drafted player a signing bonus in order to retain negotiation rights to that player, a club must offer a drafted player a signing bonus worth at least 40% of the slot value of that pick in order to be eligible to receive a compensation draft pick if the player does not sign (for players selected in the first three rounds, including lottery & compensatiion draft picks).

Submitted by Cubster on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 01:08 pm

Carlos Villanueva signs $1.5M/1yr deal with Padres. I might miss him coming in from the StL bullpen.

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Submitted by billybucks on Fri, 01/15/2016 - 01:41 pm

My son came home beaming -- this team, at this time! -- what a fun night -- a group of really good guys who seem to really enjoy each other. A few highlights from "the Ryan Dempster Show": - Lester and Lackey came up on stage bringing a bucket of fried chicken with them, and shared it with Dempster. - The recently engaged Bryant was asked if he waited 9 days after he could have asked his girlfriend to marry him in order to get another year of control. - Jayson Heyward was smiling and shaking everybody's hand and saying how excited he was to be in Chicago. - All the players showed up for a dinner the other night. When it came time to pay the check, they all pointed at Heyward. Heyward said he hadn't gotten any of his money yet. So everybody turned and pointed at Lester.

Submitted by Hagsag on Fri, 01/15/2016 - 01:44 pm

According to Roto World, the Cubs have signed IF/OF Kristopher Negron and C Tim Federowicz to minor league contracts with an invitation to Spring Training.

Submitted by John Beasley on Fri, 01/15/2016 - 01:32 pm

Arrieta's arb filing numbers are crazy on both sides. The projections had him around $10 million; instead the Cubs go for 7.5 and Arrieta goes $13M!

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 01/16/2016 - 01:14 pm

ryno seems to realize he's not cut out to manage personalities in the bigs...returns to the cubs as an "ambassador"...maybe something more later on. he's not getting a uniform/number. seems like this is what he wants as a transition, not a pity offer. he's moving back to the chicago area, so it's not a totally empty gesture on anyone's part. at least he's back home.

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Submitted by crunch on Sat, 01/16/2016 - 01:48 pm

well, the 1st part is common consensus (but yes, assumed), especially after the dumpster fire he started and fanned the flames of in philly. the rest involves reading the various articles about the situation since the story is 2 days old. i bet he goes to sleep at night wishing he could call for a sacrifice bunt in a horrible situation to do it or have a bunch of 25-40 year olds he's managing openly disrespect him. fun times all around. he could play 2nd really well and hit, though...and some of his ex-teammates really appreciated the kindness and giving attitude of his ex-wife.

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 01/17/2016 - 01:36 am

even Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo is jumping on the Cubs bandwagon and Tampa/Cubs trade mongering...
It’s getting deep into the offseason and plenty of deals could still be made before spring training. For example, the Rays and Cubs seem to line up for a trade. Tampa Bay could deal either Jake Odorizzi or Alex Cobb if Chicago is willing to give up Javier Baez or Jorge Soler. Cubs president Theo Epstein is trying to turn Baez into a younger Ben Zobrist, while Soler has big-time slugging potential, though he isn’t the greatest right fielder. The Rays need controllable young hitters and Soler and/or Baez would fit very nicely in their lineup. The Cubs have the look of a World Series team. They added a great defender and lefthanded swinger in Jason Heyward, added a veteran presence to the lineup in Zobrist, and John Lackey will join NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester in an excellent top three. They could use another young, controllable pitcher and the Rays have what they want.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/01/16/cba-talks-should-focus-pl…

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 01/17/2016 - 01:43 am

more Cafardo...
Which teams Vegas likes in 2016 (as of Jan. 8): Cubs: 7/1. Overpaid for Jason Heyward but he’s still an upgrade in the outfield. Ben Zobrist slots in at second and boosts the lineup. Added John Lackey to an already solid rotation and obtained Adam Warren to fortify the back of the bullpen or the end of the rotation.
also: Red Sox 8/1; Giants 10/1, Astros 12/1, Mets 14/1, Nats/Rangers 15/1, Yanks/Dodgers 16/1, Jays, Cards and Pirates 18/1. Phils/Braves 350/1

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 01/17/2016 - 01:00 pm

still true, though (well, to a sizable chunk of people). unless you buy into paying a super premium for D for a guy in RF (a position that only falls behind 1st and LF for chances), he's a guy who gets on base 220-ish times a year with 40-50 xbase hits (who has hit 11 and 13 HRs during his past 2 seasons). WAR paints a picture of an all-star anchor player...other advanced stats firmly places him in a role-player position. he's getting paid $24m to do it no matter how you view him. that said, free agency isn't where you go looking for a great deal for anything beyond a 1-2 year deal because it rarely works out that way. the cubs were saving loot all over the place while being cheap for years...they can afford the luxury without harm. also, they're paying for his youth and potential upside (though that upside was supposed to show up better than it has the past few years).

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Submitted by The E-Man on Mon, 01/18/2016 - 01:20 pm

The only thing I can think of is that the Cubs feel that Soler just is going to be useless when the weather is below a certain temperature, and unable to adjust. Which means that he can be an effective player only Mid-May until Mid-October. Additionally, he has been injured more than one would like early in his career. If that is the case, I would hope that Theo/Jed would continue their wisdom and pick a pitcher with the least injury history.

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Submitted by crunch on Mon, 01/18/2016 - 01:44 pm

though i get the feeling that soler is going to be traded to open up a slot for heyward in RF, if heyward actually slots in CF that's a bit of a bump on his value if he can do an above-average job there. soler can throw and there's a lot of upside in the bat, but he's got a bit of clumsy sammy sosa-like tendencies in his ball tracking ability.

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Submitted by The E-Man on Tue, 01/19/2016 - 01:33 pm

I "get it". But don't know if I buy into it. It was my thought that this is a potential concern that they "may" have. Its has been in the public reporting during the last season. He has been injured several times as well. It just depends on what they would be receiving back. The Hendry 6-2 trade with the Rays was one of the fucking worst for the Club in recent history. This is the one thing I will never forgive him - "Mr. Scout" - for not giving them McNutt instead of Archer when the Rays were excepting either. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 01/17/2016 - 01:38 pm

http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/162156078/cubs-carl-edwards-on-witne… "Jaron Madison, director of player development, projected shortstop Gleyber Torres, the Cubs' top prospect on MLB.com's list of top 30, will open the 2016 season at Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, while outfielder Eloy Jimenez, ranked 14th, will begin the year at Class A South Bend." neat. "This week, Cubs infield coordinator Jose Flores will go to Florida to work with Ian Happ, the Cubs' 2015 first-round Draft pick, who is making the switch from the outfield to the infield." it doesn't hurt to try, though i don't think many are holding out much hope given past scouting projections of him at 2nd. hard to argue against doing stuff like this, especially given how sweet it would be if he could stick at 2nd.

Submitted by kid08 on Mon, 01/18/2016 - 01:48 am

Phil, MLB players are being paid on a semi-monthly basis. When is the payment due within the month and how many paychecks players are getting during a championship season since seasons could start in late march some years and end in early october in other years ? Was there a time when players where getting only a monthly paycheck ? I think so but I'm not sure. I guess both MLB and Minor league payment come on a single paycheck if there's a split contract situation.

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 01/18/2016 - 01:56 pm

tigers sign j.upton, 6yrs...supposedly with an opt-out after the 2nd year...supposedly in the 22m/yr range.

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Submitted by crunch on Wed, 01/20/2016 - 01:25 pm

for real. there's so many people bitching about stuff rather than doing something about it. it's getting ready to snow in north carolina, so i went to hawaii for a couple of weeks because i don't like snow. this is really simple stuff...it's not rocket surgery. no wonder some people never get ahead. they're always too busy complaining rather than getting off their asses and doing something about it. trump 2016.

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Submitted by John Beasley on Wed, 01/20/2016 - 01:39 pm

It is going to happen. Not now. MLB is doing a great job of setting itself up for long-term self-distribution by building an industry-wide streaming service; simultaneously, it has maximized short-term revenues by exploiting a behemoth-but-weakening industry for top dollars at the expense of a percentage of the business it can generate for itself. I read 20 years is the estimated timeline. FWIW.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    morel played somewhere besides 3rd and SS...he got 8 innings in CF, 2 putouts and an assist.

  • crunch (view)

    ryan flaherty new cubs bench coach.

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger wins comeback player of the year.  the AL winner was liam hendricks and his 5ip before he got tommy john...setting himself up for a 2025 shot at the award.

  • Bill (view)

    I hope that Perlaza goes on to have a successful career.  On most Cubs teams prior to the current administration, he would have been one of their more highly ranked prospects.  As far as the others are concerned, one or more may well go on to be much better than expected, but unfortunately there is no way to tell which one at the present time.  You can't keep everyone.

  • crunch (view)

    s.gray signs with the cards...3/75m

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Another one of the nine Cubs post-2023 Rule 9 minor league 6YFA has signed, as RHP Carlos Guzman (acquired from the Tigers for Zack McKinstry at the end of Spring Training) signed a 2024 minor league contract with the Mets. 

     

    So RHRP Yovanny Cruz (SD), C-INF P. J. Higgins (CIN), and now Carlos Guzman (NYM) have already signed 2024 minor league contracts with new MLB organizations, and OF Yonathan Perlaza is headed for Korea (Hanhwa Eagles).

  • crunch (view)

    ...and back to 3rd for another game.  at this point i'm gonna hang back and when/if he actually plays 1st then i'll find it notable.  i am glad he's playing a good amount of 3rd, though...give the club one more good look at him there.  shrug

  • crunch (view)

    morel played SS last night (no errors)...hit a homer and a double.  he's got 2 of both in 19PA.

  • crunch (view)

    e.escobar was throwing 95-97mph on his fastball in 2023.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    One more thing about Edwin Escobar. Even though he had accrued less than one year of MLB Service Time prior to signing with Nippon Ham in 2017 (he ended up eventually with Yokohama), he will have Article XIX-A rights by virtue of the seven seasons he spent in Japan. So he will be essentially locked on the 40-man roster (or at least he can't be outrighted without his consent), and he will be a FA whenever his contract expires. 

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