While the Cubs' deal with Eric Hosmer has not yet been made official, their reported agreement with the first baseman continued an active offseason for Jed Hoyer and Co.
It's also been a busy few weeks of 40-man roster maneuvering.
Most recently, the Cubs designated Alfonso Rivas, Erich Uelmen and P.J. Higgins for assignment to clear space on the 40-man for Anthony Kay and Drew Smyly and catcher Tucker Barnhart.
Rivas cleared waivers and was released, while Higgins cleared and was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs traded Uelmen to the Phillies on Wednesday for cash.
With a little over a month until spring training, here is how things currently stand on the Cubs' 40-man, with italics denoting an offseason signing/addition.
Pitchers (23)
- Adbert Alzolay
- Javier Assad
- Brad Boxberger
- Ben Brown
- Jeremiah Estrada
- Kyle Hendricks
- Codi Heuer
- Brandon Hughes
- Ryan Jensen
- Anthony Kay
- Caleb Kilian
- Mark Leiter Jr.
- Ethan Roberts
- Manny Rodríguez
- Michael Rucker
- Adrian Sampson
- Drew Smyly*
- Justin Steele
- Marcus Stroman
- Jameson Taillon
- Keegan Thompson
- Hayden Wesneski
- Rowan Wick
*Re-signed on two-year deal
MLB
New here this offseason are Taillon and Boxberger, two of the Cubs’ key signings; Kay, who was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays last month; and prospects Brown and Jensen, who were added to the 40-man in November.
Seventeen of the 23 pitchers appeared for the Cubs in the big leagues last season, including Roberts, who made the Opening Day roster but later underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Heuer — who underwent Tommy John last March and didn’t pitch in 2022 — and Roberts each are likely to miss the start of next season but were activated off the 60-day IL in November. So was Hendricks, who missed the final three months with a shoulder injury.
Catchers (3)
- Miguel Amaya
- Tucker Barnhart
- Yan Gomes
Barnhart, who signed a two-year deal, is expected to split time with Gomes behind the plate. Amaya joined Double-A Tennessee last summer after his Tommy John recovery and suffered a Lisfranc injury at the end of the season.
Infielders (6)
- Nico Hoerner
- Nick Madrigal
- Miles Mastrobuoni
- Zach McKinstry
- Dansby Swanson
- Patrick Wisdom
Swanson, the Cubs’ biggest offseason addition, signed a seven-year, $177 million deal after seven seasons with the Braves. Mastrobuoni was acquired from the Rays in November and has minor-league options remaining.
Outfielders (8)
- Kevin Alcantara
- Cody Bellinger
- Alexander Canario
- Brennen Davis
- Ian Happ
- Christopher Morel
- Seiya Suzuki
- Nelson Velázquez
Bellinger signed a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2024 last month. Alcantara and Davis were added to the 40-man with Brown and Jensen in November.
Davis missed a chunk of last season after undergoing a back procedure and was limited to five Arizona Fall League games due to what the team called “general soreness.” Cubs VP of player development Jared Banner recently told the Des Moines' Register's Tommy Birch the organization’s No. 2 prospect has “no limitations at this time.”
Canario fractured his ankle and dislocated his shoulder playing in the Dominican Winter League and will miss the start of next season. Banner told Birch that Canario isn’t near starting baseball activities but is “recovering well.”