Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
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

Cubs Complete Outfield By Signing Dexter Fowler and Shane Victorino

Submitted by WISCGRAD on

In less than 24 hours, the Cubs have significantly altered their outfield situation for 2016. Yesterday, Dexter Fowler was re-signed to a one-year $8 million contract with a $5 million buyout or $9 million mutal option for 2017, and joined the team in a surprise, heart-warming moment. Fowler will start in CF and lead-off most days, with Jason Heyward now slotted for starting everyday in RF, with the ability to move to CF to give Fowler a dayoff or as part of  late inning double switches. This significantly increases Heyward's value, since he is a strong right-fielder with little experience playing center. Jorge Soler will now back-up both RF and LF, perhaps forming part of a platoon with Kyle Schwarber in LF, playing against lefties. Soler has hit lefties and righties about equally well so far in his career (though with limited PAs to draw conclusions from). Though again in limited PAs, Schwarber has struggled aginst lefties, posting an OPS nearly 500 points lower than against righties. Similarly, Heyward has posted an OPS nearly 200 points lower against lefties than righties over his career.

To make room for Fowler on the roster, the versatile Chris Coghlan was traded to the Oakland Athletics for AAA starting pitcher Aaron Brooks, who has not produced much at the big league level, but is stretched out as starter, has minor league options left, keeps his walks down, and is cheap. This will be his age 26 season, so he still has some time to click, and presumably the Cubs at least saw some potential in him.

Today, the Cubs made their latest move by signing Shane Victorino to a minor league contract worth $1 million with an additional $1 million possible in incentives. Victorino struggled badly the last two years while battling a number of injuries, including some back issues. He had just 133 PAs with the Red Sox in 2014 and 204 PAs split between the Red Sox and Angels in 2015, and posted and OPS of just .635 combined over that time. He also abandoned switch hitting over those two seasons, hitting only right-handed because hitting left-handed aggrevated his injuries. This will also be his age 35 season, so it is not clear how much he has left in the tank. He claims he is healthy--but all free agents typically do that during the off-season--and there were rumors that he was back to switch-hitting, though we'll see if that materializes in spring training. If he is indeed healthy, then of course the upside potential is high. In 2013, before injuries set in, he put up an 801 OPS, was 21 for 24 in stolen bases, won a gold glove playing mostly RF, and had a WAR of 6.1. That was a career year though, and a repeat shouldn't be expected. Still, if healthy, he could bat .260 with some occasional pop, steal some bases at a high percentage, and back-up all three outfield spots with a strong arm. In addition, he has over 250 post-season at bats across 6 seasons, and has two World Series rings. And all of that is not bad for $1 million. If he really struggles or gets injuried again, he'll be cut in camp. But if he survives and plays at all decently he will almost certainly make the opening day roster, relegating Matt Szczur to AAA. With both Javy Baez and Ben Zobrist able to play OF if needed, the team now has sufficient abilty to cover those three positions and do a lot of defensive switching and playing matchups, which Joe Maddon likes to do.

With those two signings, that makes the opening day position player part of the roster essentially set, barring injury: Miguel Montero, David Ross, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Tommy La Stella, Addison Russell, Javy Baez, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, Shane Victorino, Dexter Fowler, and Jason Heyward. That would then leave 12 slots for pitchers. Assuming a rotation of Jake Arietta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jason Hammel, and Kyle Hendricks, that leaves a stiff competition for the final 7 bullpen spots between at least these 9 players, with injuries likely making the decision for the team to start the season:

Hector Rondon (R)
Pedro Strop (R)
Justin Grimm (R)
Neil Ramirez (R)
Rex Brothers (L)
Trevor Cahill (R)
Adam Warren (R)
Travis Wood (L)
Clayton Richard (L)

Tags
Dexter Fowler
Shane Victorino

Comments

Submitted by johann on Fri, 02/26/2016 - 02:20 pm

I was checking out pitch per plate appearance stats from last year to look at Fowler's ranking (he was 10th in the NL) and I didn't realize Addison Russell was 7th in the NL. I think he is someone not to forget in this lineup considering he was so young last year. We know he has stellar defense and I think of anyone he's the most poised to take a big step forward with his bat.

Submitted by The E-Man on Fri, 02/26/2016 - 02:36 pm

Big Victorino fan (pre-injury. of course). As WISC says, not a bad thing IF he is healthy and performs respectably for 200 ABs or less, and his nice late-inning glove potential. $1MM this year is the equivilent of 5 innings of one Cardinals summer game if you include advertising, concessions, gate receipts, rooftops, and legacy billboards now. It ain't shit. IIRC his Playoff OPS is respectable @750+. putting him smack dab between average and above-average according to fangraphs regular season (probably a little better than that for playoffs performance).

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 02/27/2016 - 02:01 pm

HAGSAG: Manny Ramirez works with the Cubs minor leaguers, usually on a special assignment with certain players with whom he has developed a positive relationship (like Javy Baez and Jorge Soler in 2014).

ManRam's most-recent student was Eloy Jimenez, and I wouldn't be surprised if he works with Eddy Julio Martinez in 2016, although I can't confirm that will happen. 

Submitted by Hook on Fri, 02/26/2016 - 02:34 pm

Another one for you Az Phil. Late last season Montero said he would tutor Schwarber on the finer points of catching in Arizona during the off-season. Did that ever take place? Thanks in advance.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 02/27/2016 - 02:11 pm

HOOK: Other than both being members of the 2016 Cubs Catching Corps, I am not aware of any special mentor-student relationship between Miguel Montero and Kyle Schwarber. 

I do know that Cubs Minor League Field Coordinator & Catching Coordinator Tim Cossnns (he is such a good catching instructor that he does both jobs) has worked extensively with Schwarber, both during the off-season and at Iowa before Schwarber got called up to Chicago last season. 

And the Cubs do indeed very much continue to project Schwarber as an MLB catcher, although his development was interrupted last season after he got called up to Chicago and was inserted into the lineup as the every-day LF. 

BTW, Schwarber really loves being a catcher. I doubt that he would want to give it up  But as long as David Ross and Miguel Montero are still around, I can't see Schwarber getting a lot of game reps behind the plate. Maybe he'll get a start once every couple of weeks, or he'll go behind the plate late in a game as the result of lineup double-switches or something like that. 

However, once Ross retires (post-2016) and Montero's contract expires (post-2017), I would expect Schwarber to get more work as a catcher (albeit not necessarily as the #1 guy), although I think he will very likely play other positions as well (probably LF-1B-DH) to keep his bat in the lineup when he is not behnd the plate

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:45 am

the problem is contreras (while he does have a good arm and is a good receiver) isn't much for holding runners...which is one of the major roles d.ross serves for j.lester since expecting lester to do so is like asking bill gates to clean his own gutters. *scoff* that could get interesting...or frightening...or the team carries 3 catchers with contreras playing spot 3rd/1st/corner-OF, too...or maybe contreras's D gets even better and it's not an issue. either way, montero's got 2 more seasons (pending trade) and hopefully contreras can fill his role as the regular duty catcher. hope his bat translates to AAA/MLB going forward...

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 02/26/2016 - 02:54 pm

yanks are having s.castro play 3rd in addition to 2nd (expected to start there) and SS this spring...because whatever who cares. we've seen him throw...that should be interesting.

Submitted by The E-Man on Sat, 02/27/2016 - 02:42 am

MIKE OLT: Would not be the 35th man on this team. Even in September. FREE MIKE OLT!

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:29 am

spring training games start tuesday on MLB Network (no cubs MLB telecast on tuesday). http://m.mlb.com/network/shows/?id=mlbn_spring_training Fri, Mar 4 - 4:00 PM - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Chicago Cubs* Sun, Mar 6 - 4:00 PM - Chicago Cubs* @ Arizona Diamondbacks Fri, Mar 11 - 12:00 AM - Chicago Cubs* @ Seattle Mariners Sun, Mar 13 - 3:00 AM - Chicago White Sox @ Chicago Cubs (split squad) Tue, Mar 15 - 10:00 PM - Chicago Cubs* @ San Diego Padres Thu, Mar 17 - 9:00 AM - Chicago Cubs @ Kansas City Royals* Fri, Mar 18 - 4:00 PM - LIVE: Chicago Cubs @ Chicago White Sox Mon, Mar 21 - 9:00 AM - Kansas City Royals* @ Chicago Cubs Sat, Mar 26 - 6:00 AM - Milwaukee Brewers* @ Chicago Cubs Sat, Mar 26 - 4:00 PM - LIVE: San Francisco Giants* @ Chicago Cubs Sun, Mar 27 - 11:00 PM - Seattle Mariners* @ Chicago Cubs Tue, Mar 29 - 4:00 PM - LIVE: Oakland Athletics* @ Chicago Cubs Thu, Mar 31 - 10:00 PM - LIVE: Chicago Cubs @ New York Mets* Sat, Apr 2 - 10:00 AM - Chicago Cubs @ New York Mets* Sun, Apr 3 - 3:00 PM - LIVE: Chicago Cubs* @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim An asterisk (*) indicates the game is available on MLB Network in that club's home market Times are EST - Games listed are just those on MLB Network, there will be other broadcasts on other channels also, for those of us with mlb.tv (online streaming) none of this matters unless you're in a commie nazi blackout area because streaming access for nearly all televised spring training games is full-on go.

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Submitted by The E-Man on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:11 am

JACOS: Funny you mentioned that. Was at our go-to restaurant/bar last night, game was on with no volume. He put on an amazing show. It looks so effortless - and "elegant" if I can say that here. His behind the back 25-footer nothing but net, was high-octane. What we had hoped for with DRose will never be, and the Bulls will be rebuilding again always left with sloppy FA seconds. BTW - for something fun, Google Steph Curry plays Del in Horse. Pretty funny.

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Submitted by billybucks on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:13 pm

It is rare that I say things out loud when watching sports by myself. I watched the 4th quarter and OT of last night's game, and Curry had me going off. Simply amazing. It's a good thing he wasn't on my high school team -- coach would have sat him down for taking those shots.

Submitted by CTSteve on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:38 am

Desmond signs with TEX. That means billybucks has to share his trophy with Robert Marciano--unless Fowler decides to sign with the Padres.

Submitted by The E-Man on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:09 am

CT STEVE: Anyway you can turn CRNCH's list into a link on one of the Tabs on the top Nav bar? And maybe include a "media feed" schedule for the upcoming season? Or, does every game broadcast info have to be manually entered (too much work)? Thanks!

Submitted by CTSteve on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:25 pm

We could use another menu item for important items that we generate--or at least links to things that we make heavy use of. I'll see what I can do without blowing the place up.

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:41 pm

Well the concerns about keeping Christian Villaneuva on the roster have been solved. He fractured his fibula (ankle) today. Injury is usually 8 weeks (more with an expected max rehab assignment) so this might be the 2nd player to hit the 60 day DL (Zach Rosscup already on it). I don't think they used the 60 day DL last year (although they had a few candidates such as Jacob Turner). Per Rotoworld
Villanueva suffered the injury on Sunday when he landed awkwardly after jumping for high chopper. He's expected to be sidelined for multiple months.
per Jesse Rogers tweet...
Broken right fibula for prospect Christian Villanueva. Happened during infield drills. Out for months not weeks obviously

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:02 pm

http://www.thecubreporter.com/book/export/html/3506 Arizona Phil's treatise on all things professional baseball. If you search, for "disabled list" he outlines all guidelines applicable to use of the DL. (The above link is also known as AZ Phil Rules!) here are a couple of snippets on rules wrt the 60 day DL. Apparently, players on the 60 day DL can be traded, so C. Villaneuva going to that limbo gives Theo/Jed a significantly longer timeline to include him in a trade package rather than just losing him at the end of spring training if he didn't make the 25 man roster. Also, C. Villaneuva will now accrue MLB service time if he is put on the 60 day DL.
A player placed on the Emergency Disabled List (60-day DL) does not count against his club's Active List or Reserve List. A player can be placed on the MLB Emergency Disabled List (60-day DL) during Spring Training or anytime during the MLB regular season (a minor league player can be placed on a minor league club's 60-day DL only during the regular season), and a player can be transferred from the MLB 15-day DL to the MLB 60-day DL (or minor league 7-day DL to minor league 60-day DL). However, a player cannot be moved back to the MLB 15-day DL (and a minor league player cannot be moved back to the 7-day DL) once he is placed on the 60-day DL, and a player cannot be placed on the 60-day DL or transferred to the 60-day DL from the MLB 15-day DL (or minor league 7-day DL) unless his club's Reserve List is full.
In most cases a player on a disabled list can be traded, even if the player is not eligible to be reinstated and/or healthy enough to play. The one exception is if Trade Assignment Waivers must be secured before the player can be traded. In that case (only), the player must be eligible to be reinstated from the Disabled List AND healthy enough to play before the player can be placed on waivers. Otherwise the disabled player would have to remain a "Player to Be Named Later" until the conclusion of the MLB regular season.
If a player on a disabled list is traded, the player can be transferred directly from his former club's 7-day, 15-day, or 60-day DL to the corresponding DL of his new club. Time spent on a 7-day, 15-day, or 60-day DL prior to the trade counts toward the minimum number of days required before the player is eligible to be reinstated.
I also noted something about C. Villaneuva having some contract restrictions, so AZ Phil might need to clarify some of the subtitles here. MLB RULE 55-ELIGIBLE (can be a free agent after 6 years in the minors) PLAYER - CAN BE OUTRIGHTED ONLY IF CONTRACT RESTRICTIONS MET (last updated 11-2-2015): Christian Villanueva, INF

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:06 pm

CUBSTER: Although injured players on an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) normally can be sent outright to the minors only during the period of time extending from the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season up until reserve lists are filed on November 20th, there is an exception, and Villanueva fits that exception: 

Any player who has not yet accrued three years of MLB Service Time, and who has not been outrighted to the minors previously in his career, did not accrue any MLB Service Time the previous season, and was not selected in the previous Rule 5 Draft, can be sent outright to the minors EVEN IF HE IS INJURED up until the 15th day prior to MLB Opening Day. 

However, it's unlikely that the Cubs would attempt to outright Villanueva to the minors at this time (even though they can) , since #1) he would probably get claimed off waivers, and #2) the Cubs can just place him on the 60-day DL if his slot on the Cubs MLB 40-m,an roster is needed. 

The following also applies to Villanueva (and it also applies to Alcantara, Rosscup, Ramirez, and Szczur, too, and it applied to Olmos when he was outrighted): 

A player on an MLB 40-man roster who would have been eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent (a so-called minor league "six-year free-agent") if he had been on a minor league roster at 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day following the last game of the World Series cannot be sent outright to the minors beginning at 5 PM (Eastern) on the 5th day following the last game of the World Series unless & until the player has either signed a major league contract for the following season, or had his previous season's contract unilaterally renewed (which cannot happen until March 1st), or agrees in advance to sign a minor league contract (if the outright assignment is contemplated prior to major league contracts being tendered on December 2nd). 

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:30 pm

Something else to keep in mind (in general) about DL assignments made during Spring Training is that only the last nine days of Spring Training can be applied to the number of days a player must spend on a DL before he is eligible to be reinstated. So the only reason to place a player on the 60-day DL earlier than nine days prior to MLB Opening Day is if the player's 40-man roster slot is needed during Spring Training (which was the case with Zac Rosscup). Seven MLB players have been placed on the 60-day DL since the start of Spring Training on February 18th, and in each case, the injured player's 40-man roster slot was needed for another player (either a free-agent signing or waiver claim). Zac Rosscup was placed on the Cubs 60-day DL on 2/25 to make room on the 40-man roster for Dexter Fowler, but since only the last nine days of Spring Training (3/25-4/2 in 2016) are applied toward the 60 days Rosscup must spend on the 60, he can't be reinstated from the 60-day DL any earlier than May 24th (the 52nd say of the 2016 MLB regular season) even though he was placed on the 60-day DL on 2/25. The only reason the Cubs placed Rosscup on the 60-day DL when they did was because they needed his 40-man roster slot, not because it will make him eligible to be reinstated any earlier than if they had waited until the end of Spring Training to put him on the DL Likewise, a player cannot be placed on the 15-day DL any earlier than nine days prior to MLB Opening Day (3/25 in 2016), and a DL assignment cannot be backdated further back than nine days prior to MLB Opening Day, even though a DL assignment can be backdated up to ten days back during the MLB regular season (as long as the player did not appear in a game during that period). And as far as minor league rehab assignments are concerned, a pitcher on a 15-day or 60-day DL can spend up to thirty days on a minor league rehab assignment (and the rehab assignment can start no earlier than 30 days prior to the date the pitcher is eligible to be reinstated from the DL), while a position player can spend no more than 21 days on a minor league rehab assignment (and the minor league rehab assignment can commence no earlier than 21 days prior to the date the position player is eligible to be reinstated from the DL). Time spent at Extended Spring Training is NOT considered to be part of any minor league rehab assignment, so Zac Rosscup can participate in Extended Spring Training (and pitch in EXST games to his heart's content) and then go on a 30-day minor league rehab assignment once he gets within thirty days of the date he is eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day DL (presuming he's healthy enough to pitch).

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:05 pm

Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat #Cubs bench just got better. @ShaneVictorino is going to resume switch hitting. Says his back is better and can do it

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:24 pm

The Cubs have released five minor leaguers from their Dominican Academy squad: 

Jesus Arias, RHP 
Harrinson Bermudez, RHP 
Jose Morel, RHP 
Miguel Ruiz, INF 
Mauro Vides, RHP 

Arias and Bermudez had already accrued four seasons in the DSL and/or VSL and so they were no longer eligible to play in a foreign rookie league. Arias was a second-contract player (previously released by CLE). 

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 02:49 pm

JACOS: There are classes at the Dominican Academy, but other than English classes, they are mostly baseball-related (what the Cubs call "Mental Skills"). 

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:55 pm

Nick Cafardo/Boston Globe Sunday notes, Cub related... http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/02/27/criticism-analytics-shows-…
If Andrew Friedman had gone with analytics over the advice of his top scout with the Rays, he would have wound up with failed prospect Chris Carpenter over Chris Archer. Friedman’s top scout at the time was Jeff McAvoy, who is now the Marlins scouting director. Friedman was going to make a deal with the Cubs, and analytics showed that Carpenter was a better prospect than Archer. McAvoy insisted that Archer would be the better choice in the long run. And so the Cubs traded Archer, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld, Brandon Guyer, and Hak-Ju Lee to the Rays for Matt Garza, Fernando Perez, and Zac Rosscup prior to the 2011 season.
and all Cub fans thought it was Trey McNutt that was the alternative decision (on the Cubs side at least) in that Garza deal with Tampa. The Red Sox still got Carpenter as compensation for Theo. and the usual Soler chatter:
9. Jorge Soler, OF, Cubs — He was once penciled in as the Cubs’ right fielder, with Jason Heyward in center. But with Fowler back in the fold, Heyward goes to right. So what happens to Soler? He could start in the minors or come off the bench. Kyle Schwarber is expected to be in left but could also catch once a week. Soler could share left with Schwarber. The Cubs could always deal him because there’s a lot of interest. Stay tuned.

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:48 pm

a lot of people seem to forget about archer's command/control issues when he was dealt. there was a lot of talk about how he may not be able to pull 5+ inning work regularly because of how quickly he ran into pitch count issues. there was also a lot of talk at the time about him being a possible closer of the future as much as being a starter...so it's not like he was considered junk. he really pulled it together in spectacular fashion. david price also gets a ton of under-the-radar credit for archer's work ethic and attitude both on and off the field (though it's not like archer had problems there).

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Submitted by Old and Blue on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:28 pm

Suddenly there's a lot of chatter about how the Red Sox are reversing and going away from metrics. I kind of doubt they are doing that. At the prospect level there are lots of considerations beyond metrics. I think what has been making Theo and friends successful is that they've mixed gut feelings (Schwarber) with metrics. At the MLB level, metrics are pretty important. I can't imagine the Red Sox reversing course there, but if they do, good for them. It's one less team to compete with.

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:41 pm

much like over-reacting and over-bearing ron paul fans...or bernie sanders fans...yeah, it's overblown and they're not reversing from advanced metrics. bill f'n james is an adviser to the team. they're obviously not done with advanced stats. the shift in philosophy doesn't seem to be as big of a shift as some are painting it to be. the rsox front office (john henry, specifically) made a couple of comments about how they've relied a bit too much advanced metrics for projections compared to how they can use their money as a tool...and some people have started the "all or nothing" baby/bathwather throwing arguments. “A lot of our advantage was purely financial,” Henry said. “We were never as far toward analytics as people thought we were.” MAN THE LIFEBOATS! SABERMETRICS ARE NO LONGER IN USE! LET'S BANG ROCKS TOGETHER AND GRUNT WHILE TRYING TO MAKE FIRE! sigh... that said, money is a tool and the rsox have obviously used it...also listening to pure advanced stats and punting would have cost them a world series victory a few years ago...and KC last year... it is very possible to have more than 1 tool in the toolbox and to favor the use of 1 tool over another without ignoring the other tools.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:33 pm

Eleven players originally signed by the Cubs are on the rosters of independent league teams going into the 2016 season: Hunter Ackerman, LHP (2010 4th round) - Evansville (Frontier) Wes Darvill, INF (2009 4th round) - Winnipeg (American Association) Frank del Valle, LHP (2011 IFA) - Joplin (American Association) Dustin Geiger, 3B (2009 24th round) - Wichita (American Association) Jon Hunton, RHP (2004 11th round) - Somerset (Atlantic) Matt Iannazzo, LHP (2012 NDFA) - York (Atlantic) Justin Marra, C (2011 15th round) - Winnipeg (American Association) Sheldon McDonald, LHP (2011 33rd round) - Quebec (CanAm) Jake Opitz, INF (2008 12th round) - Southern Maryland (Atlantic) Charlie White, OF (2014 21st round) - Joliet (Frontier) Al Yevoli, LHP (2013 NDFA) - Lancaster (Atlantic)

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:55 pm

according to G. Wittenmeyer, Christian Villaneuva might need surgery on his fractured fibula. http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/1359757/cubs-christian-villanue… If he does need surgery, it means the fibula fracture is significantly offset (displaced) and/or the ankle mortise (symmetry around the joint) is widened. The talus is the bottom bone around which the tibia (medial and distal)/fibula (lateral) form a hinge joint. The fibula at the ankle is often referred to as the lateral malleolus. The bone that the medial/deltoid ligament attaches to is referred to as the medial malleolus (which is a part of the tibia). The ankle joint widening often comes because the medial (inside, deltoid) ligament is also injured/stretched even if no medial fracture is present with a lateral/fibular fracture. Fixing the fibula usually involves a plate and screws to hold the bone in anatomic alignment while it heals. If that restores the alignment of the mortise (and fixes the widening), the medial ligament injury can heal without surgical intervention otherwise it too can be repaired with suture techniques. http://uwmsk.org/RadAnat/images/AnkleMortiseLabelled.jpg http://medapparatus.com/Gallery/Images/Ortho/FractureFixation/OneThirdT… If he does need surgery, he will be out at least 3 months.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 02/28/2016 - 02:36 pm

"Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune writes that "there's some talk" of Kyle Schwarber being Kyle Hendricks' personal catcher." uhh...okay.

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Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 02:39 am

Hendricks had consistently solid peripherals last year, except for the jump in HR/9, and Fangraphs' Steamer projects him to be .5 WAR better than Hammel (and projects them to put up 24 and 23 starts respectively). My only real concern with Hendricks is the jump to 180 IP last year. If he can avoid any side effects from the increased use, he seems like a good bet to take his start every fifth day.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 02:57 am

This is actually a pretty interesting idea, because Hendricks has great control and is really smart and essentially calls his own game. AND he only pitches about 5-6 innings. So Schwarber gets regular reps with someone easy to catch and then gets removed from the game or moved to left for the final 3 innings if they have the lead.

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Submitted by VirginiaPhil on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:31 am

I find Hendricks fascinating to watch--how he gets people out--so I probably watched more of his half-innings last season than the other starters combined. One thing I noticed was that he shook off Montero quite a bit. There seemed to be a number of standoffs where neither one would yield, until finally Montero had to waste more time visiting the mound. The inexperienced Schwarber would probably be less stubborn and would allow Hendricks to do what he wanted.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 02:52 pm

AZBOBBOP: Some minor league players have already arrived at the Under Armour Performance Center (and the early arrivals are the ones who get to play in the first Cactus League games), but the official reporting date for pitchers & catchers is this coming weekend, and then the position players mandatory reporting date is four days later. 

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Submitted by crunch on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:20 am

some fans are a little salty about this...even though it's not even march...and none of this matters yet... not every stunt he pulls works out as designed...not many, and moreso with TB than CHC so far...but the band is back together after a long winter break and some new guys are getting a taste. it looks like it went off as planned and was appreciated by everyone.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:18 am

"some fans..." read: "crunch"? No fans that I know of really care at all. They will if the team plays badly, becasue then they will look for something to blame, but if the team plays well then Maddon can pull a rabbit out of Rizzo's ass every day of the week that ends in "y" and no one will care a bit.

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Submitted by crunch on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:38 pm

the seminole medicine man one didn't go over as smoothly as designed, for a start... ultimately, no players have been pissed with this kind of stuff that i know of and no players have blamed a side show on anything...that's what really matters. some fans will get pissed about anything that's not 1950s chaw tobaccy real men acts and non-stop practice outside of what's going on the field during play.

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Submitted by crunch on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:36 pm

my god...just drop this shit. twitter, comments on news articles about it...fuck. some people aren't happy about anything because they're too busy looking to get mad about something. i don't know what mental gymnastics you did to get "it's crunch and only crunch with his passive aggressive stuff because screw what he actually wrote" out of what i typed. it's about time to let this go. i don't mind clarifying anything, or taking some heat when i earn it, but c'mon...

Submitted by CTSteve on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 02:52 pm

If anyone had "dress as a hippie and drive a van onto the field" in the Predictions Game, you just scored three points.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:10 pm

Anyone want to try @ottoneu fantasy baseball? I have an A.W.O.L. owner. Pretty solid roster.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:50 pm

Beginning today, MLB clubs can unilaterally renew the contracts of unsigned players on the club's MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) who are not yet subject to salary arbitration. The player's salary must be at least equal to the MLB minimum salary ($507,500 in 2016), and must be at least 80% of the player's previous season's salary (maximum 20% cut). NOTE: The minimum minor league "split" salary a pre-arbitration player receives while on Optional Assignment to the minors in 2016 is $82,700 (or $41,400 for players on an MLB 40-man roster for the first time), and the player's minor league "split" salary must be at least 60% of what the player was paid the previous season.  

Clubs (usually the Assistant GM) will negotiate with a pre-arbitration ("auto-renewal") player up to a point, but ultimately the player must accept the club's offer or just not play.  The one time when this can be a problem for a club is when the auto-renewal involves a talented player (like maybe a Rookie of the Year) with a high ceiling and a savvy agent. (Like Kris Bryant and Scott Boras, for instance). So hopefully there won't be a problem for the Cubs signing Bryant, because an auto-renewal can poison the waters for as long as the player is with the club. 

A few years, ago, the Milwaukee Brewers unilaterally renewed the contract of 2006 Rookie of the Year Prince Fielder not once but twice (after his first and second seasons), and Fielder never forgot what he believed was the Brewers being disrespectful. But sometimes it's hard for a club to explain to a pre-arb player who hits the ground running from the gitgo that no matter how well he plays, he is still going to get paid pretty much the same as the other pre-arbitration players with similar MLB Service Time (at least until the player becomes eligible for salary arbitration). 

 

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:25 pm

there's baseball on tv...and im watching it...and i don't care that it's an already-over tape delay game that i know the final score already. btw, cubs start on thursday (radio feed only) and their first TV game is friday...both day games.

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 03:13 pm

TB to play the cuban national team in havana on march 22nd...hope it's televised. obama may attend since it's during his visit to cuba on the 21st/22nd.

Submitted by Cubster on Wed, 03/02/2016 - 03:10 am

Matt Murton apparently recovering from Appendectomy. News reports didn't state how long ago. Is he doing any baseball activities?

Submitted by CTSteve on Wed, 03/02/2016 - 03:39 am

Major announcement from the Cards coming in minutes. Is it too soon to concede the division?

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Wed, 03/02/2016 - 03:20 pm

The Cubs have purchased the contract of 27-year old OF Ryan Kalish from Sioux City (American Association). He has been assigned to AAA Iowa, but he has apparently not received an NRI to big league camp (at least not so far).  

Kalish was the 9th round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2006 out of Red Bank Catholic HS in Red Bank, NJ, and quickly emerged as one of the Red Sox Top 10 prospects 2007-2009, and he was a Baseball America Top 100 prospect, too. He made his MLB debut in 2010, but suffered a season-ending (and what turned out to be a career-limiting) shoulder injury when he crashed into a wall while playing for AAA Pawtucket in 2011. 

Kalish was non-tendered by the Red Sox in December 2013, and signed a 2014 minor league contract  with the Cubs later that month. He bounced back & forth between Chicago and Des Moines in 2014, and then he elected free-agency after being outrighted to the minors post-2014. 

He signed a 2015 minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays after electing free-agency, but the contract was voided after he failed his physical. 

If healthy, Kalish is a decent player (4th OF type), but obviously his career has not exactly been on the come lately. 

Kalish is the third player acquired by the Cubs from independent league teams this off season. Previously the Cubs purchased the contracts of RHP Dale Brocker from Normal (Frontier) and RHP Tommy Nance from Windy City (Frontier). 

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Submitted by Charlie on Wed, 03/02/2016 - 03:03 pm

Doubtful, since he was pretty limited to the corners in 2015 when he had a shot with the Cubs. Kind of weird that what might be one of the deepest OF situations in baseball now has also become a ground for guys like Victorino, Murton, and Kalish to audition for a bench job or a minor league shot. But with Kalish, I assume this is just a chance to get back into pro ball. I'm guessing that Victorino is the only one with any shot to make the team, and that if Baez proves competent in CF even Victorino's shot will be dependent on him proving he's 100% and can hit. Kind of curious if Murton is considering getting into coaching. There's very little path to any major league job for him, except as a bench bat on a team very thin in LF, 1B, and DH and with need for a short-side platoon guy.

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Submitted by crunch on Wed, 03/02/2016 - 03:45 pm

either way, the AAA OF is gonna be slammed even if they decide to keep almora in AA. also, i hope j.andreoli doesn't lose much time to it. sure andreoli is a 4th/5th OF'r at best, but if things go as planned it's all the team's gonna need for a few years. he's finally healthy and he's a decent 3-slot OF'r option. i like him more than szczur, anyway.

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 03/03/2016 - 03:17 pm

reminder for those tracking games via statcast/gamecast/live-boxscores/etc this spring... more than a few of these reporting tools will give Ks and BBs as 0-3 for K and 4-0 for a BB. it's not the real count they earned the K/BB with, it's just how the reporting tool is giving out the count since some reporting tools aren't counting the real batter's count, just the result. just a head's up...since that still seems to be a thing.

Submitted by crunch on Thu, 03/03/2016 - 03:37 pm

mark grace on Intentional Talk (MLB Network) :D man, i miss him calling AZ games...as doofy as he was at it. they showed his 1st hit as a cub, him giving up a homer to d.ross (ross's 1st HR)... ...it was awesome...recommended watch if you're a grace fan.

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:35 pm

Watching the game live now. When Victorino came to back the announcers confirmed that he is back to switch hitting this year.

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:54 pm

He had one nice scoop on a tough long hop from a throw from Zobrist who was moving to his left and spun and threw while fading away. And Baez looked pumped when he pulled it out.

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:01 pm

Hell of a play by Ross. Dove to get a popped-up bunt in fall territory then threw to second to get the runner tagging from first. Great scoop and tag by Russell to nail him for the DP.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:08 pm

it's a real "spring training strike zone" today...if it's anywhere close it's gonna be called. someone has an afternoon tee time.

Submitted by The E-Man on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:16 pm

A little bit of nerves for Pierce Johnson - but he got out of the 1st with men on 2nd/3rd and 1 out. Plus a nasty cutter. Hello to AZ PHIL out at the park no doubt!

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:06 pm

cubs set a new sloan park attendance record...and all-time cactus league attendance record...both set last year by the cubs, too.

Submitted by The E-Man on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:55 pm

I just noticed this from yesterday: "Arodys Vizcaino just punched out the side for the Braves and hit 100 on the gun. That'll work!" Jayson Stark

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:06 pm

before...celebration...after...buyer's remorse. i'm pretty sure 10 out of 10 cubs fans would do a reverse on that trade at this point given that lastella is penciled in as the bench 2nd/3rd who would probably slot behind baez, or at least platoon, if zobrist got injured. actually, cubs fans can get weird...make that 8.27 fans out of 10.

Submitted by The E-Man on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:49 pm

I don't think he "tore it up" with a high 3 xFIP in 17 innings or so. But the high upside - as well the career-ending injury are always there.

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Submitted by crunch on Fri, 03/04/2016 - 03:05 pm

i think you're checking out his 2011 season, not his 2015 season. 36 games last year for 33.2ip and he gave up runs (earned and unearned) in only 4 games...2 of them back to back for 0.2ip combined...and it's really hard to put a ball over the fence off him...and that whole 97+mph with a controlled curveball thing. sure, he's probably not a "true" 1.60era guy, but he's good at stranding guys without letting them cash in (small sample size warning). lastella's not trash...he just became a bit of an expendable luxury as soon as he became useful with the quick emergence of a.russell and j.baez working his way back onto the team...and then zobrist happened.

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Submitted by WISCGRAD on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 03:33 am

And a few years ago everyone was complaining how we essentially got nothing for Maholm from the Braves when we acquired Vizcaino the first time and how we'd like to have that trade back! It takes many years to be able to look back on a trade and truly evaluate it. Too early to tell on this one. La Stella could be a key bench piece for the team this year (I really like his at-bats) and Vizcaino could get suspended or injured or just plain suck and then the pendulum swings back in our favor.

Submitted by crunch on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 03:55 pm

schwarb takes over at catcher...and a throwing error letting the baserunner score...and then a CS on another runner. woo, spring training.

Submitted by Charlie on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 03:58 pm

Montero making an early bid for Cactus League MVP. Funny how junkballers pretty much dominate the first couple weeks of spring training. Have fun, Cahill. I'm already tired of spring training. Bring on April.

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Submitted by crunch on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 03:06 pm

most awesome spring training thing ive seen so far is wilmer flores coming into a game yesterday to pinch hit at the mets spring training complex and getting an insanely large pop + standing ovation. it was arguably bigger than the one they gave cespedes. he's become one hell of a folk hero to mets fans after "there is crying in baseball trade-gate." he walked, btw...gritty.

Submitted by crunch on Sun, 03/06/2016 - 03:28 am

j.degrom (NYM) is refusing to sign his contract for 2016, protesting his assigned salary...only getting a 50K raise. technically, there's nothing he can do about it...it's only symbolic...he'll play for the mets. g.cole (PIT) allegedly threatened to do the same recently, but signed while making a vocal protest about only getting a 10K raise. the kids are getting a bit uppity. *spit*

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 03/06/2016 - 03:53 pm

mlb web TV cast today. 2-2 into bottom of 2, Corbin vs Warren. Fun to see Cubs on TV even if it's a road broadcast. Brenly is still an easy listen. or listen to Ron Coomer and Len on WSCR but the webcast has about a 20 second delay so it's like listening to the future (or watching the past). MLB game day seems live matching the radio broadcast. Fowler LONG HR! Woo, spring baseball. 3-2 Cubs.

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 03/06/2016 - 03:25 pm

considering it's spring it wasn't that horrible...though not good. ross maybe could have stopped/blocked 2-3 of those if given another chance or more time to warm up to being back at work. 91-93mph fastballs, almost exclusively. ...that lastella throw from 3rd was horrific, though...but...yeah...it's march 6th.

Submitted by Cubster on Sun, 03/06/2016 - 03:16 pm

according to Len in post-game update: Frank Bautista left the game with unspecified leg injury. minor league pitching depth.

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Submitted by crunch on Sun, 03/06/2016 - 03:33 pm

he came down funny after a pitch on his leg/ankle...had to be helped off the field limping a bit. either way he's of very little importance to the MLB team, even on the immediate-need-callup-types minor league depth chart. Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat #Cubs pitching prospect Frank Batista tweaked his left quad falling awkwardly off mound in 5th

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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